Theme Of Conflict In The Kite Runner

The Theme of Conflict and Its Impact on a Novel’s Meaning In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, many of the problems that occur throughout Amir’s story, who is the novel's protagonist, can be traced back to the various conflicts that exist between Amir and his father, Baba. The various conflicts between this father and son, which stem from past events that aren’t revealed to Amir until he is much older, later influence the decisions that our protagonist makes as well as the person he becomes, thus contributing to the overarching meaning of the novel. One of the first conflicts that arises in Amir and Baba’s relationship is the death of Amir’s mother after childbirth. Though it is never directly stated, readers can infer that Baba …show more content…
The conflict blossoms from the feelings of jealousy that Amir feels towards the relationship of Baba and Hassan, a family servant and friend of Amir since birth. Amir feels this way because Baba treats Hassan in the way he desires to be treated by his father and believes that his father prefers Hassan for reasons he won’t understand until much later in the novel. This comes into play when Amir wins the kite tournament, which is one of the only activities that Baba approves of that Amir excels in and enjoys. When Amir wins the tournament, Hassan runs the last kite that was cut, which is not only a tradition but also serves as a symbol of Baba’s acceptance for Amir. While Hassan runs the kite Amir tries to find him, worrying only about the condition of the kite and not his friend. This shows the reader how badly Amir really wants and needs a connection with his father. When he eventually finds Hassan in an alley, he is surrounded by the neighborhood bully, who vowed revenge for the time Hassan stood up to him in order to protect Amir, and his accomplices. Hassan is given the choice of turning over the kite or taking an unknown punishment and, staying true to his character, remains loyal and protects the kite for Amir. The bully, Assef, rapes Hassan as Amir stands by in the shadows and allows it to happen. He convinces himself that it is a …show more content…
This question is set up through Amir struggling with the conflicts he has faced, the decisions he has made, and the guilt he feels for all the wrong he has done during the span of his life. The reader can see the protagonist battle with this in the way he decides to risk his life in order to save Hassan's orphaned son, Sohrab, perhaps to make up for the wrong he committed against Hassan in his early life. Amir is able to succeed in his mission of saving Sohrab and brings him to America, acting as a father to him. Readers are never given a direct answer regarding Amir and if he was able to become good again, but are rather left to decide for themselves. This allows the novel to be representative of how there are different perspectives in the real world, where all people may not believe that certain sins can ever be accounted