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Theme statement of the kite runner
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In the novel The Kite Runner, Baba teaches his son Amir that he needs to be able to grow up and stand for himself and grow courage. Amir in this book is mainly jealous and craves love from Baba, whom he thinks loves Hassan more than Amir. Amir also feels for a lot of responsibility for his mother's death. His father is teaching him to become a man, and Amir wants to prove himself. In the novel it states,''Baba was telling me about the time he'd cut fourteen kites on the same day. I smiled, nodded, laughed at all the right places, but I hardly heard a word he said. I had a mission now. And I wasn't going to fail Baba. Not this time"(Hosseini 46). In this scene, Amir was explaing all of the things Baba had done when he was a kid and shows he
wants to prove himself to Baba and that he won't fail him. Baba thinks of Amir as a son that doesn't know yet how to grow up and makes Amir feel like he is not very favourited by Baba. In the book it says, "I'll Show him once and for all that his son was worthy. Then maybe my life as a ghost in this house would finally be over"(45). This scene shows that Baba has not been pleased with Amir and Amir wants to show that he is worthy and he will not be a ghost to his father anymore.
In Amir’s early childhood, kites represented happiness. Flying kites was his favorite pastime, as it was the only way that he connected fully with Baba, who was once a champion kite fighter. However, the kite takes on a different significance when Amir doesn’t stop Hassan's abusers from raping him in order to prevent the kite from being stolen. The kite serves as a symbol of Amir’s guilt throughout the novel. Hechose his fragile relationship with his father over the well-being of his best friend and half-brother: “Baba and I lived in the same ...
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
Flying kites was a source of Amir 's happiness as a child as well as a way to attain his father’s approval. In Kabul, Afghanistan, a kite flying tournament was held annually. Young boys laced their string with glass and attempted to cut the strings of other kite flyers. That last on standing was deemed the champion and the idol of all the younger children. Before Amir competed in his kite tournament, Baba said, “I think maybe you 'll win the tournament this year. What do you think?” (Hosseini, 50) Amir took this opportunity and told himself that, “I was going to win, and I was going to run that last kite. Then I’d bring it home and show it to Baba. Show him once and for all his son was worthy. Then maybe my life as a ghost in this house would finally be over.” (Hosseini, 50) Amir wanted the approval and affection of his father badly enough that he was willing to allow Hassan to get raped in order to attain it. After this kits became the symbol of Amir 's betrayal to Hassan. The kite ultimately becomes the way that Amir connects with Sohrab, mirroring how Amir connected with Baba when he was a
Amir spends most of his adult life trying to forget about his cowardice during Hassan’s rape, yet he is awarded with a physical reminder of Hassan. After recuperating from Assef’s attack he endures to rescue Sohrab, Amir has a scar that resembles the one Hassan had during childhood. This is both ironic and symbolic. His new scar makes him like Hassan, similar to how his rescue of Sohrab (bravery) made him like Hassan. Amir rescued Sohrab from the same perpetrator, Assef, that Hassan did for him. The event is further ironic because both Sohrab and Hassan use a slingshot to save Amir. The slingshot represents two generations and symbolizes standing up for what is morally right. Amir’s scar can be viewed as a --- of courage and dignity. He is
Redemption is a capacity that both Amir from the remarkable novel Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseni along with Walt Kalwoski the main character of the unforgettable movie Gran Tornio, directed by Clint Eastwood, withhold. Both Walt and Amir were collided with life changing events that later shaped the individuals they are today. Nevertheless, throughout both stories, the protagonists are faced with opportunities to redeem themselves, often at the risk of hurting their loved ones more than they already have. “There is a reason for everything” and in Walt and Amirs case that saying is quite evident. Walt and Amir are two completely divergent characters with opposite personalities. However, this doesn’t interfere with the fact that both carry the weight of guilt and regret upon their shoulders. In spite of that, both characters atone to their faults by PUT POINTS HERE. Kite Runner and Gran Torino, both, break the ice with introducing the characters and efficiently showcasing their complications. As mentioned earlier, Amir is the protagonist of the novel. Typically, a main character that discusses their problems in the opening of a novel, catches the readers attention, let alone makes the reader them self feel sympathetic for this character. However, Amir is far beyond that statement. Amir expresses his feelings about his relationship with his father, Baba, and his shenanigans with Hassan. Amir struggles with his selfish conscious. Nevertheless, his adult view point when recollecting memories of the past, reminiscing on childhood events, isn’t as different. Running away is the one thing Amir tends to be best at. Running from his problems, people, past etc, As for Walt, Walt Kowalski is the main character of the film Gran Torino. ...
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,
In the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir and Baba struggle to find a way to bring their relationship closer. They try to bond, but these childish activities do not mature Amir in the way Baba wants. Baba yearns for Amir to grow up and stand up for himself and for others. Amir finally learns how to be a man by taking the examples Baba has modeled in Afghanistan and applying them in America.
Also, with a few books published under his belt and an adopted child to relieve his guilt, Amir is able to continue his future without a need for conflict, both internal or external. Amir reflects back to Baba and his immigration at the end of The Kite Runner; “‘He was, wasn’t he?’ I said, smiling, remembering how after we arrived in the U.S. Baba started grumbling about American flies. . ‘In this country, even flies are pressed for time,’ he’d groan.
In The Kite Runner, Amir and his father, Baba, display lives of contradictions while Hassan and Rahim Khan live lives of purity. Baba is displayed as an immoral man while at home because he is not loving 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 father figure in the first part of the book, once they leave their home, Baba seems to care a lot more about Amir.
Throughout Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, Hosseini depicts a character unlike any other, Baba. Baba is portrayed throughout the novel as a tough man who is always willing to help someone in need. Baba seems to love and care for everyone in the novel except his son, Amir. Amir is always trying to pursue eminence in Baba’s eye and give Baba a reason not to loathe him. Amir thought Baba hated him because when Amir was born, it killed his mother, Baba’s “princess.” Baba’s transformation throughout the novel is very clear as he transforms from a father who despises his son, to accepting his son and finally being a true father to Amir.
The other source of tension in Amir’s life is his relationship with Baba, his hard-driving and demanding father. Desperate to win his father’s affection and respect, Amir turns to the sport of kite flying, and at the age of 12, with the assistance of Hassan, he wins the annual tournament in Kabul. Amir’s victory soon is tarnished when he witnesses a vicious assault against his friend, who raced through the streets of Kabul to retrieve the last kite, Amir had sliced from the sky, and fails to come to his aid. Amir’s cowardness is compounded by a later act of betrayal that causes Ali and Hassan to leave their home, and he now faces the nightmare, bearing the burden of his poor choices for the rest of his life.
In The Kite Runner, Amir is emotionally damaged because of the fact that his father does not see him as his son. The author makes the reader feel sympathetic towards him because of all the things he has gone through in his life. When Amir tries to do something to make his father proud, his father shuts him out and acts like he is not a part of the family. For example, Baba, Amir’s father said this about him in a conversation between him and Rahim, “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”. Another example would be the time when Amir wrote a story and told Baba and he replied with “Well, that’s very good, isn’t it?” One more example of Amir’s troubled life is the time when he’s being bullied by Assef for hanging out with Hassan which is a Hazara. All of these examples are what made him an emotionally unstable person.
The longing for parental acceptance is often what leads to childhood downfall. At some point a child strives to make their parent proud. When a lack of attention is displayed in a parent child relationship there is a lack of communication and support. In The Kite Runner this type of relationship is shown through Baba and Amir's interactions. Throughout The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Amir and Baba’s relationship takes many turns. Their relationship affects the plot through many situations such as when Baba acts uninterested in Amir's life, When Baba fails to treat Amir the same as Hassan, and when Baba takes his guilt and anger out on Amir.
Amir actually believes that Baba hates him and blames him for the death of his mother. Amir overhearing Baba’s conversation with Rahim Khan only makes matters worse. Amir concludes from this that Baba will only forgive him for killing his mother if he wins the kite fighting tournament and runs the last kite cut. This is the beginning of the end for Amir’s life as it is, because at this point, Amir would do anything to win the tournament and get the last kite. It’s Baba’s poor parenting that pushes Amir into letting Hassan be raped and Amir is so desperate for Baba’s approval that for a moment, it’s actually worth it to him. Amir’s confidence and emotional health quickly deteriorates, however, and he carries the guilt of what he did to Hassan for the rest of his life. We see that it still affects him when he is much older when he remarks that he believes that “something, someone, somewhere, had decided to deny [him] fatherhood for the things [he] had done”
Because of Amir’s extreme desire to receive the attention and affection from Baba, he begins to subconsciously sacrifice his relationship with Hassan in order to fulfill his interests. However, as Amir continuously matures and begins to recognize his initial ignorant, detrimental actions towards Hassan, he no longer “worships” his father like he did in the past. This causes him to ensure a sense of independence because of his ability to quickly adapt to a completely new, unfamiliar environment and remain adamant on pursuing their own aspirations. When individuals highly idolize and worship the successes that their loved ones have achieved, their in-suppressible desire to emulate the achievements of others causes them to inevitably experience difficult circumstances that challenge their morality and principles. In The Kite Runner, Amir has always displayed overflowing affections for Baba due to his prideful feelings of being the son of a wealthy, prominent father.