Amir And Baba Relationship Analysis

Improved Essays
The Relationship of Amir and Baba In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the main character and narrator, Amir, has a very complex relationship with his father, Baba. Amir and Baba are nothing like the typical father and son bonds that readers would expect. Amir loves Baba very much, however, throughout the book Amir feels as if he is fighting for Baba’s acceptance and affection. Although their relationship is strained for a majority of the book, there are both differences and similarities that Baba and Amir share. These differences and similarities help readers identify the theme of tension between father and son, and help the readers understand the dynamics of both characters. To start off their relationship, as a child, Amir found a love …show more content…
Amir is awfully rude to people whom help him succeed the most, mainly including Hassan and his own father. Amir is a narcissist who only cares about himself and not the needs of others and Hassan always seemed to get the brunt of Amir’s anger and selfishness. Amir, because he had been pampered all his life, would never stop disrespecting Hassan and bullying him. Because of Amir’s unlikable personality, Baba out of all people is the most disappointed. Baba was not always there for Amir because he didn’t understand why Amir isn’t exactly like him. Baba speaks to Rahim Khan, his business partner, about his misunderstanding of Amir, and doesn’t quite grasp why his son’s interests aren’t comparable to his own: “He’s always buried in those books or shuffling around the house like he’s lost in some dream…I wasn’t like that.’ Baba sounded frustrated, almost angry” (23). Baba was an exceptionally distinguished man and loved entertaining guests with elaborate parties showing his wealth. Amir on the other hand, prefers to be out of the spotlight and away from attention. He would rather have the company of a good book alone in his room. This dynamic comparison comes with much frustration and anger between the two characters. Baba can never accept that Amir doesn’t follow in his footsteps and that they are in fact different.
Hosseini has created a complex father son relationship among Amir and Baba in The Kite Runner. Baba, lacks the deep love most fathers have for their sons which affects Amir’s upbringing. Because Baba’s expectations for his son are so high, it forces Amir to focus on nothing but pleasing him. Amir would have been a completely different person if he weren’t motivated but one thing, which is Baba’s acceptance. Hosseini includes many examples of trying times for this father-son duo which enhances the theme of tension between father and

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Kite Runner’s seventh chapter unarguably serves as the plot’s turning point, it depicts the creation of the novel’s core conflict, that of Amir’s subsequent guilt following his betrayal which is later established as the driving force behind the majority of the story. In this chapter Hosseini not only explores the ideas of betrayal, guilt and cruelty, but also continues to construct the novel’s purpose as an ode to Hosseini 's home country of Afghanistan through the utilisation of a variety of literary techniques such as symbolism, characterisation and narrative perspective. Hosseini has constructed a tale rife with symbolism, examples of which can be observed through the light of dawn to the darkness of dusk, and even via the colour blue…

    • 1331 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Khaled Hosseini’s uses of foils, metaphor, and parallelism in The Kite Runner materially help to reveal motifs based around its conflict and the theme of the text. By employing these devices, Hosseini highlights a plethora of the book’s motifs, such as redemption and regret; moreover, he exudes the book’s central theme, which pertains to the enjoyment of life and search for inner peace. Other than radiating the implicit messages of the book, the aforementioned stylistic choices also are necessary to develop both the story’s characters and plot. In particular, the character arc of Amir, the main protagonist of the book, would be stripped of an immense amount of significance his internal and external conflict are intensely emphasized by the three…

    • 1071 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is important that the reader knows that Baba is the narrator’s father; due to the unconditional love we expect between father and son, Amir’s opinion may well be biased. Indirectly, the reader can make an opinion on Baba, and his relationship with Amir, through his speech and actions as described by Amir. The reader is told…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He seems to always be outshined by his best friend/unknown brother/servant boy, Hassan. Amir’s father, baba, always seems to show a greater interest in Hassan, whether it was birthdays, given recognition for a good deed done, or just being attentive to him. Amir always felt second to this servant and it made him angry. When it was time for the annual kite running tournament, Amir and Hassan had teamed up. Amir would take down all the opponents and Hassan would fetch the 2nd place kite for him as a trophy.…

    • 542 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Some live with the idea that family will always understand you and be there with you. Although many people believe this to be true, in some cases it is not. Just like Alice Walker from the excerpt “Father” and Amir from “The Kite Runner”, where unfortunately their own fathers were not as understanding as they would like them to be. In the excerpt “Father” it interprets Walker’s relationship with her father and how she regrets not having a stronger connection with him. In the novel “The Kite Runner”…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Parent-child Relationships in Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and Shakespeare’s Hamlet In both texts, Hamlet and The Kite Runner, Hamlet and Amir, each have a relationship with their father, that plays a huge role in their lives. They idolize their fathers and strive to attain their approval; no matter the consequences. Furthermore, their fathers’ past actions and conflicts heavily influence their fates and their identities dramatically.…

    • 1477 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Amir begins to take a moral incline spiritually once the rough portions in his life are further explained. Baba is the father of Hassan. This is the backbone behind his generous actions towards Hassan and his mistreatment of Amir. Due to the war and violence taking place in Afghanistan, Amir and Baba move to the United States in order to access their new beginning. Being poor and not having access to everything that satisfies his needs, Amir quickly becomes a new type of person.…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Guilt In The Kite Runner

    • 1438 Words
    • 6 Pages

    “When a coward stops remembering who he is... God help us” (Hosseini 241). These words should resonate with any guilt-ridden person, as to be guilty is to recognize one’s own cowardice and mistakes. Amir, the protagonist of The Kite Runner, speaks these words to himself in a time of great internal turmoil. The author, Khaled Hosseini places an emphasis on guilt’s effect on the individual as a main theme, mostly made manifest through the character of Amir.…

    • 1438 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Amir’s mother died giving birth to him. Baba, (Amir’s father) thought of her as a princess. As a child, Amir thought his father resented him for this very reason. To Amir, Baba seemed to prefer Hassan over Amir in most cases. Later on as an adult, Amir realizes that his view of his Baba was so incorrect, that he feels guilty about it.…

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Kites In The Kite Runner

    • 1052 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Amir has mixed feelings about Hassan, his family’s servant, who he grew up with. Though Amir plays with Hassan and treats him almost as he would a friend, there is a disconnect between the two of them. Amir is envious of the concern that Baba shows for Hassan. Not only does Amir feel he is competing with Hassan for Baba’s attention, but he often views Hassan as inferior and less deserving of closeness to Baba. Amir allows pride to govern…

    • 1052 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The main source of resentment, however, stems from the lack of affection Amir receives from his father, Baba. In comparison to Hassan, Amir tends to be more introverted and has a passion for literature. One the other hand, Hassan is the complete opposite. He possesses a strong will and is athletically inclined just like Baba. Even though Amir does not share various qualities with his father, he fails to understand why Baba displays more outward affection towards Hassan, which develops the basis for Amir’s slight resentment in relation to Hassan.…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Courage In The Kite Runner

    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A father and son duo sit together in a dark metallic van. The boy shakes with fear while he grasps his father’s arm. Suddenly, the van stops, and the heavy doors swing open. The son watches a soldier make suggestive looks toward a woman nearby that make him feel queasy. The father stands up and defends the woman.…

    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Amir feels as though, “ Baba hates [him] a little” because he hadn 't, “ turned out a little more like him” and even though Amir tries very hard to find common interest, for example, trying to play soccer, the similarities are not there (Hosseini 19). The lack of a common interest is one reason Amir and his father never bonded emotionally. Amir has also faced life long guilt after his mother dies while giving birth to him. This tragedy is haunting to Amir and causes him to believe that Baba resents him for the death of, “ his [father’s] beloved wife, his beautiful princess,” which makes Amir feel even more detached from his father Baba (Hosseini 19). Amir’s feelings of alienation are amplified because of Baba’s close relationship with Hassan.…

    • 1043 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Although the father-son relationship should be an unbreakable bond, in the case of Amir and Baba, it is the opposite, throughout Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, we see the status of their…

    • 1335 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    His relationship with Amir is complex, often going beyond the boundaries of the standard servant-master bond. They were “kids who had learned to crawl together, ... and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that.” (6). However, as they were growing up Amir began to notice Baba’s preference for Hassan. He quickly resents Hassan and passive-aggressively attacks his intelligence.…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays