“There is no act more wretched than stealing” (Hosseini 106). Hosseini believes that Baba had forgiven Hassan after he supposedly had stolen Amir’s birthday money and presents, when Baba had said that there is no bigger crime than stealing. The scene in which Amir had lied saying Hassan had stolen his birthday presents and money in Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, is important because Hosseini uses it to establish that lying will lead you to guilt through Amir thinking about Hassan for the heinous acts he had done to him and from what Baba had told him.
Amir had been thinking about his father and trying to achieve his love. Though, Baba had treated Hassan more of a son then he did with Amir. So, Amir didn’t care much for Hassan and betrayed him and lied to get Hassan in trouble and mainly to get rid of him. In the beginning of Amir’s life Baba had told Amir something that he kept in mind through his life. According to Baba, he said “When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth”
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(Hosseini 18). Basically, Baba is saying that if you lie, you will be a thief. And where Baba, Hassan and Amir live, being a thief is the biggest crime you can ever commit. Amir isn’t so much of a good person in the beginning of his life because he was selfish, and only care what would happen to himself and Baba. He wanted to get rid Hassan who was a family member and a friend to him and what doesn’t realize is that Hassan is sacrificing himself for Amir to be happy but Amir soon began to feel and suffer the guilt for what he had been doing to Hassan. Hassan is a very caring person and has been willing to sacrifice himself for Amir and taking the blame when it hasn’t been his fault. Since Hassan had been doing that for Amir, he had been suffering from guilt because he didn’t want to hurt Hassan anymore. Hosseini says that “He knew I had betrayed him and yet he was rescuing me once again, maybe for the last time. I loved him in that moment, loved him more than I’d ever loved anyone, and I wanted to tell them all that I was the snake in the grass, the monster in the lake. I wasn’t worthy of this sacrifice; I was a liar, a cheat, and a thief” (Hosseini 105). Amir believes that after framing Hassan he felt that he was a lair, because he lied to Baba that Hassan stole his birthday gifts and money. Amir is feeling guilt for lying to Baba and Hassan but yet he didn’t manage to tell the truth meaning he is only going to suffer more guilt rather than being relieve of the guilt that he has. He only felt this way because of Baba and what he had told him and Amir kept Baba’s note on lying. Baba has some irony in his life, mostly because of what he said to Amir.
Baba isn’t such a good father to Amir because he doesn’t show Amir the love he has been wanting. Though, Baba has lied about Hassan to Amir and he even told Amir that lying is like being a thief and that it’s a crime. According to Amir, “Baba had been a thief. And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he’d stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honor. His nang. His namoos” (Hosseini 225). Amir believes Baba is a thief and that he has stolen his right to the truth about him having a brother and never telling Ali the truth that Hassan id Baba’s son. There is no bigger crime then stealing and Baba is the one who broke that rule that he told Amir. Amir is going to suffer guilt because of this, because he had done pretty bad things to Hassan and hasn’t been able to repay all of the pain and suffering he had caused to
him. Amir and Baba don’t have such a good father and son bond and yet Baba gave Amir a life lesson on what not to do and that is if you lie, you steal the truth from them. Though, Amir has broken that lesson by not telling Baba the truth on how stole his gifts and money when it was him framing Hassan. Afterwards, he felt so bad for the things he had done to Hassan that the guilt is building u on him. Baba had lied to Amir, Hassan and Ali and throughout his life he never told the truth to them, Amir suffered guilt for his actions with Hassan, Hassan has suffered a lot of pain because of Amir and Ali never knew that Hassan was Baba’s son. The more you end up lying, the more it will end up eating you away to the point where you can’t take it anymore. Amir suffered so much guilt and pain because he couldn’t tell the truth and now he learned to be the man his father wanted him to be as well as start to repay his guilt that he has.
This quote, an excerpt from the letter Rahim Khan wrote to Amir, reveals the inner torment Baba faced regarding his two sons, whom he didn’t know how to love fairly, and the guilt he carried for fathering an illegitimate son, guilt that is reminiscent of Amir’s guilt for betraying Hassan. All his life, Baba had been hard on Amir, withholding the fatherly affection Amir longed for, but, as Rahim reveals, this was also hard on Baba. Baba wanted to be able to show affection to both of his sons, but didn’t know how when one of his sons was illegitimate and the other represented everything that made him feel guilty. In this quote, it is also apparent that Baba is much more like Amir than either of them thought. Baba harbored guilt for betraying Ali, just as Amir suffered guilt for betraying Hassan.
Throughout Amir’s journey to absolve himself from the internal and distressing pain he has felt ever since witnessing the devastating altercation in the alley, trying to reach a standard his father, Baba, would approve of also took a toll on his childhood. Baba often speaks of how he cannot fathom the fact that Amir is a part of his bloodline. (quotes quotes quotes) Trying to achieve the perfect son status that Baba wanted Amir to be clouded his mind so greatly that, during the moment, Amir did not show compassion towards Hassan’s troubling moment of need. What matter most was retrieving the last fallen kite to his father to prove he was not a mistake that Baba made Amir believe he was. Even after Baba’s death, his actions brought more despair and uncertainty to Amir’s complicated life. The secrets and lies that were kept from Amir and even Hassan could have altered the fate of both men. (quote quote quote) Throughout the novel, Amir could arguably be considered as selfish, rude and mean toward his half-brother Hassan. However, since Baba never told the two about their true relationship Amir grew up disliking Hassan because he did not know that they shared blood. Knowing their true identities possibly could
Baba, is what Amir called his father. Amir always looked up to Baba. He never wanted to disappoint him. Amir always wanted to be the only boy in the eyes of his father. He was jealous and would do anything for Baba to look up to him or respect him, as his son. Hence, the kite and alley incident. Through all the lies and deception, Baba still viewed Amir as innocent in many ways. Though Baba always wanted Amir to be athletic, play soccer, and display a talent of kite running and flying like Hassan and himself, he still loved Amir and saw his talents as a
Redemption is gaining honor and self-forgiveness through a selfless act that reflects off of one’s regretful actions of their past. In the novel, The Kite Runner, Amir is the main character who goes through many life struggles and mistakes, then finds himself on a road to redemption. Amir and Hassan were best friends throughout their childhood and Hassan was the honorable, trusting best friend, the one to always take a stand for what he believed was right. Amir’s lack of courage caused him to stay silent in the worst of times, letting Hassan get tortured for the things he did not deserve. The themes of sacrifice, honor and redemption are carried out in many ways throughout this novel being shown through the actions of Hassan, Baba, and Amir.
”(Hosseini 223). Baba’s lie had made it hard for Amir and affected him knowing what he had did was wrong. Thinking before we do or say something would be best cause we could hurt someone in the long run and not even know
Over the course of the novel, Baba implies that he is not proud of Amir and the only reason he knows Amir is his son, is because he witnessed Amir 's birth. He states to Rahim Khan that he thinks Amir needs to stand up for himself more often. Countless times during the novel, Amir feels like he has to fight for his affection, that he has to earn Baba’s love. In order to prove himself worthy of affection and to redeem himself for not being a son Baba could be proud of, Amir yearns to win the kite runner competition. He reminisces on a memory, when all “I saw was the blue kite. All I smelled was victory. Salvation. Redemption” (65). In the aftermath of Hassan’s rape, Amir got rid of Hassan so he would not have to face the cause of his guilt on a daily basis. Amir buries the secret of the rape deep within him, where he hopes that it will not come back to haunt him, which is not the case. “We had both sinned and betrayed. But Baba had found a way to create good out of his remorse. What had I done, other than take my guilt out on the very same people I had betrayed, and then try to forget it all? What had I done, other than become an insomniac? What had I ever done to right things?” (303). As mentioned earlier, Amir is not one who stands up for himself. In order for Amir to redeem himself for betraying Hassan, and not standing up for him earlier,
Baba ran from the truth, and so did Amir to protect the family name, even if that meant betraying the people closest to him. Baba was a man more worried about his image than anything, and that is what he taught his son as well. Slowly that is all Amir knew how to do: protect his family and himself, leading him into a life of guilt, and running from people when situations were challenging, instead of making the admirable decision and helping a friend. He shows his unconditional love when he suddenly packs up and leaves all he has ever known, “‘[Ali and Hassan] can’t live [there] anymore.life here is impossible for [them] now”’
“It's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out” (Hosseini). In The Kite Runner, Hosseini shares Amir’s journey to atonement. As Amir states, he was unable to bury his past, similar to his father, Baba, who spent the majority of his life haunted by his sins. While both father and son are consumed by guilt, the way in which they atone for their iniquities is dissimilar. While Baba attempts to live his life according to the Afghan saying, “ Life goes on, unmindful of beginning, end...crisis or catharsis, moving forward like a slow, dusty caravan of kochis [nomads]” (Hosseini 356), Amir strays from this traditional perspective. Baba chose to continue his life unmindful of his past, while Amir, eventually decides to confront his. Although both Baba and Amir have acted immorally, the choices they make find redemption affect the success of their individual attempts. In the novel, Amir’s quest for atonement is more effective than Baba’s because he acts virtuously, while his father, acts selfishly. Ultimately, Amir is the more successful of the two because, in opposition to Baba, he seeks holistic atonement and is willing to make sacrifices to achieve redemption.
What 's more, that is intriguing on the grounds that it was the same with their fathers. At the point when Amir is discussing his dad he says, "yet in none of his stories did Baba ever allude to Ali as his companion. The inquisitive thing was, I never considered Hassan and me as companions either". The expression "like father like child" splendidly portrays this circumstance. Some other time is when Baba takes Amir to the lake the day the halfway house opens, Baba advises his child to welcome Hassan to run with them. In any case, he doesn 't and concedes that "He requesting that I get Haasan as well, however I lied and let him know Hassan had the runs. I needed Baba all to myself". That was an exceptionally egotistical move since Amir was just considering himself and not about others. Amir and Baba are additionally both extremely egotistical. Amir is conceited in light of the fact that he couldn 't have cared less that Hassan was getting assaulted just with the goal that Amir could get Hassan 's kite. At the point when Rahim Khan is conversing with Baba he says, "you know, once in a while you are the most narcissistic man I
Baba is displayed as an immoral man while at home because he is not loving to his son and he cheated with his friends’ wife and had a child. Even some of Baba’s good qualities such as his care for Hassan and Ali, his father, seem to have a selfish motive behind them because he wants to keep his son close to him. While Baba is never the fatherly figure in the first part of the book, once they leave their home, Baba seems to care a lot more about Amir. This may happen because he does not always have Hassan around to remind him of the terrible mistakes that he made in the past. However, even when Hassan is leaving, Baba still cares about him. Even though Hassan may be a symbol of past mistakes, he is still Baba’s son in the end and family always has a strong bond. Therefore, Baba’s character shows his moral side because instead of hating his illegitimate son, he cares for him as much as he can given the cultural standards of the two opposing religions. By healing his cleft lip and remembering Hassan’s birthday every year, Baba is able to show his caring side that is seldom seen with his relationship with
When Baba confronts Hassan and his father, Ali, Hassan tells Baba that he was the one who stole from Amir. By doing this he sacrifices his morals and relationship with Baba for Amir. Even after the boy he thought of as a brother betrayed him Hassan remains loyal.
Hosseini’s use of irony is persvasive throughout the novel. Select three moments in which irony is illustrated. What is ironic at that juncture in the text and why is it important in shaping our understanding of the story?
Rahim Khan, Baba’s childhood best friend tells Amir “He was once married to Hazara women from the Jaghori area.” Baba kept a huge secret from Amir that changed his entire life. After Amir’s biological mother passed away Baba got with a Hazara women. Which was Ali’s wife and ended up getting her pregnant, Later turning out to be Hassan. Baba implemented into Amir and Hassan that lying and theft were the biggest sins. Not telling Hassan and Amir that they were brothers and treating them as if they were caused Amir to live a confused childhood and not knowing if they were brothers, his servant, or his best friend because of who he was as a person. When Amir finds out Hassan was his actual brother he doesn’t know how to feel when he finds
Baba says this quote while having a private conversation with Rahim Khan, which exposes important traits of Baba and Amir. The irony of Baba ranting to Rahim Khan about Amir to never be able to stand up for himself; Hassan always saves him. The irony takes its place when Amir watches Assef rape Hassan without interfering. These words shows Amir’s character flaw, cowardice, and Baba shows how significant it is to stand up for what is right. We all know that Baba is hesitant to seize recognition of Amir because Amir’s decrease of courage to stand up for himself, which leaves Amir deeply wanting Baba’s praise and approval.
In particular, Amir explains that Baba has never missed one of Hassan’s birthdays. Whether this is because he is just a caring, kind, man or that he truly loves Hassan. Amir explains, “Baba never missed Hassan’s birthday. For a while, he used to ask Hassan what he wanted, but he gave up doing that because Hassan was always too modest to actually suggest a present,” (Hosseini 44). In this scene, there is a tension and jealousy because Amir senses Baba is treating Hassan with more respect and care. This strong relationship is generated by the fact that Hassan is Baba’s son. This is a problem because Baba is not allowed to speak up about this situation because it would be incorrect towards Ali. Hassan does not have the best circumstances in life because he works as sort of a servant for Baba and Amir, so for Baba to be able to provide happiness for him is an enormous gift that he can