Friendship in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

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Friendship in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Theme: Real Friendships are more than a stubborn act; they are actions

that surround your soul in order to uncover the truth that you're

seeking in a friend.

Friendship, as understood here, is a distinctively personal

relationship that is grounded in a concern on the part of each friend

for the welfare of the other, for the other's sake, and that involves

some degree of intimacy. As such, friendship is undoubtedly central to

our lives, in part because the special concern we have for our friends

must have a place within a broader set of concerns, including moral

concerns, and in part because our friends can help shape who we are as

persons. Given this centrality, important questions arise concerning

the justification of friendship and, in this context, whether it is

permissible to ?trade up? when someone new comes along, as well as

concerning the possibility of reconciling the demands of friendship

with the demands of morality in cases in which the two seem to

conflict.

In the novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini explores the struggles

that Amir faces that confront him on the path to manhood testing

friendship. One of the highlights of their friendship is their

competition in the kite fighting competitions that mark the start of

winter in Kabul. Amir is a master kite fighter, and Hassan is a

mysterious "kite runner? able to retrieve the fallen kites and bring

them home as trophies. Amir and Hassan do wonderful things together

like they are brothers, but still Amir tries to test Hassan?s loyalty

all the time and still is afraid of accepting being Hassan?s true

friend. ?Never Mind that we taught each other to ride a bicycle with

no hands, or to bui...

... middle of paper ...

...want to stay for a

longer period of time with someone. But does this mean that we want to

be friends with each other? Testing your friend?s loyalty in order to

see how faithful they are is a fine idea, but when you get carried

away it can cause negative feelings and possibly a loss of friendship.

A real friend is not only a speaking mouth, but also a helping hand,

and sometimes even a shoulder that you can depend on. A real

friendship must be tested by a long period, sometimes for ten or more

years. And of course, friendship can be promoted onto a higher level,

such as love. If you both have love for each other, you will make good

friendship. Amir?s ideal true friend was staring at him in the face

all the time but it took a while for him to realize that Hassan was

the one.

Works Cited:

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Canada: Random House, 2004.

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