Bravery In The Kite Runner

Throughout the novel, The Kite Runner, courage plays a large role in determining the fate of each character. All of the characters show courage in different ways. For example, when Baba lost his wife and the mother of his children, he chose to raise his two sons on his own. Baba’s son, who is also the main character, Amir, is seen as the opposite of his father. Baba is a courageous, smart and very public man. Amir, on the other hand, struggles to stand up for himself and never feels the need to be courageous during his youth. He feels inferior to his best friend, Brother and loyal servant, Hassan. Hassan is constantly being praised by Baba for being brave, loyal and Baba views Hassan as his proudest achievement. Amir has a strong craving for respect from his father which influences the choices Amir makes throughout his life. He is constantly battling between choosing his morals or his father’s approval. However, during a conflict that happens later in the novel, Amir finally shows his courage and

Humans have been known to take the majority of actions solely for their own personal gain, especially if the outcome allows them to receive praise and public recognition. In many different cultures, pride is a quality character trait because of the respect and honor that come with it. Amir, an Afghan boy in the novel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, is pressured by his society’s view on pride because of its importance in his culture. In addition, the high standards that his father has set by being a highly successful and idolized businessman add to the expectation that Amir must follow in his father’s footsteps to create a good life for himself. In his younger years, Amir’s views on pride were solely based off of others. His

In his critically acclaimed first novel, The Kite Runner, author Khaled Hosseini tells the story of a 12-year-old Afghan boy named Amir, who seeks his father’s love but is hindered by his own cowardice. Both Amir’s cowardice and his father’s lack of attention are compounded by the people and events surrounding Amir, until they feed into each other in a vicious, never-ending cycle.

In the novel The Kite Runner the text explores many different ways the relationships and people surrounding a person can shape one's self, this is most prevalent in Amir. During Amir's childhood, he is constantly vying for Baba's attention and affection. Amir's cowardice is seen through many different examples in the novel, mainly Assef and his violent actions bring forth his cowardice in many forms. Hassan is Amir's best friend in the beginning of the novel, he is also a role model to Amir.

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, Amir was the son of a wealthy social worker. He was brought up with the son of his servant, and perhaps his only best friend, Hassan. Amir had a rocky relation with his father. At times, it seemed as his father loved him but those moments didn’t lasted forever. He thinks Baba (his father) wishes Amir were more like him, and that Baba holds him responsible for killing his mother, who died during his birth. Despite being best friends, Amir thinks that Hassan is beneath him because he belonged to an inferior cast. He used to mock him jokingly or tried to outsmart him. In all fairness, it was Amir’s cowardly nature that

Eventually, Amir received a call from his old mentor, who told him to come back to Afghanistan because "there is a way to be good again." What Amir learned while he visited his mentor would lead him to what he considered redemption. Hassan had been killed, which Amir partially considered his fault, but Hassan's son, Sohrab, was still alive. With the idea of giving him to a good placement organization, Amir set out to save Sohrab. Amir found Sohrab in the possession of a Taliban member, the same man who had raped Hassan when they were children. In order to save Sohrab, Amir had to fight the man, and he was injured very badly in doing so. Despite his injuries, he felt better about himself. He felt free, at peace. He finally had the courage to tell his wife about what he had done, and that took a weight off of his shoulders, as well. Even though Hassan had forgiven him long ago, Amir refused anything less than Hassan's fate.

This one decision left a stain on Amir for the next thirty years. A quote on pg. 88 states “I wish someone would wake me up, so I wouldn’t have to live with this lie anymore” This quote explains how guilty Amir felt after seeing Hassan get raped as he desperately sought for anyone to find out but didn’t chose to tell anyone the actual truth. Another example from the text is when Amir tries throwing pomegranates at Hassan, as an attempt to get Hassan to fight back and punish Amir for choosing to leave Hassan. However, Hassan refused to throw any pomegranates at Amir, but instead smashed one into his face. A quote on pg.94 states “I wanted Hassan to fight me back for the way I failed him” This quote indicates that Amir wanted Hassan to fight him back, so he could have the “punishment [he] craved” (93) This demonstrates that Amir wanted to feel the act of being punished for his wrongdoing, similar to how Hassan was brutally raped due to Amir’s apparent mistake. Amir’s guilt forces him to travel across two countries to seek redemption for the mistake he made. 15 years later, Amir’s guilt led him to make the hefty decision of returning to Afghanistan “to be good again” (189) by rescuing Hassan’s orphaned son, Sohrab, from the terrible conditions he was left to face in Kabul. Amir sees this as an opportunity to redeem and free himself from

Once back in Kabul, Amir takes steps he would never have imagined, which truly define his character. On his venture back to Afghanistan he learns the truth about Hassan’s connection with Baba. After hearing this Amir feels robbed of the truth and is angry at how his own father could hold this back from him. Despite his feelings, Amir realizes he must not only pay for his betrayal of Hassan but for Baba’s betrayal of Ali too. Amir knows he must face his fears and he understands this when he reveals, “I remembered Baba saying that my problem was that someone had always done my fighting for me" (Hosseini 239). Following this he undertakes a personal mission to find Sohrab and finds the courage to stand up to the Taliban, nearly dying in the process. During his quest Amir comes face to face with the disturbing Assef and fights him for Sorab, the ultimate sacrifice for his dead half-brother. While he is beaten he begins to laugh, which angers Assef even more. Amir explains that, “What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace" (Hosseini 303). After successfully bringing Sohrab back to California, Amir defends his Hazara nephew when General Taheri insults him. Over the dinner

Both Hassan and Sohrab have gone through abuse at the hands of Assef, but Amir ends this cycle of abuse by rescuing Sohrab when he returns to Kabul. This shows how Amir has become nobler and made the decision to do what he feels as morally correct. When he was 12, he witnessed Hassan get raped by Assef in the alleyway and he did nothing to help Hassan. He tried

on this soil."(Hosseini 206). Amir's choice to go back to Kabul was a positive step towards him reaching his redemption, going to save Sohrab. It changes him into a man that can stand up for himself, and finally repaying his debt to Hassan. Amir stands up to Assef to defend Sohrab like all those years back when Hassan did the same for him, he is completing the circle. When Amir is getting beaten by Assef, he feels relief because he is able to let go of all of his grief, his actions lead him to finally atone with his past: "What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975,

One important asset that our generation lacks is an amount of courage. Too many people are worried about what other people are going to think of them if they stand up for another person that is getting bullied or any circumstance. The world would be a better place if more people had enough courage to take a stand. In “The Kite Runner” there are many times courage is shown throughout the intense story.

After many years of living in San Francisco, Rahim Khan called and advised Amir, “There is a way to be good again” (Hosseini 2). Rahim’s statement was important because Khaled Hosseini suggested through Rahim that redemption is not achieved simply by altering character flaws and doing good deeds, rather change in character is necessary to achieve redemption by directly confronting and making amends with the past. Rahim Khan told Amir, “I want you to go to Kabul. I want you to bring Sohrab here” (Hosseini 220). Amir had a wife, a house, a job, a new life in America; going back to Afghanistan while the Taliban occupied Kabul took fearlessness and bravery. Furthermore, in the final scene of the story, while Amir and Sohrab were flying a kite, Amir asked Sohrab, “Do you want me to run that kite for you” (Hosseini 371). Sohrab nodded and Amir remarked, “For you a thousand times over” (Hosseini 371). This final scene was significant because Amir selflessly assumed the role of Hassan. Amir was now the loyal servant, selflessly serving Sohrab and by doing so he was making amends with the past. Amir’s life had become full circle and now he choose to be righteous and atone his past

When Amir and his wife, Soraya, can’t seem to have a child, Amir believes that it is because of his wrongdoings in the past. Right up until Amir is in his 30’s does he confront his mistakes. It takes a call from Rahim Khan to persuade him that there is ‘a way to be good again’ (Pg. 2). Amir knows that he needs to make up to Hassan for the wrong that he did all those years ago, and so by confronting his mistake and trying to redeem himself by rescuing Sohrab, Hassan’s son. Amir’s confrontation with Assef when he is getting back Sohrab made him feel like he was confronting his mistakes and gaining redemption ‘For the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace… In some nook in a corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this.’ (Pg. 265). This is the punishment and redemption that he has been waiting all these years for, because Hassan wouldn’t punish him all those years ago when they were under the pomegranate tree.

Hosseini shows that it is Amirs immense guilt that drives him to want to make things right and to earn redemption. We learn the basis Amir's guilt through his memories. It is caused by a lack of response at a time when his loyal servant and close friend Hassan is in trouble. Amir makes a conscious decision to hide in the distance and just watch, not because he was afraid. He sacrifices Hassan in order to earn his fathers attention and affection. This decision results in Hassan suffering though a traumatic experience and is the root of Amir's lasting regret.

The most substantial part of Amir’s search for redemption stems from his guilt regarding Hassan. Amir’s desire to win Baba’s love consequently motivates him not to stop Hassan’s rape by Assef. This event and also his own cowardice troubled his memory constantly and it is this memory that leads Amir to his final quest for redemption, including his journey to Kabul to find Sohrab and his confrontation with Assef. Amir finds redemption in his fight with Assef and adoption of Sohrab. Finally, Amir found out that punishment was not what would redeem him but it was erasing the lines of discrimination he had lived with all his life. So he gave Sohrab an equal chance at success and happiness. This is a classic example of redemption of one’s sin. As a boy, Amir had