The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

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From generation to generation, the constant struggle for males to live up to the expectations of their fathers often affects the choices made and actions taken by the sons. Perhaps, the overbearing testosterone levels claim responsibility for the apparent need for sons to impress their fathers, but not all boys consider the realistic consequences of their decisions. In Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner, young Amir's admiration for his father Baba, coupled with the constant tension in their relationship obscures his mind from making clear decisions as he strives to obtain his father's love and approval.

Amir and his father share a very strained relationship. The saying, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” inaccurately relates Amir to Baba. Amir demonstrates different interests than his father; Amir enjoys being “buried in those books” or spending his time writing a short story rather than following in his father’s footsteps in becoming a soccer star (23). Because of their diverse personality traits and interests, Baba feels nearly no emotional connection to his son and hardly cares to build a relationship with Amir leaving his son with a feeling of emptiness and detachment. Every young boy needs a fatherly role model, and Baba denies Amir of the opportunity by neglecting to include him in his life. Without a mother or an involved father, Amir suffers in his childhood to cope with events and situations in his life.

A young boy needs the acceptance of his father at an early age in order to live a healthy lifestyle; without it, he will spend the rest of his lifetime yearning to be the ideal son in the perspective of his father and doing everything in his power to achieve the ultimate goal at all costs. As Amir strives ...

... middle of paper ...

...he Kite Runner, he struggles to earn the approbation of his father. In his conquest, the goal often obscures his ability to form proper choices and take the right course of action in response to external factors. Amir’s envy for Hassan and admiration for Baba detriment his idea of self-acceptance and accordingly effectuate his motivation to remove the loyal servant from his life; in doing so, he neglects to see the negative effects on the people closest to him. The need for sons to feel approval from their fathers plays a crucial role in determining the true nature of men. Amir’s wish to be the supreme son in his father’s eyes steers him to win over Baba at all costs, even if it means he must betray the person who would do anything “for [him], a thousand times over” (67).

Works Cited

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Riverhead: New York, 2003. Print.

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