Literary Criticism Of The Kite Runner

Firstly, Baba is not a good father because he often disregards his son, Amir, due to him not being like his father. The night when Baba and Amir comes home from watching the Buzkashi tournament, Amir sees

Although Baba and Ali grew up together, they grow to be very distinct people. Baba is a respected Afghan businessman who constantly gives to the community. Baba also stood up for himself and others when he felt that something was unjustified. Ali on the other hand is very reserved and doesn’t do anything when people make

In Amir's desperate attempt to get out from under feelings of crushing guilt, he planted his birthday present of a watch and some money under Hassan's mattress and told Baba. "I knocked on Baba's door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies." (pg.104) But when Hassan replied "yes" to stealing, Amir "flinched, like I'd been slapped. My heart sank and I almost blurted out the truth. Then I understood: This was Hassan's final sacrifice for me." (pg. 105) Amir said he loved Hassan in that moment, more than he ever loved anyone but he didn't tell the truth. He remained silent hoping that the stealing would get them fired and he could "move on, forget, start with a clean slate...be able to breathe again." (pg. 106) However, Baba forgave Hassan for stealing, to Amir's complete shock, but Ali insisted they leave anyway and that broke Baba's heart.

Since many people who saw how hard he had worked to finish this project were there listening to his speech, Amir’s father gains this feeling of pride that all Afghans strive to attain, one which comes publicly and through the strong approval of peers. Since the “people stood up and cheered”, “clapped for a long time”, and “shook his [Baba’s] hand”, it is clear that they recognize the hard work that Baba has put into making the orphanage. Even though Baba may have partially wanted to build the orphanage to provide a safe haven for children who needed help and shelter, he also wanted to do it to show how well-rounded he was. After all, Baba wasn’t a proficient architect, or even a normal architect; he wanted to show to his peers that he could accomplish whatever he set his mind to. Baba makes a big deal out of the grand opening so everyone can see this great deed that he’s done while showcasing his talents and ability to succeed in things that are new and unfamiliar to him. He achieves this spectacularly, evident through all of the people who sat in chairs and even a “lot of people [who] had to stand to watch the opening ceremony” (14). After the speech, his whole audience congratulates him, boosting his self esteem and sense of pride. Another example of Afghan pride can be seen when Baba is being doubted by those surrounding him. When the “...people were always

Baba sacrificed his own soul in order to keep the people he loved safe. He committed the only sin that he believed in, “and that is theft” (17). He hid his affair and having a second son, not for his reputation’s sake, but to keep everyone around him safe. He stole Amir and Hassan of a true brotherhood, but

He always makes sure to use his money for the poor in Kabul and not for selfish reasons. Baba even made the decision “to build an orphanage” for all the parentless kids in the capital (Hosseini 13). His wealth, Pashtun ethnicity, and gender make him almost God like. All of these characteristics make his good deeds seem that much stronger. Although he has all this economic, gender and cultural power he never loses his right mindfulness, believing that stealing is the biggest sin of them all. Presuming that "When you kill a man, you steal a life," Baba said. "You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness" (Hosseini 18). He also believes in standing up for people, such as the moment when he stands up to the Russian soldier and almost takes a bullet for a woman who he does not know in order for her not to get violently raped. Research shows that political and social power is not corrupting but freeing to a human being, it gives them confidence and a voice to act on (Resnick). It also turns out “that power does not always lead to bad behavior and can actually make leaders more sensitive to the needs of others”(Hutson). Power can put things in order, without a leader or someone in a higher rank, no one would know who to blame for problems or who to receive answers from. Although all of this evidence portrays how power is used

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

When the Russian soldier asked for half an hour with the lady in the back Baba stood up and spoke against it. Baba had the courage due to his past experiences and adverse situations he has already faced. “I will take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place.” His personal values and beliefs went against Russian soldiers demands only because incidents before have had an impact on his character and they shaped his identity. Baba constantly tries to do good deeds to redeem and perhaps forgive himself. Another example of shaping identity is society pressure. Baba’s image mattered, how other people saw him and how they treated him was a part of his personal values and self worth. Wealth, status and honor were how he was portrayed in front of society. Society pressure and judgment shaped Baba’s identity and impacted his decisions. He was ashamed to tell everyone that he is Hassan’s father, a father to a Hazzara. He did not want to lose his identity of being a Pashtun or be disrespected due to his past. Just as Amir Baba was willing to deal with guilt and regret for personal desires and searched for true redemption the rest of his life.

Baba immediately stands up and tells the soldier to leave her alone. The soldier then threatens to shoot Baba, to which Baba replies “‘[you’d] better kill me good with that first shot. Because if I don’t go down, I’m tearing [you] to pieces […]’” (Hosseini 123). Fortunately for Amir, the soldier’s superior calls the soldier off and Baba survives the encounter, but the act resonates with the reader: Baba is willing to sacrifice his life for others. A smaller example of his self-sacrifice is the orphanage that Baba had built before the start of novel. Baba is a wealthy man, and presumably it did not make to large an impact on his riches, but he went out of his way to build an orphanage simply because it was the right thing to do. Baba’s love of humanity in general inspired him to sacrifices quite a lot to make the world a better place.

Baba helps the poor and is constantly giving to his community “Helped me build the house in Taimani…found me a job…barely knew me…like a brother to me” (Hosseini, 184). This tells one that Baba is a caring, helpful person and that Baba does not take advantage of his power.

powerful and moving story about two brothers, however it also does an outstanding job at portraying the culture and norms of Afghanistan; both the positive aspects and the negative aspects. Hosseini directly and

Baba’s lack of faith prevents him from finding atonement through God. Moreover, Baba is unable to find holistic atonement because he fails to admit and reconcile his sins to those who are affected by them. Although Baba preforms small deeds to redeem himself, such as providing cosmetic surgery to Hassan, he fails acknowledge him as his son, which would allow Baba to achieve true atonement. Evidently, Baba’s actions illustrate he only sought personal redemption. For instance, in an effort to ease his guilt, Baba constructed an orphanage in Kabul. While this initially depicted Baba as selfless, it is later discovered this act of charity is preformed predominantly to alleviate his guilt. Rahim Khan later tells Amir, “ I think everything he did, feeding the poor, building the orphanage, giving money to friends in need, it was all his way of redeeming himself” (Hosseini 302). Although, as Rahim Khan also says, “real good was born from your father’s guilt” (Hosseini 302), Baba never achieved holistic atonement because he failed to make peace with Ali, Hassan and Amir. Opposed to amending his sins to the people directly affected by it, Baba preforms charitable deeds to his community to make himself feel better about his iniquities.

Baba is one of the few muslims in Afghanistan that believes there is only one sin, theft. He states to Amir with a great sense of sterness, ''When you kill a man, you steal a life . . . [you] steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness” (18). Although Baba tries to teach this lesson to Amir, he himself is a thief; he stole the “right to the truth” by retaining the truth of Hassan (18). Along with Baba’s betrayal to his son, he also betrays his beloved servants, Ali and Hassan through adultery. Sanaubar, Hassan's mother was potentially driven away by guilt; leaving Hassan without a mother and Ali without a wife.

Amir’s misadventures begin as a boy living in an affluent Afghanistan world. On the day of his birth, his mother hemorrhages to death. Robbed of any feminine influence or comfort, he goes to his overshadowing Baba for love and acceptance. His father denies his only son the tenderness he desires, leading Amir to believe his father despises him. After all, Amir’s

Baba refused food stamps because this was an insult to his pride. He is mentioned to have a strict code of honour and pride and accepting outside help to take care of his own problem.