The Past In The Kite Runner

In many works of literature the author manipulates a character’s relationship with the past to contribute to the work as a whole. Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, executes this through his main protagonist, Amir. Majority of the novel dwells on Amir struggling with inner demons that haunt him because of things that took place when he was a child, for instance Hassan’s rape by Assef. Rahim Khan cleverly uses his mysterious knowledge of Amir’s past to string together the plot. By using Amir’s guilt of the past Rahim Khan is able to get Amir to return to a war torn Afghanistan to be cleansed of his past transgressions.

As he leaps after the kite, he yells, “For you a thousand times over!” over his shoulder (Hosseini 67). While chasing down the kite, Hassan runs into Assef. Assef demands the kite as payment for previous embarrassments, but after Hassan refuses, Assef decides he will take something even more precious from him. At this point, Amir comes looking for his best friend and his trophy. He witnesses Hassan getting raped and quietly slinks away, not brave enough to protect his protector. Worse, Amir never acknowledges the incident, wounding Hassan deeper than any physical abuse. Ashamed of himself and his cowardice, Amir decides that the best way to be rid of his guilt is to make Hassan leave. He plants money and his watch under Hassan’s mattress with the hope that Baba will throw the thief out. Baba forgives Hassan, but Hassan and his father decide to leave anyway.

However, these excuses deteriorate his relationships. In Amir’s quest to be loved and appreciated by Baba, he attempts to win the kite-flying tournament, however Hassan, his best friend and aid to this competition, gets assaulted by Assef. During this time: “I ran because I was a

Hassan was cornered alone by Assef and the neighborhood bullies, and was distastefully held down and sodomized by these boys in the dirty ally right after the kite fight. It was this moment the ultimate betrayal came to pass. This incidence decayed the boy’s relationship in a way Amir never imagined. This guilt followed him all throughout his adulthood. His fathers words constantly kicked him back down to that very same dirty ally where he could not stand up for his dearest friend - for his brother. It was the fear of seeing Hassan in a position where he needed someone to stand up for him because Amir was used to seeing Hassan as being strong and always standing up for himself. So when it came to the point where Hassan needed him the most, he didn’t know what to do, simply because he was the one always needing Hassan - not the other way around. This fear traveled with Amir for years and even after moving away he could not over come and bury these “skeletons.” After this incident, the relationship between Amir and Hassan

Throughout the novel, the protagonist and narrator Amir receives many acts of loyalty from his brother and friend Hassan; these acts start off simple and almost meaningless to Amir, but as times get harder, Hassan’s loyalty proves strong. Hassan was very loyal and humble to those close to him and showed his devotion when he listened to everything Amir had to say and did whatever he wanted when he asked. Amir was reminding himself of the past and constantly bring him memories of Hassan and felt guilt at every moment. Amir reminded himself of the days in Afghanistan when Ali scolded Hassan for the things he had asked him to do, “But he never told on me. Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbor’s dog, was my idea” (4). These actions were created by Hassan’s surroundings as he grew up, he was taught to be a Hazara servant, but once that friendship sparked between the two boys, Hassan didn’t want to lose that, Amir was his only friend. These small acts of loyalty sparked and grew more important to Amir. A major turning point in the novel was during the kite tournament, but upon finishing the race, Hassan tells Amir, “For you a thousand times over!” (67). This statement is a constant reminder throughout the novel that Hassan will forever be with him and that he will constantly put himself in danger for him and the people he loves. The proof of his loyalty increased that very same day when Hassan found the kite in an alley, but being cornered and harassed by Assef and his friends, he chose to stay and run that kite for Amir instead of handing it over. “‘Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly. This is his

Two major conflicts occurring in The Kite Runner are Baba lying to both Hassan and Amir about being both their biological father and Ali and Hassan leaving from Kabul. Baba keeps a secret for as long as Hassan and Amir have lived. He is the true father of Hassan, and he is ashamed to publicly admit to his actions due to the fact that his reputation would be seriously damaged. He instead never tells either child resulting in torn relationships between both Baba and Amir and Baba and Hassan. While breaking the news to Amir, Rahim Kahn says, “But your father was a man torn between two halves, Amir Jan: you and Hassan. He loved you both, but he couldn't love Hassan the way he longed to, openly, and as a father. So he took it out on you instead-Amir, the socially legitimate half, the half that represented the riches he had inherited” (Hosseini 201). By not telling the truth, Baba has only been pushing away the two people he loves most. Amir feels so unsatisfied with his life and he feels so alone and untalented/useless. Hassan is treated like a regular servant boy when he is actually the son of one

Constantly people are trying to run from their past because the think that forgetting it will make it go away. But in reality that can not actually happen because everything will find a way to turn back up again, whether it is a small reminder or a big one. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the main character Amir, his father Baba, and wife Soraya all deal with the consequences of their pasts. Amir remains haunted with the things he did and did not do as a kid and struggles with the resurfacing of its consequences, while Baba remains constantly reminded of his guilty past and how he handled it, and Soraya has to battle the way her past defines her as a person in society.

Nobody within The Kite Runner can escape the past, or the hand they were dealt from birth. At the end of his journey, Amir recollects on his biggest failing as a kid. He “remembered the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into an alley near the frozen creek” stating that he “[has] been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years” (Hosseini, 1). The internal monologue at the start of The Kite Runner is powerful and truly encapsulates the extent of Amir’s all-consuming guilt and remorse about his mistake on that devastating day in the

One triumphant day, Amir won the local kite fighting tournament and finally earned Baba’s praise. Hassan ran to retrieve the losing kite, which was considered a trophy, and told Amir “For you, a thousand times over”. When Hassan finally obtained the kite, he was cornered by Assef and his friends. Assef was the neighborhood bully and had tortured Amir and Hassan for years. When Hassan refused to give up the kite, Assef beat and raped him. Amir watched the whole thing but didn’t interfe because he didn’t want to lose the respect of his father. The guilt ate Amir alive. “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.” Soon after the incident, Amir tried to distance himself from Hassan and Hassan and his father eventually leave. A couple years later, Amir and Baba flee to America to escape the war in Afghanistan. Amir graduates and gets married but even after all those years;

A couple years pass, there is a game where twelve year olds are flying kites, Assef is a sore loser, and he rapes Hassan over it. Which Amir totally saw and did not help at all because he is an equally sore winner. Many events begin to develop in quick succession after this point. Amir, overcome with guilt, frames Hassan for theft. Hassan leaves the household with Ali, his father, despite Amir’s father begging them to stay.

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.

In the novel Kite Runner the past plays a major role throughout the story, the main character Amir’s actions that were made during his childhood would follow him throughout the rest of his life. No matter how hard he tried to escape the events of his unfortunate past, he was plagued with unending guilt and regret. The story truly begins when a childhood friend calls asking Amir to return to the war-torn nation of his childhood, offering an opportunity to make up for his past and to “be good again.” This truly show that even if someone moves thousands of miles away, the past will continue to exemplify its persistence and catch up, no matter how long it takes.

Throughout the novel, Amir endeavors to be approved by his father, Baba, who is admired by people in Kabul. Unfortunately, Baba believes that Amir, unlike him, is very unmanly “and [that he] never fights back. He just... drops his head ” (Hosseini 24). Since Baba wishes for a son who would stand up for himself, he can’t help but observe that Amir’s friend Hassan, as the guy who “steps in and fends the [bullies] off” (Hosseini 24) is his idea of the ideal son. Though aware of his father’s expectations, Amir is unable to change himself and instead envies Hassan and the fact that Baba treats him like his own son by“[patting]Hassan on the back. [and even putting] his arm around his shoulder [like a fatherly figure]”(Hosseini 15). Despite the manifestation of this hatred in Amir, he continues to recognize the bond that he shares with Hassan, “ brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast” (Hosseini 11) which is because both their mothers died during birth. The confusing emotions he feels for Hassan has Amir face a situation in which he acts inappropriately and allows the guilt to manifest upon him. After winning a very important kite tournament for the first time and “seeing Baba on that roof, proud of [him] at last” (Hosseini 71) Amir begins to search for Hassan who had gone to run his kite earlier. Finally, Amir finds him in a dark alley and as he “peeks around the corner” (Hosseini 75) he witnesses a sight that eradicated not only his relationship with Hassan but also Baba’s brotherly relationship with Ali, Hassan’s father. Peeking through the corner of the alley, like a bystander, he watches his one and only friend getting raped. The guilt that came upon him was for two reason; one, his lack of courage to stand up to

The consequences of the past are inescapable and the choices a person makes can influence the rest of his life. There is no way to change the past, so once important choices are made it is impossible to reverse time and change those decisions. Khaled Hosseini explores this idea of having to live with past decisions in his compelling novel The Kite Runner. To enforce the message of how inescapable the past truly is, the main character of Hosseini’s book, Amir, betrays his closest friend and struggles to cope with the haunting consequences of this betrayal. Through Amir’s complex character development and The Kite Runner’s distinctive plot structure, those who read the novel gain a deeper understanding of Amir’s decisions as a result of his past mistakes via Hosseini’s use of foreshadowing and flashbacks. By creating a unique relationship between the past and present in the novel, Hosseini urges readers to ponder the consequences of mistakes and reflect on their own past.

Baba always seemed to be ashamed to have Amir as a son and appeared to be a lot more proud of Hassan, who was just a servant. At a young age, Amir starts to believe his father blames him for his mother's death. Amir admires Baba, he craves Baba's attention even though Baba seems much more interested in Hassan. All these tensions come to a breaking point during the kite-fighting tournament. Amir sees the tournament as a way to finally win Baba's love.