The Kite Runner Literary Analysis Essay

The “Phoenix” Between Two Boys In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini depicts the friendship between two boys, Amir and Hassan. Although Hassan shows great love and loyalty toward Amir, Amir’s betrayal eventually breaks their friendship. However, Amir succeeds in making up his fault because of his gradual)psychological growth in the story .
Critical Approach to the Literature Sigmund Freud, one of the most renowned founders of psychoanalysis, claims that human beings’ childhood experiences tend to shape or affect their behavior patterns in the future. In The Kite Runner, although Amir lives in such a rich family that it seems like he can have whatever he wants, there is still one tiny goal that he tries very hard to reach—to establish a deep
When Amir is young, his father treats him indifferently since Amir cannot be a man that Baba would appreciate. However, Baba’s attitude towards Amir changed after moving to America. Although Baba has trouble settling in a new country which has different culture and rules, Baba still insists staying in America since “[Amir] worked so hard here” (70). There are only four words in the sentence, but it has deeper meaning for Amir. Amir’s hard work in America has finally paid off: he gets approval from his father. In the summer of 1983, Amir captures the tiny action of Baba during the graduation ceremony: “He saw me and waved. Smiled” (71). Traditionally, verbs like “waved,” and “smiled” often shows people sense of warm and kindness. Here, in the novel, these verbs suggest further meaning: Baba is proud of his son who has graduated from an American university; in other words, Amir eventually becomes a successful and hardworking adult whom Baba has always wanted Amir to
After witnessing his Hassan’s tragedy, Amir doesn’t feel happy but guilty that he didn’t stand out for his best friend. Such powerful self condemnation constructs his decision: “There is a way to be good again” (105). As a result, he makes up his mind to redeem himself by saving Sahrab, Hassan’s son. Besides remorsefulness, the reason that Amir tries so hard to save Sahrab is that Amir might consider Sahrab as a substitute of Hassan. When Amir finally “fights” inside the enemy, he again meets Assef. Undoubtedly, Amir is no match for Assef. However, this time, Amir doesn’t escape; instead, he let Assef bit him: “[Assef] kicked me even harder and I started laughing. [Assef] got mad and hit me harder, and the harder [Assef] kicked me, the harder I laughed” (154). As a result, Assef beats Amir so hard that Amir’s face turns bloody; however, such pain actually helps Amir feel relief since he thinks he deserves it. Suffering from the physical pain that he should have endured for Hassan years ago, Amir finally heals his psychological wound. At the end of the novel, when Amir helps Sahrab catches his kite, he says the exact words to Sahrab as Hassan once said to Amir: “For you, a thousand times over.” It also shows that Amir has eventually paid off his guilt and jealousness, and becomes a selfless, healthy, strong, and caring