Amir's Selfishness In The Kite Runner

Amir is essentially a selfish character who needs to redeem himself. At the beginning of the book, Amir witnesses the rape of Hassan. Towards the end of the book Amir brings Hassan's son to America after Hassan's death. Collecting Sohrab and bringing him home to America has challenges which Amir must face in order to redeem himself.

Amir's selfishness costs him his friendship with Hassan. From the beginning of "The Kite Runner" it is evident that Amir and Hassan's relationship was a very close one. However, Amir betrays Hassan and their friendship when Amir watches Hassan being raped by Assef. Amir makes no attempt to stop or prevent the rape. This can be contrasted to when Sohrab cuts himself with a razor when Amir makes the most effort that
he can for Sohrab. This was just one of the ways Amir was able to redeem himself.

Amir's selfishness starts to decrease when Amir is called back to Afghanistan. When the book begins, Amir is presented the opportunity to return to Afghanistan to redeem himself. Rahim Khan planned for Amir to take Hassan's son, Sohrab, home with him. This was not going to be as easy as either of them wanted it to be though. Sohrab was taken by a Taliban official, who was also the arch enemy and raper of Hassan. Sohrab and Hassan are so undifferentiated in Amir's eyes that when Amir beats up Assef to get Sohrab, he is beating up Assef for Hassan and the kite which he should have done years ago. He is redeeming himself for not rescuing Hassan, by rescuing the next best thing, his son.

After Hassan is raped, Amir lies about the fact that he knows what happened. This consistent selfish act is one that Amir had to bare on for over twenty years. Due to his silence, Baba never really knew why Hassan and Ali left them in Afghanistan. When Amir tells his wife, he is greatly relieved that he has finally told someone. "Then I did what I had not done in fifteen years of marriage: I told my wife everything. Everything. I had pictured this moment so many times, dreaded it, but, as I spoke, I felt something lifting off my chest." (Hosseini, 2003, p283-284). Although mention of the rape is not directly presented to the audience, it is heavily implied to be included in the phone call. This is because the rape was a major event in Amir's life that sent his relationship with Hassan into turmoil. For the reader to completely understand Amir's reasons for bringing Sohrab home, they must know about the rape because this is the event that literally ruined Amir's life and consequently Hassan's. Amir wanted to tell someone from the very beginning, but does not have the strength, until this point, when it is integral to bringing Sohrab home.

The reader can identify that Amir has redeemed himself at the end of the book.
Hassan used to be a painful memory for Amir, because Amir's selfishness had led to their friendship ending. When Amir saves Sohrab in ways which he had wished that he had saved Hassan. Amir can now look back at Hassan, happily. "Then I blinked and, for just a moment, the hands holding the spool were the chipped-nailed, calloused hands of a harelipped boy..... "For you, a thousand times over," I heard myself say. Then I turned and ran. .......Because when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting." (Hosseini, 2003, p322-324). The metaphor of "the first flake melting" refers to Amir's redemption beginning, as he renews Sohrab's life and restores his own. Amir was running from his past in Afghanistan with Hassan for years, but when Sohrab entered his life, Amir was able to turn his life back into what it had once been. Since Sohrab is virtually Hassan to Amir, Amir can be with his best friend again. Amir's redemption is complete and he can continue with his
life.

Amir's selfishness was also influenced by his religious status.
He felt like it was necessary to be mean to Hassan, because he was a Hazara. Amir continuously undermines Hassan throughout the first part of the book. However Amir's religious opinions about how to treat Hazara change at the end of the book. "{General Sahib said} 'They will want to know why there is a Hazara boy living with our daughter. What do I tell them?'.... 'And one more thing, General Sahib' I said. 'You will never again refer to him as 'Hazara boy' in my presence. He has a name and its Sohrab.'" (Hosseini, 2003, p315). Assef's influences Amir to judge Hassan unfairly, treating him as a mere servant. When Amir discovered that Sohrab was his nephew, he realised that he didn't want the religious boundary to exist anymore. In any relationship with someone with different ideas or opinions, a person will want to readjust their life, accordingly, and this is what Amir is doing. He was escaping the influence Assef gave him as a
child.

Amir was a selfish character, but he was able to redeem himself. He was given the opportunity and he took it. He saved the offspring of Hassan from the wrath of Assef, even though he didn't save Hassan. Although he never told anyone about the rape for years, he was finally able to tell someone when the topic was crucial to getting Sohrab home and he redeemed himself again. He redeemed himself further when he was able to scream for Sohrab, to mourn as he hadn't done for Hassan, years ago. He stopped judging Hazara by their religion. Amir was finally able to have redemption.

Text Analysed: The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini, 2003