Kite Runner: Character Analysis of Amir
The author Khaled Hosseni wrote and published the book, The Kite Runner, in the year 2003 (Miles 207-209). It was during the year 2005 that the book became a bestseller in the United States. It was made into a movie by the year 2007, however it is considered a very challenged book. It faces many issues regarding the Afghan culture. Yet, in some way the controversies which lie in the novel obscured the book's accomplishments. After two years of publication, Hosseni's book made it to # 3 on the New York Time's Bestseller List; this is very impressive seeing as it was written in English, which is Hosseni's second language (Miles 207-209). The Kite Runner offers its readers a complex look into political history through an individual tale of friendship, betrayal and jealousy. This book also gives an insight into immigrant communities in the United States; it gives a closer look at what it means to be away from your homeland (Aubry and Timothy 25-43). This personal story about a boy and Afghan friendship is not only a way to open up about contemporary Afghanistan. It parallels to the nation of America as a whole (Miles 207-209). While other stories which may lie in the genre of coming-of-age end in adolescence or early adulthood, we see the main character of this story until his middle age. This brings a question to the genre of the book, however it is clear that it is a story about redemption and atonement, therefore it can be justified as a coming-of-age story; our protagonist just took a while to get there (Miles 207-209). Amir is a very complex character; he is seen in three dimensions: the selfish and confused boy in Afghanistan, the regretful and guilty man in America, and the fully grown man who is finally doing some good returning to Afghanistan.
Amir is the narrator as well as the protagonist of the novel and is a Pashtun and Sunni Muslim (Shamel 181-186). Although not a completely sympathetic character, Amir is one for whom most readers feel compassion. His father, Baba, is rich by Afghan standards, and as a result, Amir grows up accustomed to having what he wants. The only thing he feels deprived of is a deep emotional connection with Baba, which he blames on himself. He thinks Baba wishes Amir were more like him, and that Baba holds him responsible for killing his mother, who died during his birth (Al-Saudeary 233-249). Amir, consequently, behaves jealously toward anyone receiving Baba's affection. His relationship with Hassan only exacerbates this. Though Hassan is Amir's best friend, Amir feels that Hassan, a Hazara servant, is beneath him. Even though the book describes the two as very close friends, Amir is seen stating "The curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends," (qtd. Hosseni, 4.4). He knew that Hassan would never say no to him, and throughout the book, Hassan is seen as a doormat that did everything for Amir. This is where Amir's selfishness resonates, yet we understand throughout the book that he was just a confused boy. When Hassan receives Baba's attention, Amir tries to assert himself by passive-aggressively attacking Hassan. He mocks Hassan's ignorance, for instance, or plays tricks on him. At the same time, Amir never learns to assert himself against anyone else because Hassan always defends him. "Hassan never denied me anything. And he was deadly with his slingshot. Hassan's father, Ali, used to catch us and get mad… 'Yes, Father,' Hassan would mumble, looking down at his feet. But he never told one me." (Hosseni, 2.2-3). Hassan was very loyal to Amir, and Amir knew it. He took advantage of it, yet let his jealousy play out throughout this time in the novel. All of these factors play into his cowardice in sacrificing Hassan, his only competition for Baba's love, in order to get the blue kite, which he thinks will bring him Baba's approval.
The defining...
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