Amir's Personality In The Kite Runner

Thesis:
Amir displays his character throughout the novel, and it defines his life. With such traits as selfishness and sensitivity, Amir’s complex personality is shown to make up his entire life. When unpredictable events unfold in the novel, his personality and view on things drastically develop to make up a better person. Towards the end of the novel, some of his original traits/actions reappear, but are refined by others. Amir’s sensitivity eventually leads to his apparent need for redemption. Hosseini’s use of characterization allows the reader to “view” the changes this boy goes through to atone for his earlier traits/actions. Throughout The Kite Runner, Amir’s earlier traits, such as his selfishness, are displayed, and eventually become refined.

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Since childhood, Amir has
felt a great amount of sensitivity.
It’s because of this sensitive side that he is allowed to feel extreme guilt over the rape of Hassan. His guilt fuels his apparent need for redemption, which is a common theme throughout the novel. After listening to Baba repeatedly talk about him with Rahim Khan, as well as how Baba acts around him, Amir deduces it’s all because he “had killed [Baba’s] beloved wife” (19). He also “always felt like Baba hated [him] a little” (19). Amir always believed it was his fault his mother died, and that his father somewhat hated him for that. Amir is also not quite the son as Baba had envisioned. As Amir once overheard Baba saying to Rahim Khan, “if [Baba] hadn’t seen the doctor pull [Amir] out ..., he’d never believe [Amir was] his son” (23). Amir has always felt insufficient and guilty of not being as good a son as Baba wanted him to be. He is hurt by these things, and thus feels like he must redeem himself in the eyes of his Baba. He is entranced into trying to make up for all the things he believed he did wrong. Baba was his role model, and Amir felt anger/frustration for not living up to him. So, when
an opportunity presented itself for Amir to possibly redeem himself in Baba’s eyes, Amir immediately took it, not thinking of any possible consequences. As Hassan is being raped, Amir chooses to leave him in the alley, so that he could bring the blue kite back to Baba. As he related prior to the kite fighting tournament, “all [he] smelled was victory. Salvation. Redemption…. This was [his] one chance to become someone who was looked at” (65). At the time, Amir wasn’t worried about possible repercussions, and allowed the thought of redeeming himself to be his fuel. He felt “[he] would finally be pardoned for killing [his] mother” (56). After apparently winning his father’s approval, Amir is satisfied and believes he has salvaged the connection between him and his father. However, things eventually turn out to be like how they were before the tournament. It’s almost as if his decision to please Baba backfired, and Hassan was allowed to be raped for nothing. Amir’s guilt empowers him, and seeing as he can’t deal with it, he sends Hassan and Ali away. After noticing Baba crying about the incident, Amir wonders “how and when [he’d] become capable of causing this kind of pain” (105). He also states that “[he] was sorry, but [he] didn’t cry” (109). At this point, it seems as though that natural sensitivity in Amir is fading, but we see, however, that it is not, when Sohrab comes into the picture. Amir attempts to push away that underlying guilt via redemption again, this time reluctantly to save Sohrab. When Amir runs the kite for Sohrab in the last part, he shouts “for you a thousand times over” (371), drawing a parallel to the last thing Hassan said before their lives changed. At this point, Amir is liberated from most of the guilt he has been carrying for so many years, and we see how his sensitivity has been refined to make up for past actions. Some more parallels are drawn from the present to the past, as Amir revisits prior actions. These actions show how his selfish character change, and how his sensitivity kicks in. For example, he tries to make up for sending his brother away by placing money underneath the mattress for Farid’s family. Although repeating the same action that caused Hassan to leave the house, this time Amir’s caring side kicks in and helps those in need. Throughout the novel, Amir shows how some actions must have some redemption later on. His apparent need for it is shown multiple times, and makes up a big part of his life. It shows how conscious and sensitive Amir can be. His sensitivity causes him to feel guilt over his brother’s rape, and he therefore tries to find some atonement for his sins. Amir’s sensitivity and character is showcased throughout the novel.