The Kite Runner Argumentative Essay

Over time, many have realized that people have the power to change others, however some believe that people cannot and will not change. One side of this argument is that though people will be the same their whole life, and never change. On the contrary, people have been changed by others over time and throughout history. It is a fact of life that people have the power to change others through their actions, perspectives, and ability to persuade their point of view.

He knows that he needs to risk his life for Hassan’s son and be the person that Hassan had always been to Amir. Amir is finally able to make a good decision; a decision that would change his character and his life.

Amir does move on with his life but doesn't begin to forgive himself or let go of the load of guilt he carried until the story

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

Amir was wrong by saying this because getting someone who was close to you for a long time out your life is not as easy as it is.

Overall Amir has changed throughout the book. He went from being a terrible kid to a not so bad man. The point of Amir going back to Afghanistan is so that he can become good and he does not let anything stop him. He is a grown man who had not even told his own wife his deepest secret in which makes him who he is. Amir going back and getting beat up makes him feel like a new man. Saving Sohrab’s life makes him an even greater man, spealily him being Hassan’s own kid. After everything that happened in Afghanistan, Amir finally owns up to himself, he tells his wife everything and he is not ashamed to say that

Part of the reason Amir did not stand up for Hassan, was because he cared too much about others opinions , especially his fathers. Amir was constantly tormented about what he thought his father thought of him, and tried relentlessly to do what he thought would make him proud. Part of the reason Amir left Hassan in that alley, was because he thought that by bringing the kite back, and winning the competition would make his father proud. Amir would do whatever he could to make his father proud, even if it came to such dramatic circumstances. Throughout the novel, Amir realises that his loyalty to his father should not influence his better judgement. He himself needs to know right from wrong, and act upon his morals. It is this fire within him that partially inspires him to protect Sohrab from Assef, because this time, he knows it’s the right thing to do. Secondly, although Baba is not very fatherly, he does teach Amir to be strong. Baba was never very fatherly to Amir, and certainly never coddled him. This forced Amir to learn to fend for himself a lot sooner than most children. Although it took some time for him to really grasp this fact, Baba did have an impact on how strong and passionate Amir turned out when he grew up. Amir describes Baba as a legend, stating, “Lore has it my father once wrestled a black bear in Baluchistan” with his

Because of the decision he made, Amir has a constant feeling of guilt and self-condemnation throughout his whole

“If idiots like you [Amir] and your father [Baba] didn’t take these people in, we’d be rid of them by now.” (P. 41)

Amir’s selfishness is often channeled through his guilt and sense of fear. Although Amir witnesses the tragic event that unfolds in front of his eyes, he immediately realizes that he fails to prove his loyalty to Hassan. While staring down the alley, Amir realized that he “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 accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end…I ran because I was a coward” (77). By witnessing what was happening in the alley, a sense of fear rushed over Amir, ultimately leading to his decision of running away like a coward. By running away, Amir shows that he cares more about himself in this situation than he does about Hassan. He has a fear of what will happen to him if he intervenes, when

At first, Amir does not seek to earn redemption. We know that he is ashamed at what he has done but he prefers to hide his guilt rather than confess and redeem himself right away. After the incident, Amir attempted to avoid Hassan at all costs. Even when Hassan approached him to see if he wanted to go for a walk, like they used to do frequently, Amir refused to go with him and told him to go away (88). He knew that he didn't deserve his friends unwavering love and loyalty.

Amir seems to be a very selfish person who will avoid any conflict that does not involve him. Amir is the son of Baba and Hassan's best friend. Even though Hassan and Amir are great friends, Amir seems to take their friendship for granted. On the day of the kite running tournament, Hassan gets mixed up with gang who intend to rape him. They proceed to do so as Amir sits at the sidelines and watches. Amir says, ¨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 accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end I ran. I ran because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me.¨ (Hosseini 77) Amir has the option to help his friend who has been with him through thick and thin, but afraid of his own personal safety, he runs. Leaving Hassan completely alone and helpless. Amir also desires attention from his father and will think or do awful things to get it. Amir says, “I’d, ask Ali where Baba was, when he was coming home, though I know full well he was at the construction site over-looking this, supervising that. Didn't that take patience? I already hated all the kids he was building the orphanage for; sometimes I’d wish they'd all die along with their parents.” In Amir's mind, getting Baba’s attention is all that matters. Sacrificing others for his own gain becomes a habit of his. Amir is aware of his selfishness and in someway wants to make up for it.

Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is a remarkable coming-of-age novel describing and revealing the thoughts and actions of Amir, a compunctious adult in the United States and his memories of his affluent childhood in the unstable political environment of Afghanistan. The novel showcases the simplistic yet powerful ability of guilt to influence decisions and cause conflict which arises between Amir’s childhood friend and half-brother, Hassan; Amir’s father, Baba; and importantly, himself. Difference in class The quest to become “good again” causes a reflection in Amir to atone for his sins and transform into the person of which he chooses to be.

Amir had great influences on him as a child; Baba was a brave person, generous to everyone, and should’ve influenced Amir to be the same. On the contrary, Amir was selfish and chose not to stand up for his friend, even when the situation desperately needs it. This is not because of how he grew up, of his environment. Amir’s genetics made him to be fearful and mean, as shown throughout the book. “I knew I was being cruel, like when I’d taunt him if he didn’t know some big word. But there was something fascinating - albeit in a sick way - about teasing Hassan.” (Hosseini 54). Even though Amir had great influences growing up, Hassan took the brunt of his attacks and neglect. Near the beginning of the book, Hassan is raped in the alleys running a kite for Amir. Going after Hassan, Amir finds Hassan while this is going on but does not stop the rapist or stand up for his friend. Instead, Amir ran away and proceeded to abandon Hassan emotionally after the event. Baba was a brave man and would’ve stood up for Hassan, regardless of the danger to him, but Amir was not influenced nearly as much by his positive environment rather than his negative cowardice, or

Amir stumbles upon an alley. In the alley, he sees the Hassan trap by three boys named Assef, Kamal, and Wali. All they asked of Hassan is to give up the blue kite. However, Hassan’s loyalty and friendship toward Amir prevented Hassan to give up the kite. As the tension built, Assef lets Hassan have the kite, but in-return he does unthinkable. Assef rapes Hassan as Amir watched unnoticeably from the alley (Hosseini 62-66). This was Amir’s chance to prove his true friendship by stepping in to save Hassan. Instead, Amir ran “because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he could do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt. That’s what I told myself as I turned my back to the alley, to Hassan” (Hosseini 68). According to Amir, “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (Hosseini 68). “He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?” (Hosseini 68).