Because Amir doesn’t have a strong connection with his father, he decides to betray his childhood friend Hassan by preventing him when he got raped in a alleyway. Ever since he was young, Amir was detached with his father and his father always seem to treat Hassan, a Hazara or slave, with a higher importance than Amir. Thus, making Amir was very envious of Hassan, and is always competing with him to win his father's affections, and by having enough courage to become a man. Amir entered in a famous kite competition, and Hassan helped him win. When Amir knocked the last kite down, Hassan was running to grab Amir’s prize. Hassan was threatened by Assef, a neighborhood bully, and was demanded that he would have the kite instead of Amir. Hassan …show more content…
This quote demonstrates that Amir selfness of getting the kite meant more than helping his friend. The quote indicates that Hassan devoted himself for Amir, by protecting the kite. He knows that Amir is wrong when he didn't help him, but he understands his actions. Amir is so self centered that he only looked at the kite, because if the kite was ripped Baba would realize that something wrong happened. After Amir examines the kite, he looks at Hassan. Clearly, Hassan is in pain, by Amir still won’t help him. He notices that his clothing is ripped, but there are still no signs of sympathy towards Hassan. He even says that Hassan “ swayed on his feet like he was going to collapse… steadied himself” and then “handed me the kite”. This displays how Hassan is in so much pain, that he was about to collapse on the ground. But, his loyalty to Amir made him realize that this is Amir’s moment. Hassan is Amir’s sacrifice to win Baba. When Amir saw Hassan reaction, this made dislike Hassan more, since he showed his devotion for Amir. This guilty, continues to be a struggle for Amir, through the rest of his
Amir, when he was a child, was jealous of Hassan because of the amount of attention Hassan received from Baba. He wanted Baba to love him more than Hassan, but he never realized that Hassan was his brother as well. After he finally got to spend some alone time with Baba, he felt like he was missing something, or perhaps someone. Amir felt guilty about being horrible to Hassan and feels ashamed of his jealousy. Character Trait Note #5: Amir can also be seen as caring.
In a flashback shown in chapter six,Hosseini describes a memory in which Amir and Hassan took part in the annual kite-chasing competition. Despite Amir receiving the final nod, Hassan ultimately wins the challenge due to his superior skill set. Hassan's demeanour changes when Amir doubts his loyalty, and Amir is aware of the change. Hosseini writes “Maybe not changed, not really, but suddenly I [Amir] had the feeling I was looking at two faces, the one I knew, the one that was my first memory, and another, a second face, this one lurking just beneath the surface.” (Hosseini 57-58).
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
Amir makes hassan look like a thief by “planting [his] new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under [the mattress]” (Hosseini 104). Hassan knew of Amirs intentions that Amir wanted him to leave so Hassan lies and says that he stole it in order to remain loyal with his friend Amir. Thus, Hassan and his father Ali, feel like they can no longer serve Baba or Amir anymore and leave forever; Amir never sees him again. It was then that Amir realized how much of a horrible person he was and how undeserving he was to have Hassan. His father realized it was him and forgave him even though his father said “theft is unforgivable.”
The kite represents Amir’s happiness because it connects him with Baba, this is very important for Amir because Baba believes his son is a coward who isn’t strong enough to stand up for himself. Although to impress Baba Amir lets Hassan get raped by Assef so he can bring home the blue kite, he states, “I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba.” Amir has just witnessed Assef rape Hassan and instead of intervening he runs away. Amir says he aspired to cowardice because he believed that what he did was worse than cowardice, he feared that by intervening Assef would hurt him and that was the reason he ran.
This is his kite” (page number). Assef and his cronies had Hassan cornered, but instead of giving them what they wanted, Hassan continued to be a great friend to Amir and to fight for fairness. Hassan’s rape also marked a changing point in Amir’s story. Amir continually blames himself for not stepping up and stopping Assef and for everything that happens to Hassan thereafter. Before the incident, Amir and Hassan were, through their actions, close friends.
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
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.
The novel, The Kite Runner, tells a story about two incredibly strong and courageous boys, who have to find their way back from a dreadful thing which they thought they could never forget. The two boys are guided by their father, Baba, who is also looking for forgivness in himself. In the end, all of the boys find redemption for their wrongdoings. One of the boys, Hassan, shows extreme courage from the very beginning of the book.
In the novel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the author leads the reader to believe that Amir, in the beginning, is selfish. At the start of the book, he shows Amir making fun of Hassan's illiteracy, along with making many snide remarks. By doing this, Amir is subtly reminding Hassan of his superiority. Amir also gives us another glimpse of his selfishness when he watches Hassan get raped. Amir decides to be a bystander instead of standing up for his good and faithful friend because he is afraid of getting hurt.
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
Also, Hassan showed how loyal he is to Amir when he ran the kite for Amir. Hassan was the confronted
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
He was helpless as he needed the kite as trophy for his father, to prove that he is ‘Baba’s perfect son’. Amir is further instigated by his guilt and greed to hide the watch under Hassan’s pillow, thus stealing the truth from him. Shadows and darkness are once again used in this scene to emulate the shift from the innocent friendship Amir had with Hassan to the guilt and shame that he bears as he walks in the shadows with his head low, as though in shame. As he moves towards the quarters, he glances towards the sides. Amir’s particular body language shows that he wants this deed to be seen by no one.
The relationship between Amir and Hassan strengthens, with every defeated kite. Amir finally wins his way into Baba's heart, at least for the moment; then everything changes. After the last kite is brought down from the sky, Hassan goes to retrieve the kite for Amir with the parting words “‘For you a thousand times over!’”(Hosseini 67). When Hassan fails to return, Amir goes out in search of his friend. When he finally catches up to Hassan, he witnesses Hassan being raped by their nemesis Assef.