Humanity sins, but not everyone redeems their wrongdoings. Amir, the protagonist, tries to find a way to escape his mistakes, especially those regarding Hassan, with whom Amir has a complicated relationship. In the novel The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini explores the idea that burying the past leads to Amir’s entrapment in a self-imposed prison and suffering until he atones for his sins to gain freedom, through the symbols of the presents, the slingshot, and the kite.
The guilt Amir gains as a result of ignoring his sins is symbolized through the presents, which is evident through his response to Hassan’s lip surgery, the presents he receives on his birthday, and his gift to Wahid. Baba always gives something special to Hassan on his birthday; …show more content…
Even as a child, Amir does not like when Hassan is treated equally. Amir hates asking for a better kite because he does not want Hassan to get one as well. Amir is disloyal from the beginning; he never cares about Hassan as much as Hassan cares about Amir. Baba always treats Hassan and Amir equally; he would “buy [them both] three identical kites...If [Amir] changed his mind and asked for a bigger and fancier kite...he’d let [Amir] be the favourite” (54). Amir cannot let Hassan have the simplest of pleasures and the extent of Amir’s disloyalty and selfishness is shown. Hassan only wishes for Amir to be happy, but Amir is so greedy that he cannot allow his closest confidante get a kite. This small, selfish, moment foreshadows the ultimate betrayal that he makes later on. Eventually, Amir’s small betrayals turn bigger. Amir makes a horrible betrayal for his own selfish motives because “Assef [is] right: Nothing [is] free in this world. Maybe Hassan [is] the price [Amir] ha[s] to pay...to win Baba” (82). Amir gains the approval he wants from his father but he loses the admiration he had from Hassan. Amir believes that getting the kite will help build a stronger father and son relationship, so he sacrifices Hassan for the kite. This reveals that Amir is not scared to stand up to Assef; he …show more content…
Amir needs to put his selfish thoughts aside and consider the struggles of others to gain the fulfilment he
The guilt Amir gains as a result of ignoring his sins is symbolized through the presents, which is evident through his response to Hassan’s lip surgery, the presents he receives on his birthday, and his gift to Wahid. Baba always gives something special to Hassan on his birthday; …show more content…
Even as a child, Amir does not like when Hassan is treated equally. Amir hates asking for a better kite because he does not want Hassan to get one as well. Amir is disloyal from the beginning; he never cares about Hassan as much as Hassan cares about Amir. Baba always treats Hassan and Amir equally; he would “buy [them both] three identical kites...If [Amir] changed his mind and asked for a bigger and fancier kite...he’d let [Amir] be the favourite” (54). Amir cannot let Hassan have the simplest of pleasures and the extent of Amir’s disloyalty and selfishness is shown. Hassan only wishes for Amir to be happy, but Amir is so greedy that he cannot allow his closest confidante get a kite. This small, selfish, moment foreshadows the ultimate betrayal that he makes later on. Eventually, Amir’s small betrayals turn bigger. Amir makes a horrible betrayal for his own selfish motives because “Assef [is] right: Nothing [is] free in this world. Maybe Hassan [is] the price [Amir] ha[s] to pay...to win Baba” (82). Amir gains the approval he wants from his father but he loses the admiration he had from Hassan. Amir believes that getting the kite will help build a stronger father and son relationship, so he sacrifices Hassan for the kite. This reveals that Amir is not scared to stand up to Assef; he …show more content…
Amir needs to put his selfish thoughts aside and consider the struggles of others to gain the fulfilment he