Kite Runner Compare And Contrast Essay

In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the characters Amir and Baba immigrated to Fremont, California in the 1980s. Baba and Amir both saw living in America differently. They both had separate outlooks on what America meant for their past and future. Amir saw America as a place to forget his past, and as a place full of opportunity. To Baba, America was a place where he would mourn his past, and where he would become less than he ever was in Afghanistan. Amir and Baba both had a different perspective of what moving to America meant to them. In Afghanistan, Amir was living in grief and guilt and to him moving to America would help him let go of his past “For me, America was a place to bury my memories.” P. 136 Amir’s outlook on America …show more content…
136 Baba couldn't accept his new life in America, and he continued mourning his past life in Afghanistan. Even though Baba missed Afghanistan he still refused to return upon Amir’s suggestion “… I didn’t bring us here for me…” Baba’s love for his son was his only reason for continuing to live in America. As a result of living in America for two years, Amir flourished and started living the life he had always wanted, but Baba was diminished and weakened by a life he never thought he would have to …show more content…
137 Amir was attending high school while Baba had to work at a job he felt was below him. In America, Amir had many opportunities that were not available to him in Afghanistan. America was a country where he could go to high school, junior college, and eventually have a career in writing. However, while America was a country where Amir could flourish, it was the opposite for Baba. In Afghanistan Baba was a rich and respected man with a large home, servants, and a black Mustang. In America, he was lessened into a day manager at a gas station. He became a man with broken English, living in a small apartment, and driving a yellow Buick Century. One day when Baba was shopping in a convenience store he became angered that the manager asked to see his ID when he used a check. Baba is furious and feels that there is a lack of trust in the American society, and Amir is embarrassed and apologizes to the store owners “I’ll pay for everything…I’m so sorry” p. 135 Amir feels that it was Baba in the wrong while Baba sees the situation as American society being untrustworthy. Many of the experiences Amir and Baba face are seen by them in different ways and they both have a different outlook of the American