Acts of Betrayal in Hosseini's The Kite Runner Essay

The Kite runner is the first novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini, published in 2003 by Riverhead Books . It takes place before Afghanistan’s revolution and its invasion by Russian forces. The kite runner is a vivid and engaging story that gives a picture of how long Afghanis struggled to triumph over the forces of violence, forces that threaten them even today. In this novel , four themes have been introduced, first of all Redemption is a way to make up sins committed , secondly, Adversities contribute to a person’s personality , thirdly , Fear can lead to severe mistakes and long term consequences, before last, After pain and struggles come survival and lastly, Friendship is the essence of a bond that seek the best mutually.

Baba, Amir’s father, is in search of retrieving his ethical values, for both himself and in the eyes of the servant Ali, Hassan’s father. Hassan was born as a result of Baba sleeping with his servant’s wife, Sanauber. When Amir finds out about his father’s unfaithfulness, he begins to question his father’s past saying, “How had Baba brought himself to look Ali in the eye? How had Ali lived in that house, day in and day out, knowing that he had been dishonored by his master in the single worst way an Afghan man can be dishonored?” (Hosseini 257). He even doubts his own past claiming if Ali can be lied to, his life has the same potential of being bluffed. Babas adulterine can be seen as being very disgusting and vulgar, as expressed by the second half of the quotation; “dishonored by his master in the single worst way an Afghan man can be dishonored?” Amir also questions how Baba had the courage to even “look at Ali in the eye.” Despite Baba’s crude and disloyal deed, he progressed with life, treating Hassan and Ali with honor and respect.

Furthermore, Baba stole Amir's brother from him; he took from him the chance to have a father who was not consumed with guilt for not being able to love his other son. Rahim Khan said in a letter that he sometimes thinks "everything he did, feeding the poor on the streets, building the orphanage, giving money to friends in need, it was all his way of redeeming himself" (pg. 302). The aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid afor Although the nights he spent staying out late to work on the orphanage were all in good faith, it took Amir's father from him. Amir recalls all the times he wouldn't come home until after dark and all the times he ate dinner alone (pg. 18).

Amir had watched Hassan get sexually assaulted and this is something Amir had felt guilt for all throughout his

Despite Ali and Hassan’s loyalty they are still betrayed by their masters. Baba’s betrayal is much worse than what Amir did to Hassan. Baba intentionally betrayed Ali who he claimed to be his friend. Baba even said that he felt Ali was like a brother to him. But Baba caused what happened and directly harmed Ali because of what he did. Amir didn’t directly harm Hassan and he also didn’t cause what happened to his friend like Baba did. But Amir didn’t do anything about what was happening to Hassan either. Baba broke his own rule; he robbed Amir and Hassan of their brotherhood by not telling them they were related. He robbed Ali of his honor by sleeping with Sanaubar. And he robbed his own wife of the truth by cheating on her while she was pregnant. He also robbed Amir of his innocence because while trying to make Baba proud he became guilty for what happened to Hassan. Amir could have run home to tell Baba what was happening to Hassan but he hid and waited so that his kite would be brought to him. Not only that but Amir goes to great lengths to try and get rid of Hassan so that his guilt can leave with Hassan. Both masters betray their best friends and “brothers;” but later on in life they try to compensate for it by doing good deeds. Baba builds an

Can one bury their past, if one acts as if something hasn 't happened will it leviate some of the guilt, is it wrong to run away from one’s mistakes? The answer to that question depends entirely on one’s morality so responses vary depending on the individual although the novel’s underlying tone implies that one must atone for past mistakes in order to develop new relationships, one must have the courage to face their demons and make peace with them because no matter how deep in your mind you bury them “.. the past [always] claws its way out...” to haunt you. Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is an emotional book that illustrates many themes throughout it’s entirety. The

Amir cannot stand to look at Hassan and seeing the lamb-like eyes, so to make himself feel better about the situation, he frames Hassan. Amir is upset that Baba forgives Hassan but it is ironic because he is the one doing the sinful act and yet again it is Hassan who is saving and protecting Amir. These unfaithful acts are not in fact an act of selflessness but and an act of selfishness. Everything Amir is doing is for himself. He only cares about his own feelings but never is he putting himself in others people’s

None would believe that the innocent kite flying could lead to an epic story of betrayal and redemption. However, the heartbreaking and unforgettable story of Amir, a Pashtun, and Hassan, a Hazara, was caught in the novel, The Kite Runner. The book touched millions of its readers and marked the debut of The New York Times' #1 best selling author, Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner is the best book ever written and should be lauded and shared with future generations.

As a child Amir was continuously looking for the approval and acceptance of his father. He felt Hassan was creating the distance and lack of connection between his father and him. When Amir found Hassan in the alley being raped by Assef, he did nothing. He had the time to realize what he was seeing was a horrible, and that not trying to stop it was a cowardly thing to do, “quote.” but still he ran away and did nothing. Hassan had never betrayed Amir, he had always been by his side, and he had even chosen to protect Amir’s kite knowing his safety was at risk in the alley. Amir had the opportunity to stop thinking about himself and to protect his best friend. He could have chosen to stand up for the person that had always stood up for him, but

By being Hassan’s father as well as Amir’s, Baba is reminded of what he had done every time he saw one of his sons. When Baba saw Amir he saw “the socially legitimate half, the half that represented the riches he had inherited and the sin-with-impunity privileges that came with them” (301). Bab was aware of what he had done, and the impact it left on him and the people in his life including Amir, Hassan, and Ali. He could not run from it like Amir did, and everyday he had to face the fact that he was not able to be a father to both boys and that he betrayed Ali. However, Baba did do his best to make the situation the best it could possibly be, unlike what Amir did. But Baba continued to teach his morals that he had broken to Amir. Once Amir finds out about what Baba did he describes him as “a thief of the worst kind, because the things he’d stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honor” (225). Baba was always going to be followed by his past, and he did try to learn from it and heal himself, but he did not think about everyone else. He was not able to completely become good again, and therefore led to his self-loathing. Baba’s past could never escape him and he did what he could to better it, but the impact of his past only became greater as time went

Although Baba was a good man he was not perfect, due to breaking his own rule of stealing. Baba lived a life of hypocrisy. When Baba lied to Amir about Hassan being his son it broke his number one rule. When Baba stole Amir’s right to the truth, he became a sinner. As Baba lived his life in sin, he stayed resilient and kind. After his health began to fail, he felt regret that he never told Amir this story. However, because he had to learn about the truth from an outsider, Amir never could truly forgive his father. Although Amir did not have similar traits as his father, they were still very similar because they both kept things to themselves. After the incident with Hassan, Amir felt shame and guilt and kept the truth from everyone just as Baba had done. Due to this secret it hindered Amir from true happiness for many years. In order to seek closure, he needed to revert back to his father’s teachings. When Rahim Khan called, it opened the door to his recovery. Rahim Khan stated “There is a way to be good again, he said. A way to end the cycle. With a little boy. An orphan. Hassan’s son. Somewhere in Kabul” (227). With this, Amir was able to end the cycles of lies and sins. Throughout Baba’s life he constantly complained about Amir’s inability to be like him and learn to

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini is a story about redemption through actions. Its protagonist, Amir, goes on a psychological journey in this bildungsroman type book despite being well into his adult life for part of the book. Amir goes from cowardice and suppression of his inner demons to being courageous and facing those inner demons. THe story in essence is how Amir’s brother Hassan was sexually abused by a future Taliban member, Assef, and how Amir must redeem himself from watching and doing nothing by saving his nephew Sohrab from the clutches of Assef after his father Hassan died. The pivotal moment, when Amir goes from cowardice to confrontation of his childhood demons is when he decides to go back to Pakistan to meet a childhood friend/elder

Amir and Baba’s relationship in the novel, gave the readers glances of the power, in terms of dominance when baba expected Amir to follow the steps he paved. We could see how baba was

Guilt drives Amir to embark on his search for redemption after he passively witnesses Hassan’s rape, and he strives to better his flawed character by repeating the same actions but from the giving end, stuffing money under mattresses to support others and running a kite for his nephew. When Amir sees Assef beating Hassan, Amir thinks, “I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan-- the way he’d stood up for me all those times in the past-- and accepted

Amir’s guilt causes him to not be able to face Hassan; every time he saw Hassan he felt bad. He can not live in the same house with Hassan anymore and wants to kick him out of the house to avoid his guilt. Then, after asking Baba about getting new servants and being rejected, Amir places a couple of the envelopes of cash and his new watch under Hassan’s mattress to frame him as a thief. Amir “knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies” (Hosseini 104). The quote shows that Amir wants to cover up his guilt by lying to Baba. Even though Amir understands lying is the biggest sin, as Baba had always taught him, he still lies to Baba to achieve his own goal to let Hassan leave. He believed that making Hassan leave his home will overcome his guilt. Even though Hassan was innocent, he still pretends to be guilty and leaves with Ali. Amir could not get the redemption he needed from Hassan; he feels that Hassan sacrificed himself again for him. After Hassan’s departure, Amir is not able to live a peaceful life. He continues to be bothered by his guilt of betraying Hassan, even dreaming about the death of Hassan.