The relationship between father and son

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The relationship between a father and a son prepares a boy for adulthood. Khaled Hosseini uses the complex and emotional bond between fathers and sons in The Kite Runner to show the need of a compassionate fatherly figure in a child’s life. He proves the way Baba. Hassan, and Amir act as fathers and form relationships throughout the novel. The father-son relationship between Amir and Sohrab reflect a combination of the contrasting parenting styles between Baba and Hassan.
Family plays a significant role in a child’s life (Childers 4). As The Kite Runner begins, Amir has nothing but his father to call his family; therefore, it is up to Baba to develop his son into the person he wants him to be. However, it turns out that Amir is nothing like his father. “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” (Hosseini 23). Baba uses his son’s contrasting interests as an excuse from providing Amir with the fatherly bond he needs in his childhood. This does not mean that Baba is a bad person, he is simply unable to accept his son’s different interests at first.
One of the few moments that Baba and Amir connect as a family is when Baba explains that the only sin to commit is theft. He says, “Every other form of sin is a variation of theft” (Hosseini 19). Although they are connecting, what Baba says is ironic because he steals Amir’s right to having a father by neglecting him and his contrasting interests. “At this age, a son wants so much to please his father and receive his approval and acceptance” (Williams). Growing up, Amir constantly seeks for his father’s approval, but hardly finds it. Baba’s failure to be comp...

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...he true meaning of being a compassionate fatherly figure from both experiences.

Works Cited

Childers, Lauren B. Parental Bonding in Father-Son Relationships. digitalcommons.liberty.edu. N.p., 2010. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
Hart, Joeseh. "Father and Son." Experience Life. ©2014 LIFE TIME FITNESS, INC., Sept. 2006. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead, 2003. Print.
Pittman, Frank. "Fathers and Sons." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Sussex Publishers, LLC, 01 Sept. 1993. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
Shaw, Jon A. "Andrew Wyeth And N.C. Wyeth: A Psychodynamic Perspective On Father And Son." Psychiatry: Interpersonal & Biological Processes 76.3 (2013): 187-202. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Apr. 2014
Williams, Charles D., PH.D. "THE LIFE CYCLE OF FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIPS."Dads. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.

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