Rahim Khan: Business Partner, Mentor, Father?
In many works of fiction, the protagonist is guided by a mentor figure who has a big influence on the actions of the protagonist. One such example of this is in Khaled Husseini’s novel The Kite Runner. Amir, the protagonist, sees his father’s friend, Rahim Khan, as a father-like figure, and Rahim Khan helps teach Amir the set of morals that he keeps with him over the course of the book. Rahim Khan encouraged talents he saw in Amir as a child that eventually grew into a successful, enjoyable career. He was even the biggest cause for Amir to return to Pakistan and redeem himself for his sins as a child. Rahim Khan’s role as a moral mentor in Amir’s life greatly impacted the story of The Kite Runner, …show more content…
But why was he included at all? Much of Rahim Khan’s role in the book could have been covered by Baba during Amir’s childhood, and Rahim Khan’s role in Amir’s return could have easily been a number of sources, such as stories from family members or similar sources. However, that is exactly who Rahim Khan was. Rahim Khan is Amir’s uncle (figuratively). Although he is not technically Amir’s father, and does not directly serve the role of Baba, Rahim Khan does much of the role of raising Amir and in many cases treats him like his own son. Rahim Khan does such a good job of this, that Amir recalls “wish[ing] Rahim Khan had been [his] father” (Hosseini, 32). Khaled Hosseini needed this strong paternal figure to be someone other than Baba so that Amir would not become an unraised delinquent, yet he was still desperate to win his father’s attention. This vying for Baba’s affection is what inspired Amir to win the Kite Tournament, and part of the reason that he did not rescue Hassan from Assef after. Baba’s sudden relationship with Amir after the tournament is a major contribution as to why Amir’s 13th birthday feels so superficial, and why Amir feels guilt for years after the tournament. Without Rahim Khan’s role, the novel would not have been able to provide valid motives for the characters during and after the kite tournament, and would have made the book seem very poorly
In many works of fiction, the protagonist is guided by a mentor figure who has a big influence on the actions of the protagonist. One such example of this is in Khaled Husseini’s novel The Kite Runner. Amir, the protagonist, sees his father’s friend, Rahim Khan, as a father-like figure, and Rahim Khan helps teach Amir the set of morals that he keeps with him over the course of the book. Rahim Khan encouraged talents he saw in Amir as a child that eventually grew into a successful, enjoyable career. He was even the biggest cause for Amir to return to Pakistan and redeem himself for his sins as a child. Rahim Khan’s role as a moral mentor in Amir’s life greatly impacted the story of The Kite Runner, …show more content…
But why was he included at all? Much of Rahim Khan’s role in the book could have been covered by Baba during Amir’s childhood, and Rahim Khan’s role in Amir’s return could have easily been a number of sources, such as stories from family members or similar sources. However, that is exactly who Rahim Khan was. Rahim Khan is Amir’s uncle (figuratively). Although he is not technically Amir’s father, and does not directly serve the role of Baba, Rahim Khan does much of the role of raising Amir and in many cases treats him like his own son. Rahim Khan does such a good job of this, that Amir recalls “wish[ing] Rahim Khan had been [his] father” (Hosseini, 32). Khaled Hosseini needed this strong paternal figure to be someone other than Baba so that Amir would not become an unraised delinquent, yet he was still desperate to win his father’s attention. This vying for Baba’s affection is what inspired Amir to win the Kite Tournament, and part of the reason that he did not rescue Hassan from Assef after. Baba’s sudden relationship with Amir after the tournament is a major contribution as to why Amir’s 13th birthday feels so superficial, and why Amir feels guilt for years after the tournament. Without Rahim Khan’s role, the novel would not have been able to provide valid motives for the characters during and after the kite tournament, and would have made the book seem very poorly