the kite runner

We are constantly influenced by various things we encounter, these things even have the potential to change the way we view the world around us, none more so than texts like Khaled Hosseini's novel, The Kite Runner. The book is a retelling of an Afghani boy's life, which addresses the issues of friendship, coming of age, and the power of the past can have on somebody. The Author's way of addressing of these issues, has significantly shaped my own views, specifically how friendship can often be unequal, how coming of age can be based upon a specific event, and that the actions from the past can haunt you until the day you die. Through Hosseini's presentation of these issues and ideas, The Kite Runner has both changed and reinforced my opinions about friendship and how previous actions can haunt your present reality.

Throughout The Kite Runner, Hosseini promotes the idea that friendship can be one sided, and one person can be more dedicated to the other. Prior to reading the book, I held a perfectionistic view that friendship was always equal between two people. However, the author created the more realistic view that there is always one person who is prepared to do things that the other isn't. In The Kite Runner, this is displayed with the two central characters, Amir and Hassan. From a glance, the boys' friendship appears equal, but it is when Amir reveals his inner thoughts, the reader understands how his dedication to Hassan is not as strong as Hassan's dedication to him. To illustrate, Amir narrates, 'I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan- the way he'd stood up for me all those times in the past- and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. I ran.' This insight into Amir's depiction of the situation demonstrates that he cares more about his own safety than his friendship with Hassan. This line really poses the question to the reader, how much does Amir really care about Hassan, if at all?
The author makes great emphases towards the