The Kite Runner- Analysis of Change in Character for Rahim Khan, Baba and Amir.

THE KITE RUNNER- KHALED HOSSEINI

I have chosen three characters from this novel. They are, Amir, Baba (Amir’s Father) and Rahim Khan.

Amir After reading about his childhood and the life-changing events that took place during it, my initial perception of Amir was that he was selfish, even though he did not mean to be. He did not want to be so cruel, but he was a young boy, he was a bit confused, and at times jealous too. He only thought about his own suffering. His greed to overcome the pain he felt for not helping Hassan when Assef was beating him up, and the way he threw those pomegranates at Hassan, and saw the way Hassan just stood there and did nothing but inflict more pain on himself, was strong enough for him to commit one last sin and remove Hassan from his life, by slipping his new watch under Hassan’s mattress and, by claiming that Hassan stolen it, he got Ali and Hassan both removed from his house. This shows Amir’s greed. When Rahim Khan calls Amir to Pakistan and eventually Afghanistan, even though Amir knows that it would be dangerous to go there, he realizes he has to make right the wrongs of the past, he agrees to risk his life to go on a path to redemption, to pay off his debt, cleanse himself of all the sins he had committed in his childhood. He is willing to do anything, to go as far as possible to redeem himself, and he does. Amir takes the pain when he is Assef is beating him up, he does not complain, instead he started to laugh, because he knows that he is paying off his debt (But I was laughing and laughing. And the harder I laughed, the harder he kicked me, punched me scratched me…What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this). He even treats Sohrab like his own son, gives him so much love and affection. His initial mind full of greed and frustration changes to that of redemption, in which he hopes to find happiness.

Baba My first impression of Baba was that he was a strict, no-nonsense, orthodox Muslim man. He had strict beliefs, and nothing would change that. Also, he was not very proud of hi son, which may have been a little far-fetched. He did not believe that his son would grow up to be a man, because his son was not like how he was when he was a child. He was respected and did not like to be overruled, especially by his son. He also shared this strange affection towards Hassan, but the reason for that affection is disclosed later, and he also seemed to be oblivious of the fact that Amir was jealous of this affection he had for Hassan. Baba’s greatness was shown when he stood up to the Soviet soldier, and was willing to give his life up for the woman whom the soviet wanted to forcefully have sexual intercourse with. He also did some great work for poor men, women and children, setting up an orphanage amongst other things. After Rahim Khan explains the sin Baba committed, I could see and agree with Rahim Khan that all the good Baba was doing and all the greatness inside him was his way of trying to redeem himself, and pay off his debt, for treating Ali and Hassan, the way he had. We realize that Baba, who I thought was all-good, even had a dark side to him, a very deep dark side. Everything he had done in his life since the sin he committed, had been out of redemption, even though he knew that he would never be able to completely repay the sin he committed. He may have decided not to do too much about his illness too, as that may have been a way of redemption to him. He also becomes proud of his son, as the story progresses, and happily agrees to ask Soraya’s parents for her hand in marriage to Amir.

Rahim Khan Rahim Khan played a strong and significant role in Amir’s childhood. He was the first person to read one of Amir’s stories, and he was very proud of Amir, throughout. Rahim Khan believed in Amir even before Baba, Amir’s own father believed in him. Amir always felt lonely and felt left out and insignificant to his father, Rahim Khan did not want Amir to think in this way, so he made him understand that his father loves him more than anyone else does, and Rahim Khan was there for Amir when he really needed somebody. Rahim Khan had a strong character too, and this was particularly shown when he stood up to Baba, and made him understand that Amir was not like all children, he was special and Baba had to learn to deal with the fact that he will never be like Baba wants him to be, but he is good in his own way. He seemed to like everyone, and he was respected too. However, his character does change toward the end, due to events of the past. Rahim Khan does blame himself too, for not doing anything and playing along with Baba when he decided to hand over his own son, Hassan to his servant Ali so that it would not have an effect on his own name by having a hazara boy, a boy of a lower class then himself. He feels guilty, and wants his peace of mind, his redemption before he dies. When Amir tells him to go back to the United States with him to cure his illness, Rahim Khan says “I see America has infused you with it’s optimism..but there is such a thing as god’s will.” This shows that he believes this illness is god’s way of making him pay for his sin. He believes that Amir must redeem himself, Rahim Khan and Baba, by going and rescuing Sohrab from the Taliban. His strong character is shown even in his last moments. The change in his character is that towards the end, he longs for that redemption, he is desperate for it, and he really needs it before he passes away.

WORD COUNT: 1060 WORDS