Betrayal In Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner

In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, Amir struggles to cope with his inaction during Hassan’s rape. Overwhelmed with guilt, Amir devises a plan to get Hassan and Ali dismissed so they would no longer be a constant reminder of all the times Hassan had protected him and his failure to do the same. The guilt of betraying Hassan burdens him for years, and even after he and Baba move to America, he carries the weight of his actions with him. However, after he accepts Rahim Khan’s request to rescue Sohrab and bring him to safety, Amir strives to leave behind the selfishness and cowardice he had previously succumbed to. Amir progressively begins to forgive himself for his injustices towards Hassan as he recognizes his evolution from a coward

According to (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/the-kite-runner/themes.html) “Amir becomes exactly the sort of coward Baba worried Amir would become” (1). This obvious guilt made Amir feel like a helpless coward. These feelings would be nightmares for him for many years to come. Irony may also lead to one forgiving him or her self. In Hosseini’s novel Amir later discovers an important piece of information that could change his life forever.

He knew that with all the guilt building up inside of him, he wouldn’t succumb; a new relationship needed to blossom, and “he would not leave Afghanistan without finding Sohrab.” (219) This was his chance. Sohrab, Hassan’s son, had been through extreme torment living under the power of Taliban officials and Amir wanted to save him, to make up for the intense feelings he wasn’t able to express to Hassan. It was a final favor he could complete for his faithful friend. The end of the road was finally in sight, and he had Sohrab with him; walking down it, seeing how all the emotions had come and changed his relationships altogether. Amir knew it was all worth it in the end, “because when spring comes, it melts the snow one snowflake at a time, and maybe I witnessed the first flake melting.” (371) Sohrab had finally let him in.

Though they are miles away from the war of Afghanistan, their family encounters a battle of their own. He portrayed this similar struggle in the character of Baba, as he adjusts his lifestyle in America. “For Baba, [America is] a place to mourn his [memory]” (p.140) This line depicts the struggle Amir’s father experience as he leaves his wealth behind Kabul and start a new beginning in San Francisco. Similar with Hosseini’s parents “…it was an even more difficult adjustment for my parents to be uprooted and to have lost everything they had worked their lives for, and to have to restart their lives essentially from scratch and to try to restart a life in an environment that was dramatically different from the one they were accustomed to.” (Hosseini, 2012) The other emigrant characters in the novel experience the same struggle. They serve as a microcosm of other Afghan emigrants who seek refuge in other countries.

However, the faith he is standing with, endangers him, making his home confused. Luke says that he knows that trials are coming and that it is the faith that he upholds that is bringing him trials, “I knew that life would try me.” (Dubus 16). It seems he lost his family because of hate. Paul is trying to figure out the best way he could have tried to save the family. “A Father’s Story,” at different points, portrays Luke Ripley as the antagonist and the protagonist

The main event that betrayal is shown is when Amir did not speak up while Hassan was abused. Hassan has stood up for Amir in every circumstance. That is utter betrayal to do that to someone you consider your brother. To even worsen the situation, Amir said that Hassan stole his watch which led to Ali and Hassan moving away. Another instance betrayal is shown is how Baba is Hassan's father which means that he betrayed his best friend Ali.

Rahim acts as a physical link between the characters and themes of the story, a middleman that deepens the context of the plot. The role of a father-figure, shared by Baba and Rahim Khan is a complex relationship that heavily impacts Amir’s actions and emotions. Whilst Baba is the biological father and role model of Amir, it is Rahim Khan who is the one to provide emotional support, and stability. Amir’s selfish tendencies are a result of the lack of affection that is given to him by Baba, a man who wants to, but struggles to find similarities between himself and Amir. As a result, he often has difficulty relating to his son, leading him to think that “there is something missing in [Amir]”, because he is not like himself (Hosseini 24).

He feels much pain coursing through his blood from his friends murder, possibly due to the fact that he made him stop fighting leaving him vulnerable to the fatal blow of Tybalt. Though Mercutio isn’t the only person Romeo feels sorry for, even when innocent he still feels sorrow for Tybalt mainly in the fact that he is his cousin-in-law. After Tybalt is slain Romeo states, “O, I am a fortune’s fool.”(p 49). This is his recognition of of the misfortunes that have befallen him with his cousin-in-law and best friend. The tragedy that occured in the streets of Verona clearly left romeo as emotionally injured as anyone else.

Many may believe that full redemption is unattainable, but with the right mindset and motives, it is possible to redeem oneself. The symbol of the kite represents not only guilt, but also Amir’s futile attempts for redemption. With this in mind, Amir’s longing for Baba’s love, the assault from Assef, and Sohrab’s journey all come full circle in the end and show that Amir can mend his mistakes once and for all. After years of standoffish treatment from Baba, Amir believes that he needs to redeem himself in his father’s eyes to reconcile for the death of his mother. At such a young age Amir, “always felt like Baba hated, [him] a little.

However, when it comes to family he acts so inhuman that he doesn 't listen to his own son and even thinks about ruthlessly punishing his nieces Antigone and Ismene. On the side of Antigone, she is very dedicated to family and it is her greatest priority. She takes it so important for her slain brother to get a decent burial that it brings her to face the wrath of Creon and she eventually dies for it. In the world today, such care that Antigone portrays for the family is almost