Ethan Bautista Mr. St. John Subject Name 29 February 2024 The Kite Runner: The Abuse of Loyalty “For you, a thousand times over.” Hassan’s iconic line perfectly characterizes his undying loyalty to Amir and ensures the reader of his purity and virtue. Even so, Hosseini questions whether Hassan’s loyalty is reciprocated. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, Hassan’s relatively one-dimensional role as a paragon of virtue serves as foil for the far more morally ambiguous—and consequently more interesting—protagonist, Amir. Particularly, Amir is driven by his loyalty to Baba, as he desperately chases his approval. As a result, Hosseini crafts a chain of idolization between Hassan, Amir, and Baba, in which each character’s dangerous acts of loyalty
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As Amir watches and refuses to intervene, he describes Hassan’s face as having “the look of the lamb” (Hosseini 76). As Amir compares Hassan to a sacrificial lamb, he dehumanizes his friend and convinces himself that Hassan’s sacrifice is for a “higher purpose” (Hosseini 77). Even more heartbreaking, Hassan’s unwavering loyalty to Amir—as well as Amir’s constant degradation of Hassan—has twisted his perception of himself so much, even to the extent that Hassan likely values himself similarly to that of a sacrificial lamb. Interestingly, it is the cruel and irredeemable character of Assef that points out the one-sided friendship between Amir and Hassan. As Amir flees the scene, he thinks to himself, “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (Hosseini 77). This idea encapsulates the corrupting nature of idolization and the risks of attaching oneself too strongly to another. The encounter ends with Amir acting ignorant to the situation and the two boys returning home with the kite in hand. Amir achieves his dream of his father’s love and a warm embrace, stating “In his arms, I forgot what I’d
As Amir watches and refuses to intervene, he describes Hassan’s face as having “the look of the lamb” (Hosseini 76). As Amir compares Hassan to a sacrificial lamb, he dehumanizes his friend and convinces himself that Hassan’s sacrifice is for a “higher purpose” (Hosseini 77). Even more heartbreaking, Hassan’s unwavering loyalty to Amir—as well as Amir’s constant degradation of Hassan—has twisted his perception of himself so much, even to the extent that Hassan likely values himself similarly to that of a sacrificial lamb. Interestingly, it is the cruel and irredeemable character of Assef that points out the one-sided friendship between Amir and Hassan. As Amir flees the scene, he thinks to himself, “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (Hosseini 77). This idea encapsulates the corrupting nature of idolization and the risks of attaching oneself too strongly to another. The encounter ends with Amir acting ignorant to the situation and the two boys returning home with the kite in hand. Amir achieves his dream of his father’s love and a warm embrace, stating “In his arms, I forgot what I’d