Foils In The Kite Runner

In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the relationship between Hassan and Amir is like that of two foils and illuminates the meaning of the work by highlighting the differences between the characters and providing the impetus to finish the novel. Amir’s faults are highlighted by Hassan’s apparent perfection and as such, Amir feels great envy towards Hassan despite his lower social station. Hassan later becomes Amir’s scapegoat which only further drives the line between their perceived levels of value as individuals. The scapegoating, however allows for Hosseini to work in Amir’s redemption as a person, once again juxtaposing him with Hassan. When we are first introduced to Amir and Hassan, they almost seem equal, but as time progresses it becomes clear that Amir is physically, mentally, and morally inferior to Hassan, but is seen as superior due to his birth. This persists throughout the novel in order to highlight certain events in which either character, if replaced with the other, could have escaped their respective fate. This is epitomized by Assef’s …show more content…
After repeatedly scapegoating Hassan, Amir is given a chance to redeem himself in the form of Sohrab, Hassan’s son. This is important because it gives Amir a chance to step into Hassan’s shoe and make up for all the wrong he has done to Hassan. In his quest for redemption, he is provided with a situation where he can act like Hassan would if he were in his place and directly perform an action that Hassan would have wanted. All of this because of his deep connection to Hassan, as proven by their relationship as foils. The proof comes in the final pages of the book when Amir repeats what Hassan said to him before he was raped by Assef, “for you, a thousand times over”, to his son Sohrab. This represents his coming to terms with his actions and finally stepping into the shoes Hassan left for