Comparison Essay
Freed 1
AP English 12
2 December 2014
A Father’s Love
A bond so cherished and seeked after, may not always be one of love, but one filled with pain and longing.
A close examination of the relationship between Baba and his son,
Amir from Khaled Hosseini’s
The Kite Runner, and Willy and his son, Biff from Arthur Miller’s
Death of a Salesman tells us a similar story about the tough relationship between father and son.
Both authors prove that fathers tend to be hard on their sons and push them to meet their expectations. Many fathers push their sons to be the best they can be. In
The Kite Runner,
Baba and
Amir have a relationship that not all people would describe as the typical father/son relationship.
Baba strives to push Amir to be the best person he can be and wants what’s best for Amir. Amir does not understand that this is what Baba is trying to do. Amir feels as if he will never be able to live up to Baba’s expectations and will always be compared to the way Baba were when he was a young boy. When Amir is describing the way that Baba sees the world ("black and white"), he says that "you can't love a person who lives that way without fearing him too. Maybe even hating him a little" (Hosseini 16). Amir is suggesting that his feelings towards his father are more of a fearful reverence than pure admiration; from Amir's point of view, it is a lovehate relationship. Baba also expresses his doubts about Amir. Baba is, simply put, powerful, well liked, and admired for his passionate personality by neighboring friends. Baba is dominant and strong willed. Amie mentioned “[worshipping] most days” (Hosseini 34). He expects his son to
Freed 2
be the same as he is, and clearly he is not. Amir feels like he is not good enough to live up to his father’s expectations and often “[felt] guilty about it” (Hosseini 29). Amir tries his best to impress his father. During the the kite running contest, Amir is very
AP English 12
2 December 2014
A Father’s Love
A bond so cherished and seeked after, may not always be one of love, but one filled with pain and longing.
A close examination of the relationship between Baba and his son,
Amir from Khaled Hosseini’s
The Kite Runner, and Willy and his son, Biff from Arthur Miller’s
Death of a Salesman tells us a similar story about the tough relationship between father and son.
Both authors prove that fathers tend to be hard on their sons and push them to meet their expectations. Many fathers push their sons to be the best they can be. In
The Kite Runner,
Baba and
Amir have a relationship that not all people would describe as the typical father/son relationship.
Baba strives to push Amir to be the best person he can be and wants what’s best for Amir. Amir does not understand that this is what Baba is trying to do. Amir feels as if he will never be able to live up to Baba’s expectations and will always be compared to the way Baba were when he was a young boy. When Amir is describing the way that Baba sees the world ("black and white"), he says that "you can't love a person who lives that way without fearing him too. Maybe even hating him a little" (Hosseini 16). Amir is suggesting that his feelings towards his father are more of a fearful reverence than pure admiration; from Amir's point of view, it is a lovehate relationship. Baba also expresses his doubts about Amir. Baba is, simply put, powerful, well liked, and admired for his passionate personality by neighboring friends. Baba is dominant and strong willed. Amie mentioned “[worshipping] most days” (Hosseini 34). He expects his son to
Freed 2
be the same as he is, and clearly he is not. Amir feels like he is not good enough to live up to his father’s expectations and often “[felt] guilty about it” (Hosseini 29). Amir tries his best to impress his father. During the the kite running contest, Amir is very