The main protagonist, a man born in Afghanistan in 1963 named Amir, has to come to terms with his past, when the Taliban began their takeover. His younger years are filled with cowardice, pain, as well as undeserved loyalty. Loyalty is described as faithful to any leader, party, or cause, or to any person or thing conceived as deserving fidelity. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini demonstrates how loyalty often condones the recipient to take advantage of another’s kindness and innocence. They take advantage of the presence, sacrifice and respect of others.
Loyalty is characterized as going out of one’s way to be there for someone else or make them happy; which can be simplified as presence. Throughout the beginning of The Kite Runner, Hassan is almost always right next to Amir. With every step Amir takes, Hassan is never far behind. He is there for Amir not only as a Hazara but also as a friend. “‘Someday, Inshallah, you will be a great writer,’ Hassan said. ‘And people all over the world will read your stories,’” (Hosseini, 33).
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As a Hazara, Hassan doesn’t usually sacrifice much besides his time to do chores and serve Amir’s family. This changes in chapter eight when Amir attempts to get a rise by throwing pomegranates at him, screaming at him to fight back. “He opened [the pomegranate] and crushed it against his own forehead. ‘There,’ he croaked, red dripping down his face like blood. ‘Are you satisfied? Do you feel better?’” (Hosseini, 93). Despite Amir’s attacks, Hassan refuses to harm Amir in return, and instead hurts himself. Hassan shows Amir loyalty by crushing the pomegranate against his head, while Amir hurts Hassan to get him to fight back, which backfires. Amir could have done what he did differently, without harming Hassan. Though no one is perfect, someone who takes out their anger on a friend in that way does not deserve the undying loyalty that Hassan shows
(Chapter 7, pg. 77) Amir, in this instance, struggles between deciding if Hassan was truly a friend of his, or rather, just a servant that plays with him at Amir’s convenience. He justifies at that moment betraying his friend, selfishly vindicating that this ought to be a sacrifice for Hassan being born into that social caste. Almost immediately after not intervening, Amir seriously regrets viewing Hassan as inferior during the rape as well as throughout their whole duration as children, seeing as Hassan did nothing to deserve such torture as he always been good to
“Hassan never wanted to, but if [Amir] asked, really asked, Hassan wouldn’t deny [Amir].” (Hosseini 4). Even when Hassan knew that it was wrong to do something bad, Hassan would still do it for Amir. Amir's decision to abandon Hassan on his own was his most terrible act. The biggest betrayal Amir has committed during this part of the story is this one.
Hassan wanted things to go back to normal, but ironically, Amir, the one who had wronged him, refused. Hassan offered forgiveness, redemption, but Amir was too swamped in guilt to recognize it. In the end, Amir decided to get
The second time Hassan displays his loyalty is almost thirty years later in the letter he sends to Amir through Rahim Khan after he learns how to read and write. " And I dream that someday you will return to Kabul to revisit the land of our childhood. If you do, you will find an old faithful friend waiting for you” (Hosseini 218). After many decades and betrayals from Amir, Hassan still thinks of Amir as his friend. This is pointless by the time Amir reads the letter because Hassan is already dead.
Amir put his own feelings over Hassan’s, when Hassan needed a friend most, Amir wasn’t there for him. His one true friend, the person he grew up with, his brother, who he loved so dearly, was now suddenly pushing him away, just because he felt guilty. If Amir
On the other hand Amir, has grown up in a big house, has gotten everything he wanted, has received special treatment throughout his whole life. He could cause him to feel superior and brave, but ironically he is a coward. Amir would rather lie and get Hassan in trouble then stand up and admit and apologize for what he has
Continuing to express his loyalty, Hassan says, "For you, a thousand times over!" in chapter 7, before flying a kite for Amir. After hearing this, Amir does not give Hassan a second glance because he believes that is to be expected from a servant. In light of the fact that Hazaras are supposed to serve Pashtuns, he expects loyalty from Hassan regardless of whether they are friends. "
In the novel the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini he illustrates the sacrifice one gives for love. Over the course of the novel Amir, Hassan, and Baba all face dramatic events that shape them to the person they are. Each one of them sacrifice a piece of their own happiness for the one they love. Hassan is loyal to Amir even though in their childhood Amir was not a good friend. Baba sacrifices his life in Afghanistan for Amir to have an education in America.
(Hosseini, 77) This correlates how Amir’s selfish nature convinced him to “sacrifice” Hassan to gain his father’s respect. In that
On the other hand, his Hazara servant and childhood friend, Hassan, has always remained loyal to Amir even with his atrocious betrayal. His knowledge of Amir’s deceitful actions never impeded him from ultimately sacrificing himself for Amir’s benefit. Hassan’s compassionate and forgiving attitude added to Amir’s guilt, making it nearly impossible for him to forgive himself. Hassan’s tremendous sacrifice highlights his kind hearted nature, which eventually positively impacts Amir’s life turning him into a more appreciative person. Growing up together led Amir and Hassan to
The connection between the relationships of Hassan and Amir and then Amir and Sohrab thrive off of the conflicts and the recurring motifs throughout the novel. Amir lived his redemiton and his loyalty through Sohrab, trying to make what he did to Hassan feel like less of a burden on his shoulders. There are many different ways for one to redeem themselves, but there is no better way to show loyalty than to be present in a time of
Betrayal is an issue many can relate to, whether it is done by a family member or a friend. In the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, we witness betrayal play a vital role in the downfall of the main character’s Amir and Hassan’s friendship, and how betrayal was the reason for why Amir sought redemption in hopes to move on. The novel begins with Amir as an adult, recalling an event that took place in 1975 in his hometown Kabul, Afghanistan and how this event was what changed the rest of his life and made him who he now is. Despite this heartbreaking occurrence of Amir’s reluctance to help Hassan while he was being raped, it was the reason for why Amir later decided to be brave and stand up for what he believes in.
Amir realizes that Hassan will never fight back due to the power Amir has. When Amir practically begs Hassan to hit him back, Hassan finally puts forward his first move of power by not giving Amir what he wants and instead smashes the pomegranate on his own forehead (Hosseini 93). Hassan and Amir are the perfect example of how a relationship with an imbalance of power can affect anybody, no matter what
In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini expresses a main idea about loyalty. Throughout the story, the author shows us that a way to be good is to be loyal to family and friends. First of all, because Hassan showed his loyalties lay with Amir, he shows he is honorable. For example, when Hassan and Amir were confronted by Assef and his friends, Hassan protected Amir by threatening Assef with his slingshot. Then Assef backed off and ran away.
Amir, Baba’s son and the main character throughout The Kite Runner, betrays Hassan many times due to the fact of jealousy of the attention Hassan receives from Baba. First, when Amir tries to justify his actions he shows his motivations behind the betrayal. Amir states, “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (Hosseini 77). Amir craves Baba’s attention so much that