Who Is Amir Selfish In The Kite Runner

Character Analysis:
In The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, main character Amir wishes to make amends for mistakes made 26 years before. He begins the novel as a jealous, selfish child and ends as a compassionate man.
As a child, Amir is constantly jealous because Baba shows more affection towards Hassan than he does to his own son. Amir feels he is too different from Baba and that Baba would much rather have Hassan as a son because the two are more alike. The jealousy impacts the relationship between the two boys because Amir sees Hassan’s personality and masculinity as competition for his father’s love while Hassan sees Amir as a companion and friend. At one point, Hassan suggests an idea for a story that Amir failed to think of himself,

and Amir is so angry that he thinks to himself, “what does he know, that illiterate Hazara” (Hosseini 39). Amir’s thought shows that he is so envious of Hassan that he will insult Hazaras just to insult Hassan. The jealousy builds up in Amir’s mind because Baba continues to be distant from Amir, even though Amir does his best to be a good son. Amir even becomes jealous of Hassan’s looks, because Baba so generously fixed Hassan’s cleft lip. Amir wishes he had a physical defect so he could have that kind of treatment and care from Baba for himself. Jealousy is vivid in Amir’s youth and causes tension and resentment in what could have been a great friendship for both Amir and Hassan.
The jealousy Amir has leads to several selfish actions that he cannot undo for many years.

Amir wants to make himself look better and make Hassan look worse so Baba will love Amir and think he is the better one. Amir fails to recognize that Hassan does not mean to take away anything from Baba and Amir’s relationship and only wants to be his friend. Despite many days of playing together, Amir views Hassan as the servant boy, and sometimes even just a filthy Hazara. Amir witnesses Hassan being attacked and raped by Assef, and knows he has two choices: “[he] could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan--the way he’d stood up for [Amir] all those times in the past... Or [he] could run. In the end, [he runs]” (Hosseini 62). Jealousy makes Amir turn against Hassan in a time where Hassan desperately needs help. Amir chooses to protect himself rather than protecting Hassan, who is being brutally hurt emotionally and physically. He constantly feels a tinge of guilt for what happens, but only makes it worse by continuing his selfish ways. When Amir and Hassan drift, Amir decides to get rid of Hassan instead doing the right thing. He tells Baba that Hassan has stolen money and does not stop Hassan when he confesses to the crime. Amir does the ultimate act of betrayal and feels even guiltier afterwards because Hassan does nothing to deny it; Hassan only wants to do what makes Amir

happy.
After 26 years of guilt, Amir finally redeems himself by saving Hassan’s child and becoming much more understanding and passionate.