The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini: Analysis

It affected Amir because he had a high regard on their relationship. “ A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man that can’t stand up to anything “ . This quote foreshadows how Amir would not stand up neither for himself nor for other people such as Hassan. Indeed Amir have made several mistakes , for instance when he was spectator of his half brother getting sexually assaulted but did not try to rescue him . Amir did not act well but from another perspective he benefited from his bad actions to change into a better person, he learned how to be patient and how to catch up for bad sins. Thereupon, personality can not be toughen without adversities , they made Amir the person that he became, a man who stood up for his dad and who sought the best for Sohrab .

His selfish bias making it impossible for Amir to begin earning redemption. This is again proven when he returns to Pakistan to visit Rahim Khan. Rahim Khan pleads with him to try and get Amir to rescue Sohrab, his nephew, from Kabul, but Amir refuses: “‘you know,’ Rahim Khan said, “one time, when you weren’t around, your father and I were talking. And you know how he always worried about you in those days. I remember he said to me, ‘Rahim, a boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man you can’t stand up to anything’ I wonder, is that what you’ve become?’ I dropped my eyes. […] Finally, I settled for this: ‘Maybe Baba was right’” (Hosseini, 221). When given the choice to defend his honour and go rescue a young boy, or insult himself and look at the world through a negative lense, Amir chooses to adopt an incredibly negative persona, as per his past. He chooses to refuse the opportunity to experience empathy and relate to Rahim Khan’s desperation and pain, and instead drives a wedge between their relationship. Pushing himself further away from the redemption he craves so desperately. As a fear of empathy inhibits one’s ability to find redemption and uphold healthy relationships.

“ For you, a thousand times over”. This one sentence sums up the immense love, loyalty and friendship Hassan had for Amir.

S1/B3: Finally, Rahim Khan successfully shapes Amir into becoming the responsible man he has always wanted to be. This is indicated when Amir and Soraya are attempting to have a baby and Amir wonders what kind of father he will turn out to be. He thinks, “I wanted to be just like Baba and I wanted to be nothing like him” (Hosseini 184). Although Baba was the ‘ideal’ man: strong, popular, and well known, this is not the man Amir wants to turn out to be. Amir sees that Baba was secretly a materialistic, selfish, dishonest coward. So, while Amir wants to be a popular and strong idealistic father to his child, he does not want to leave his child feeling neglected by him, as he experienced with Baba. Amir would rather be a responsible and understanding

Perhaps the longest best example of a true friend throughout the novel is Amir's godfather, Rahim Kahn. Even before his true relationship with Amir, he is Baba's greatest friend. Even when it means standing up to Baba, he points him in the right direction many times. After hearing a particularly vehement rant about Amir, he chides Baba that " Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors... Sometimes you are the most self-centered man I know" (Hosseini 98). Rahim has the wisdom to speak up against Baba, who he considers his best

When put into perspective, life proves to be truly unfair. It is often difficult to serve justice and distinguish between good and evil. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, there is no optimum justice, but instead a constant theme of mercy. Mercy is found to be an important virtue that allows characters to come to terms with their flaws and grow with benevolence. Amir is a character who began as a deceitful coward, burdened with the guilt of his mistakes. The mercy Amir receives from Rahim Khan, Hassan, and what comes to be himself, gives him the opportunity to do what is right and find goodness in his life again. On Amir’s journey back to Afghanistan, the forgiveness and compassion he discovers is what is most important in determining his future.

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the protagonist, Amir, his father Baba, Ali and his ex-wife Sanaubar are a few of the main characters in this story about Amir’s life. Keeping your self pride and doing what’s right for your family along with redemption are two large factors in decision making. Characters become completely different people when faced with these factors, doing things they never would’ve thought of.

Amir and his father’s weak relationship in Afghanistan changes when Amir finally accomplishes something Baba can be proud about, spreading light of a possible close relationship in the future. At the beginning of the novel, Baba is talking with his friend, Rahim Khan, about his worries for Amir not standing up for himself, when he is being bullied. Khan responds to Baba saying, ““Children aren’t coloring books. You don’t get to fill them in with your favorite colors””(Hosseini 21). This quote illustrates the difficult relationship Amir and his father have with each other because Baba wants to mold him into the ‘perfect’ son, but Amir does not find appreciation in the same things as Baba, causing this ‘mold’ to be ruined. Amir and Baba being polar opposites causes them to naturally separate from each other because Baba likes building luxury to fit his ego, but Amir values the smaller gestures people do in life. Once Amir finally does something that makes Baba proud and improves ‘their’ ego, Baba starts to appreciate Amir more and tries to do more things with him. This is depicted when Hosseini writes, “Baba and I were finally friends” (Hosseini 85). Although Amir thinks they are close, they are not as close as they could be because Baba usually invites friends and family to join them on their outings. Also, when they are alone it is very awkward for the two of them because they do not know each other very well. The reason Amir feels like he is gaining his father’s acceptance is because he is taking him places, rather than ignoring his existence completely, which is a significant step compared to their relationship before. This step in their relationship illustrates they have a chance at becoming even closer in the future.

Shortly after Baba’s death, his old friend Rahim Khan calls him to come back to Afghanistan to finally make amends. As Amir begins his journey back to Afghanistan, his character can be defined as empathic and loving.

Rahim Khan’s phone call might not have been what Amir wanted to hear at the time, but it was exactly what he needed and what thankful for it later. Rahim Khan reminded Amir that there truly is a way to be good again, and by going back to the unsafe Afghanistan to retrieve Hassan’s tortured son from the Taliban, Amir was able to redeem himself and free all the guilt he had carried for years. Amir states “because when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting” (Hosseini 371). Amir might not have been capable of going back and apologizing to Hassan for his actions in the past, but he could at least redeem himself by making sure Sohrab lives a happy and safe life with him in

He sees the disconnection as an opportunity for a new beginning. Situational irony further enhances that Amir would like to move toward the future and never toward the past, and to urgently wash away his offense. He wants a new birth, free of sins he committed by letting Hassan be raped and lying to force Hassan out of his house to avoid guilt, but soon realises he has to face his conscience. After the death of Baba, Amir lives in his home with his wife, Soraya, when he receives a phone call from Rahim Khan in Pakistan. He had knew what Amir had kept all these years as he says “Come. There is a way to be good again” (193), and so came to a shock to Amir. All of Amir’s past that he tried to conceal in the river has resurfaced. There was a silhouette of shame over Amir. He had shamed himself by not helping Hassan when he was attacked, lying to Baba about Hassan stealing his money, and consequently creating a situation where Hassan and Ali had to leave their home. Rahim Khan speech suggests that Amir needed to right his wrongs that had been done, indicating to Amir that there is a chance to redeem himself for the sins he had committed in his

Rahim Khan told Amir that Hassan was his half brother, that is why Baba always acted differently towards Hassan, because Baba longed to show Hassan fatherly affection. Also, Rahim Khan told Amir that Hassan and his wife were both killed by the Taliban and they had son name Sohrab who was still alive and living in orphanage in Karteh-seh. And Rahim Khan believed that for there to be good again in Amir’s life he would have to go find Sohrab, and bring him to Thomas agha and Betty khanum. Even though Rahim Khan knew these people did not exist, he just wanted Amir to raise Sohrab and give him a good life, just like Baba tried to do for Hassan and

Amir, representing the Pashtuns and high-society Afghanis, allows himself to degrade Hassan, the face of the mere Hazaras of the lowest class rank. Through the eyes of Amir, it seems as though Baba preoccupies himself passing time with his comrade Rahim Khan; when he sporadically attempts to involve Amir in his life, Baba always suggests that Hassan accompany them in their daily adventures leaving Amir questioning why his father tries desperately to avoid alone time and bonding moments with his son. The initial occurrences in which Amir witnesses Baba's immediate affection for Hassan drive Amir's negative mental attitude and envy towards his only companion Hassan.

At this point Rahim explains to Baba that “Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favourite colors” (Hosseini 46) demonstrating his support for Amir’s aspirations. However Rahim Khan’s most significant role in the novel occurs in the very beginning when he calls Amir and says “There is a way to be good again" (Hosseini 2) It isn’t until later in the novel that we realize that Rahim Khan had summoned Amir to Kabul to rescue Hassan's son, Sohrab, from an orphanage and to ultimately redeem himself from past wrong doings. Rahim Khan also tells Amir about the relationship Baba had with Ali's wife, Sanaubar and that Hassan was actually Baba's son and therefore Hassan and Amir were half-brothers. Overall the impact Rahim Khan has on Amir’s life is equivalent to that of the relationship between my mother and I. Rahim Khan is undeniably a role model for Amir, much the same way in which my mother is a role model for me. Like Rahim, she appreciates my interests and encourages me to peruse my goals. The most important characteristic about my mother is that if I make a mistake she doesn’t just ‘give up’ on me. Instead she requests that I make it up somehow, much in the same way that Rahim Khan tells Amir how to redeem himself. Without the guidance and support I receive from my mom I know that my life would in fact be very different today.

Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner, has a writing style unique to him in a way that the majority of his sentences are short and non-complex. Although there are numerous words in Farsi, most are explained right away to limit confusion. “‘You look khoshteep’, Baba said. Handsome” ( Hosseini 166). Hosseini incorporates an abundance of figurative language in his book, an example of this is repetition. The line, “There is a way to be good again” is said several times throughout the book to show its significance in the novel (Hosseini 2). Figurative language is extremely important because it adds a meaning and value that is much stronger than saying it differently.