Theme of Loyalty The theme of loyalty is widespread throughout "The Kite Runner". Hassan is a very loyal character in this story, he is loyal to his brother Amir this is demonstrated from the start he tells Amir “for you a thousand times over” often to mean he would do anything for Amir when the situation calls for it. Amir on the other hand is jealous and feels entitled to his father’s love and care, he does not understand Baba’s love for Ali and Hassan and as such he does everything to discredit Hassan and put himself on better grounds with his father. Hassan’s loyalty is juxtaposed with Amir’s betrayal, for in every act of kindness demonstrated by Hassan he receives and equal or greater amounts of betrayal from Amir. Nonetheless Hassan remains …show more content…
On a different occasion on chapter 8 after Amir’s birthday party, Amir collects the birthday money he had received and a wrist watch belonging to Baba and hid them under Hassan’s mattress. After planting the items under Hassan’s mattress then telling Baba that he thinks Hassan might have taken the items, when confronted by Baba about the money and watch Hassan innocently accepts the blame admitting that he had stolen the items himself even though this is not true. This is perhaps the greatest act of loyalty because Hassan understood that Baba valued honesty and he didn’t want him to think less of Amir, some have argued that Hassan took the blame instead because he was mistaken to think that this act would win back Amir and improve their relationship, Hassan also do not want to hurt Baba by revealing the truth about Amir’s acts. Amir is shocked and surprised by these extreme acts of loyalty. Thereafter Hassan goes away but has fond memories of Amir, he tells his wife and kid about how good friends they were, he does not speak ill of him at all and even learnt how to write so that he could write letters to Amir and update him on his life. Eventually when Assef comes to the house where Hassan, his wife and son are leaving to demand that he evacuate
Clearly, Amir hears how his father compares the two, and unlike Hassan who manages to meet Baba’s expectations, Amir grows bitter towards Hassan. He is unable to fight off his envy which later causes him to sacrifice his best friend’s innocence: “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (82), and this is all because he realizes “his shame is complicated by his own realization that in part he doesn’t help his friend precisely because he is jealous of him” (Corbett, 2006). From here, Amir develops strong feelings of guilt that induces him to perform even more destructive acts, such as having Hassan and his father evicted from the house. Amir not only loses a close friend, but now he has to continue to live with remorse as he dwells on these memories.
Loyalty is an important issue explored in Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, through the phrase “For you a thousand times over.” It is important to notice that it is almost like Amir gives back everything he has taken from Hassan, and more. Not only does he earn loyalty, he also gives it back, which is ultimately what it is about. Loyalty is important because it proves you matter to others in
Right before he goes to run the blue kite, Hassan says to Amir, “For you a thousand times over!” (Hosseini 67). This is one of the most significant quotes in the novel, The Kite Runner by the number one New York Times bestselling author Khaled Hosseini. This quote means to do anything, no matter what deed or task, however many times for a person. A common phrase exchanged between loyal friends or partners. Speaking of loyalty, this is one of the main themes present within The Kite Runner. Quite frequently and especially in this novel, loyalty often comes with the reality of (ADD MORE) In the novel, The Kite Runner by author Khaled Hosseini, the theme of loyalty is present throughout the book and especially
Moreover, Hassan displays great courage from the beginning of the novel, and his courage and bravery allow him to stay loyal and obedient to Amir. Firstly, Hassan exhibits his courage by helping Amir to fight off the neighborhood boys who are bullying him. For instance, Baba says he sees “Hassan steps in and fends them off” (Hosseini 23). Hassan’s action exhibits that he is extremely brave and loyal to Amir. The fact that he even lied to Baba about how he gets his scar from protecting Amir is a demonstration of his loyalty and courage. Secondly, Hassan demonstrates his courage by defending the blue kite from Assef using his slingshot, since Amir, his friend, wants him to bring back the blue kite in order to gain favor for his father. The blue
His blind loyalty towards Amir leads him to immense mental and physical suffering when he refuses to give the kite to Assef. Though readers are angered at Amir’s cowardice, they also feel extremely frustrated at Hassan’s unwavering loyalty, as the pain he went through over a kite seems extremely senseless. The fact that the kite means so much to Amir makes it even more painful for readers, as Hassan does not get anything out of delivering the kite to him. In addition to this, the fact that Amir stays silent when Hassan is in need shows readers the futility of Hassan’s loyalty as it goes unrewarded and in fact leads to Hassan’s punishment. Later on in the novel, Hassan’s loyalty again causes him and the people around enormous suffering when he protects Rahim Khan’s house from the Taliban. His loyalty blinds him from the danger of the situation, and though he tries to act nobly, his actions end up in his death as well as that of his wife. Though his actions are brave, they are also foolish, and cause his child to become an orphan. Though one often sees loyalty as a trait, in a world where there is so much hate and dishonor, readers realize that blind loyalty can only lead to suffering for people and those around
The constant battle of love and a sense of tension between all of the father and son pairs is extremely apparent throughout all of The Kite Runner. It always seems as though one character is trying to make something up to another character. Feelings of guilt, the need to redeem themselves, and extreme jealousy between Amir, Baba, Hassan, and Ali are the primary factors that keep the plot moving. Whether it is Baba to Hassan or Amir to Baba, there is always a sense of the need for redemption going on. This sense of redemption can be found not only within characters, but also incorporates a bit of polical view in to the novel by giving a glimpse in to the various lives of different ethnicities and how they interact with one another.
Amir and Hassan’s relationship is a recurring theme throughout the novel. In the ethnic caste system, Amir is a Pashtun and Hassan is a Hazara. Pashtuns are placed in a much higher caste than Hazaras, therefore Hazaras are treated as servants to the Pashtuns. Every morning, Hassan prepares Amir’s breakfast, makes his clothes and cleans his room for him. In the annual kite tournament, at least two people must work together in order to properly maneuver the kite, one to lead the kite, and another to feed the kite’s glass string. Hassan’s role is the latter. His role is to feed the kite’s string for Amir and run after any fallen kites. The glass string attached to the kite is dangerous as it is coated with shards of glass and leaves bloody marks and cuts on the hands. Although Hassan catches the fallen kites, he must always bring it back to Amir. One winter, when Hassan and Amir were waiting under a tree for the kite to come to them, Hassan asks Amir “Would I ever lie to you, Amir agha?” (Ho...
The Kite Runner focuses on the relationship between two Afghan boys Amir and Hassan. Amir is a Pashtun and Sunni Muslim, while Hassan is a Hazara and a Shi’a. Despite their ethnic and religious differences, Amir and Hassan grow to be friends, although Amir is troubled by Hassan, and his relationship with his companion, one year his junior, is complex. Amir and Hassan seem to have a "best friend" type relationship. The two boys, Hassan and Amir, are main characters in the book titled, The Kite Runner. The two boys have a relationship that is significantly different compared to most. There are many different facets that distinguish the relationship the boys possess. The boys do write their names in a pomegranate tree as the "sultans of Kabul" (Kite Runner 27) but, their friendship is not strong and it is one sided. Hassan has love for Amir. He loves him like a brother. Hassan is exceedingly loyal to Amir. The relationship between the two boys is emotionally wearing and rather gloomy for the most part. The main reason for their complicated relationship is the fact that Amir is Pashtun, and Hassan is Hazara. The Afghan society places Hassan lower than Amir. Hassan is Amir's servant. The placement of Hassan in the Afghan society disenables Amir from becoming Hassan's true friend. Amir sees Hassan as lower than human. Amir ruins the chance for friendship between himself and Hassan because he is jealous of Hassan, he thinks of Hassan as a lower human, and because Amir possesses such extreme guilt for what he has done to Hassan. Amir is an unforgivable person overall.
Betrayal, redemption, and forgiveness are all major themes in The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini. The novel also focuses around the theme of a broken relationship between father and son as well as facing difficult situations from ones past. Amir and Hassan are best friends with two completely different personalities. Each character in the novel faces their own hardships and eventually learns to overcome those difficulties. Beginning with betrayal then the characters have to make their way to gaining redemption and forgiveness from others, as well as their self, is carried on throughout the novel. It is a continuous story of the relationships between Amir and his father Baba and facing their challenges from the past every day of their present.
“I was afraid that I’d let the waters carry me away from what I had to do. From Hassan....And from this one last chance at redemption. So I left before...that happening”(231). The guilt Amir experiences after he betrays Hassan consumes him. Then which lead towards Amir’s decision to return to Kabul and rescue Sohrab. As a way to find redemption for his past transgressions against Hassan. Amir’s motivation to rescue Sohrab is to redeem himself and make up for his past sins. This illustrates a slight change in Hassan and Amir’s friendship. Amir still experimces feelings of cowardice but overcomes them by his guilt and the desire redemption pushed that aside to help Hassan’s son. “Baba hiring Dr.Kumar to fix Hassan’s harelip. Baba never missing Hassan’s birthday....He had wept, wept,when Ali announced he and Hassan were leaving us”(224-225). The guilt Baba lived with since Hassan’s birth forcibly put a distance between the two, or Baba’s reputation is ruined. Baba’s way of striving to earn redemption for what he done against Ali is everlasting and never was redeemed. The small acts Baba did for Hassan were ways to redeem his past transgressions. Overall, Amir and Baba both betray Hassan and Ali causing for them to constantly strive for redemption and be filled with guilt for the rest of their lives. Only Amir gains some form of redemption to redeem himself from his
The book The Kite Runner by Khaled hosseini portrays how family and the people around you can greatly change you by the person. The antagonist in the book, Amir, has been through a lot of experiences where he has succeeded and has failed all because of the influence from friends and family. The people that have influenced amir the most throughout his life is his father Baba, Baba’s close friend Rahim Khan, Ali their servant, his wife Soraya, and ali’s son hassan. In the beginning of the novel Amir is a caring young boy. Just like every growing kid Amir adapts to trust and friendship between others, But once after Amir Witnesses an unpleasant incident he becomes disloyal, dishonest and untrustworthy.
When Amir feels unloved by Baba, his father, it will lead Amir to betray his friend and brother Hassan, by leaving him to be raped in an alley to redeem Baba’s love. Amir even as a young boy knew of his feelings of detachment from Baba, and always strived to please Baba. Amir was crazed with the idea of pleasing Baba to achieve his love. In order to achieve this “love”, Amir will betray Hassan. Hassan is also the son of Baba, but that is unknown to both Amir and Hassan, which makes it easier for Amir to betray him. Hassan is also a Hazara which is lower class in Afghanistan, who typically serves the upper class. Amir and Hassan do a lot of stuff together though, such as the Kite Fighting competition. When Amir wins the competition, he sees
Later on it is discovered he is also Amir’s half-brother, they share the same father. Neither Amir nor Hassan knew the truth growing up since it would have ruined Baba’s reputation. Hassan is a loyal friend to Amir which is shown by his constant actions of defense of Amir. Hassan is characterized as brave, selflessness, and intelligent. Society looks down upon Hassan because of his poor ethnic Hazara background, he is viewed as an inferior and is the victim of racism repeatedly. The events that occur early on in the novel, especially Hassan’s rape represent an early catalyst in the story. Hassan’s character plays a major role throughout The Kite Runner even though his presence is heavily in the beginning of the novel.
From the way that child acts, to the way they present themselves, throughout their entire life they will always fall back on the foundation they were given by their parents. As shown multiple times in The Kite Runner, Amir and Baba's relationship affects Amir's life in childhood and adulthood, and the entire plot of the book. The plot of The Kite Runner is affected mainly by Baba's lack of interest in Amir's life, his failure to treat Hassan and Amir as equals, and his negative impact of taking his guilt and anger from his past out on
Throughout the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the theme which is shown through the film is “loyalty is one of the only things that can hold bonds between family and friends”. In the beginning of the novel Amir describes Hassan’s loyalty by saying, “Hassan never wanted to, but if I asked, he wouldn’t deny me. Hassan never denied me anything” (4) This quote shows how Amir would make Hassan do things against his will, but because Hassan was so loyal to Amir, he would do the things Amir asked him to do. The theme is shown through this quote because this occurs at the very beginning of the story and Hassan is putting Amir’s needs before his own, this will reflect throughout the