By: Julianna Procyshen
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini takes the reader on a haunting journey of Amir and Hassan's friendship and displays the hardships that the two boys are faced with as a result of this friendship. Although they have many similarities, such as growing up together, feeding from the same breast and sharing many of the same experiences, Amir is a Pashtun, meaning he is favored and has a high status in society and Hassan, on the other hand, is a Hazara and Amir's servant, which means he is treated differently in society than Amir. This book focuses on the theme of kindness and how individuals can attempt to determine their own destiny by the way that they act towards others. Throughout the Kite Runner there are many events that occur where the characters are faced with difficult situations and often the outcome of the situation is a result of the action they chose to take or not take, and other times the result of their destiny is out of their control. The book begins with Amir and Hassan playing together. The book shows that as they begin to grow up, their friendship also becomes complicated. The role of kindness does play a large role when individuals attempt to determine their own destiny. Karma, what goes around comes around, is an apparent theme throughout this novel and throughout every day life. The idea of karma is the idea that how you act towards someone will catch up to you. For example, if you treat someone with respect and you are positive, then the world will return the respect and positivity to you.
The first time it is evident that kindness plays a role in determining destiny is when Amir finds Hassan in the alley being raped by Assef and his friends. Amir is faced with two choices, the first one being to intervene and save Hassan, or to run away and protect himself. He chooses the second option. Once he chose to respond to the situation in this way, his relationship with Hassan was completely changed. Amir