Kite Runner Guilt

In The Kite Runner, I noticed that one of the most major themes is living with shame and guilt. Throughout the novel, Amir constantly finds ways to believe that people are ashamed of him, and he always finds reasons to feel ashamed. My first example of this is the relationship between Baba, Amir’s father, and Amir. Baba has very different expectations for Amir compared to Amir’s interests, and what Amir really wants out of life. Amir is not friends with the people that Baba wants him to be friends with, such as Assef, who is nearly the ideal son to Baba. Assef plays sports, and, when need be, can summon incredible manners and be polite, such as when he had spoken to Baba at Amir’s birthday party. Amir, on the other hand, doesn’t like Assef,