Kite Runner Final

8. Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth. You can also analyze a relationship between two different characters.

After reading the book Kite Runner, I am completely captivated by Khaled Hosseini’s story. I liked how the story was told in Amir’s point of view and gave details on mostly everything, because I felt as if I was Amir and experiencing his life myself. Not only that, but what i found really interesting was the bond between the two characters Amir (son of baba), and Hassan (also son of Baba). Amir and Hassan’s fathers are connected with a 40 year relationship from when Baba’s father bought Ali and loved him like his own son till now as Baba’ friend/servant. Not only that but Hassan was believed to be born by Ali so he is also a servant to Baba and Amir. Hassan and Amir share an unbreakable bond, but Amir loses it after a fatal incident. I find this bond a wonderful subject to behold, for it is broken several times in the story, and the character Amir in this bond is one to never forget.

Throughout the childhood of Amir and Hassan’s life, they played together, read together, kite ran together, and did many other things together. Then on a beautiful winter day Amir and Hassan attended a Kite running contest, and won it with the help of Hassan. While Amir was celebrating his victory Hassan went to retrieve the blue kite that flew away from the runner ups hands. After Amir celebrated his victory he went to find Hassan, and saw him holding onto the blue kite with some mean kids they had encountered before, Assef and his lil’ gang. They threatened him to give him the blue kite, but Hassan refused holding the blue kite close to the body like a parent protecting their child. Because Hassan was not the same as them, he was a Hazara and they were the discriminated ones like Jews to German, was beat up and raped while Amir was in the corner watching the whole incident and stood their and trembled like a coward. Despite their whole friendship, and despite the fact that Hassan’s first word was Amir, Amir just stood their imagining that he’s helping Hassan in his head. In the end, after Assef and them left, Amir went to the beat up Hassan and mustered a “What happened?, I looked all over for you.”

   At the end of the rape numerous conflicts had erupted in Amir’s life. Their bond starts to break and Amir falls into darkness, feeling boundless regret for the nonetheless he had done while his friend was getting raped.
In the dialogue,

“I hit him with another pomegranate, in the shoulder this time. The juice splattered his face. “Hit me back!” I spat. “Hit me back, goddamn you!” I wished he would. I wished he’d give me the punishment I craved, so maybe I’d finally sleep at night. Maybe then things could return to how they used to be between us.” (92)

But Hassan did nothing as he pelted him again and again.

“You’re a coward!’ I said. “Nothing but a coward.” (92)

He even tries to regain himself by letting Hassan beat him up, but of course Hassan was to nice to do so. Is  ‘nothing but a coward’ really what Amir thinks? Amir has done nothing to help Hassan, but Hassan would risk his life for Amir’s safety. Also from this you can see how Hassan is loyal to Amir. He treats Amir as a true friends and tries to help Amir calm himself down. Hassan however does not stoop down to Amir’s level. He is not  fool who takes other people’s love for granted but the other way around. Hassan is a loving companion and a friend to Amir. Amir jan doesn’t deserve Hassan’s love.

After that Amir and Baba move away from Kabul and go to America and here their bond is completely broken. Amir finds himself graduating high school at the age of 18, and Baba finds himself a manager job at a local gas station. Over their life in America, Baba mentions Hassan’s name a few times over and Amir  immediately dismisses the idea of a conversation about him. After a few day/months, Baba passes away peacefully in bed after he bestows his last kiss on Amir. Amir then receives a call from Rahim Khan, a friend of his and Baba’s, asking him to meet with him in Pakistan. Amir accepts Khan’s greeting and flies to Pakistan to meet with Rahim Khan. In Pakistan Rahim Khan tells Amir the life Hassan has lived after he left with Ali. He then asks Amir to save Hassan’s son Sohrab.

Then Amir goes senile. He rejects Rahim Khan’s saving Sohrab proposal and his true nature awakens.
It is shown in the dialogue:

“Rahim Khan , I don’t want to go to Kabul. I can’t!’ I said.....

“Why me? Why can’t you pay someone here to go? I’ll pay for it if it’s a matter of money.”

“It isn’t a matter of money, Amir!”  Rahim Khan roared. “I'm a dying man and i will not be insulted! It has never been about money with me, you know that. And why you? I think we both know why it has to be you, don’t we?” (221)

In the quote Amir goes to his selfish side. After all that Hassan has done for him, Amir still shows resistance to help him back,  how pathetic can he get?  Amir is nothing but a coward. Rahim Khan is giving him a generous offer to redeem himself. but he refuses. He dosen’t deserve Hassan’s friendship nor Rahim Khan’s generosity.

However, this refusal starts a new life for Amir. After he leaves Rahim Khan’s home and thinks about it for a while, he realizes that that he can’t escape his guilt. Hassan’s son is at stake and he couldn't leave him just like he had done to Hassan. It was not the proper nor right thing to do. Those thoughts in Amir begin in the quote:

“ I can’t go to Kabul, I said to Rahim Khan. I have a wife in America, a home, a career, and a family. But how could I pack up and go back home when my actions may have cost Hassan a chance at those very same things?” (226)

Here their bond starts to recover. In the quote, Amir convinces himself that his family is just as important to him as to Hassan and his son. Amir knows that if Hassan was in the same situation Amir was in he would not hesitate to save this boy. The guilt cycle surrounding Amir and Baba will end with this boy ,Hassan’s son, if Amir would save him. He knows that his boy is the only way for him to be good again. In the end Amir saves Hassan’s son and brings him to America with him. His bond with Hassan is fixed and he is free of guilt.
To wrap the bond up, Hassan finally recieves Amir’s love and Amir is finally able to let the past go. Their bond is recovered and so the story is complete.
Overall this story was a great one and everything that Hosseini has written about was clear. A great book to read with a ‘moving and unexpected’ twist to the plot. I would recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a good story.