Relationship Between Father Son Relationship In The Kite Runner

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The Kite Runner by Khaled Hoesseini is a novel that does not only tell the story of two friends who are part of the Afghan society, but also how this friendship is torn apart as they forced out of their homes and country to escape the rise of the Taliban. Baba and Amir form a stronger bond depending on the struggles; it also depicts multiple sides of humanity, and portrays the conflict between a father and a son.
The relationship between Baba and his son, Amir undergoes significant phases throughout the novel. The reader becomes aware of Amir’s desire to be noticed by his father. And Baba’s frustration with his son, and the battle they suffer to try to bond. Their relationship contributes and relates to the prime struggles throughout the novel.
A well-known expression that holds true for many father and son relationships is called:
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”
However, this is not the case for Baba and Amir. In terms of father-son relationships, the father is a very important role model for his son, and every boy needs a father figure.
Baba is not there for Amir because he does not understand why Amir is not exactly like him. Baba speaks to Rahim Khan, his best friend and business partner, about his confusion with Amir, and doesn’t understand why his son’s interests aren’t similar to his own:
“He’s always buried in those books or shuffling around the house like he’s lost in some dream…I wasn’t like that.’ Baba sounded frustrated, almost angry” (p.23).
Baba is disappointed that his son is not a reflection of himself, carrying out the family name and business; and thus this creates tension between father and son:
“If I hadn’t seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I’d never believe he’s my son...

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...ather, because he never gave up on Sohrab after the pain he felt in the orphanage. He treated him like a son, took interest in him, and finally got Sohrab to open up, leaving the book with a sense of hope for a better tomorrow because Amir has finally learned the true meaning of being a father.
Khaled Hosseini uses the love-hate relationship and hardships between fathers and sons to demonstrate the necessity of an empathetic fatherly figure in one’s life. These relationships show how neglect and disregard for one’s feelings can lead a person to make the wrong decisions for a father’s love, as well as demonstrate how a functioning father-son relationship should be like. Most importantly, the relationship between Amir and Sohrab greatly emphasize the lesson that a father’s neglect can cause bad decisions as well as show how a son’s happiness requires a father’s help.

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