Power In The Kite Runner

The Source of Power

The 16th century Spanish novelist, Miguel de Cervantes, stated, “Valor lies halfway between rashness and cowardice.” In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the protagonist Amir makes many rash decisions that are formed as a result of his cowardice. Amir faces many situations in which he displays intense moments of cowardice regarding the people in his life as a result of his lack of understanding the value and feelings of of others. In The Kite Runner, it is clear that Amir is driven out of action due to the lack of confidence in himself, and Hassan is driven into action due to him being complacent with events in his life.

The Kite Runner takes the reader into the life of a young boy who lives a luxurious lifestyle in

Kabul, Afghanistan. Amir lives with his own father, Baba, a father-son pair of servants named Ali and Hassan who are Hazaras, an ethnic minority. Amir is not satisfied only with his social class and family situation; he believes that he alone deserves his father's love and attention.

As a lover of poetry, a boy who avoids sports because of physical weakness, and a young man who demonstrates the inability to stand up for himself, Amir does not fit his father’s mold of a perfect son. In contrast, Hassan is athletic, brave, resourceful; Baba feels a strong connection to this servant-boy who must rely on respect earned from his actions, which is difficult to attain due to his social status. Amir, on the other hand, has friends and people who want to be close to him due to his family's wealth. His sense of powerlessness results from his own personal characteristics not being up to the standards his well renowned father wants them to be. When Amir’s father Baba was talking to Rahim Khan

about Amir’s attributes, he stated, “Self-defense has nothing to do with meanness. You know what always happens when the neighborhood boys tease him? Hassan steps in and fends them off. I've seen it with my own eyes. And when they come home, I say to him, 'How did Hassan get that scrape on his face?' And he says, 'He fell down.' I'm telling you, Rahim, there is something missing in that boy" (22). Amir's cowardice presents itself at times when others need help. His cowardice displayed itself when his loyal friend Hassan was attacked and eventually raped, and Amir’s insecurity about his father's love causes Hassan to be kicked out of the family home.
In contrast to Amir, Hassan is driven by the fact that he has had to work hard throughout his life and is used to adversity.

Everything in his life has been earned, not given, unlike Amir. Hassan’s substantial work ranges from cleaning the house, buying groceries, and washing clothes, to working rigorously for those he truly cares about. The understanding of what it means to do something for others instead of personal benefit, and the ability to suffer in silence is what truly distinguishes Hassan from Amir. Despite their age, the only similarities the boys share is that they both have grown up without the presence of a mother. Hassan’s ability to aid others proves useful when him and Amir enter a kite flying contest in an attempt to win Baba’s love. Hassan and Amir win the contest, but when Hassan tracks down the kite that was defeated by Amir so he could show it to Baba, he is trapped by Assaf and other boys who want revenge on Hassan and Amir. When Amir finds Hassan surrounded by the boys in the alley, his initial instinct was not to save his friend Hassan; however, he thought only about the kite which he described as the key to his father's heart. As Hassan is defending Amir to the boys, despite his own predicament, Assaf asks Hassan, “But before you sacrifice yourself for him, think about this; Would he do the same for you? Have you ever wondered why he never includes you in games when he has guests? Why he only plays with you when no one else is around?” (72). Hassan

eventually does learn the type of friend Amir is, the type who would turn his back on those who have defended him in the past. The acts of being a Hazara and being content with one’s situation in life and learning to sacrifice yourself for others are acts of bravery themselves. Hassan does not only represent the contrast between himself and Amir; moreover, he represents the grief and challenges that many members of his ethnic community must face.
Amir is one who can get trapped by the darkness, while Hassan seems to be one who stick to their beliefs in the face of darkness and adversity. It's hard to compare myself to Hassan and Amir, because I have different experiences than the both of them. But in terms of character and managing to break through obstacles, I feel a stronger connection to Hassan then Amir. I understand why Amir may feel insecure about himself; having to live up to the expectations of a father is hard enough, let alone the fact that Baba is a very well respected man in society. On the contrary, Hassan has had to compare himself with Amir every day, and he sees the opportunities that Amir has that he doesn’t. He has friends to talk to, he can go to school, he can read, yet he never once showed signs t