Irony In 'The Kite Runner'

Similar to that of a kite’s composition, a degree of irony is woven into the friendship of Amir and Hassan. The kite’s characteristic beauty deceives onlookers as to its ruthless intentions; rather than simply displaying the kite’s graceful movements and appearance, kite fighters aim to destroy and capture their opponents. Likewise, while socially and culturally Amir is superior in education and power, an evaluation of loyalty and courage reveals that the lower-class Hazara servant maintains dominance. In fact, Hassan is able to forgive Amir for his betrayal decades before Amir is able to forgive himself, shown in his yearning “to rekindle things between [them]” (87-88). Amir understands his elevated social standing, but also recognizes Hassan’s superior self-confidence and forgiveness. Amir perceives him as “so goddamn pure, [that

After being brutally beaten, Amir begins “laughing” upon the revelation that he has discovered his punishment and that he feels “healed at last” (289). The pain wrongly inflicted upon Hassan has now finally reached its deserving owner. With his laughing comes the realization that rescuing and caring for Hassan’s son serves as an opportunity for redemption. While, before, he believed that his and Soraya’s “unexplained infertility” (185) was his penance, he now realizes that the child they were waiting for had already been born and he would receive him after his true punishment had been met.
However, the difference between Hassan’s and Amir’s confrontations with Assef is that the protagonist did not fight alone; Sohrab, like his father, had a “slingshot pointed to Assef’s face.” (290) Despite his young age, Sohrab demonstrates more courage than Amir during his thirty-six years of life. If Amir had rescued Hassan on that winter day so many years ago, his entire life may have transpired