Themes From 'The Kite Runner'

I am currently half way through the book, “ The Kite Runner”, and there are many themes that have emerged. One for example, is the unwavering loyalty Hassan feels towards Amir. His undeserving admiration is obvious in passages such as the one on page 57. “ “Would I ever lie to you, Amir agha?” Suddenly I decided to toy with him. “I don’t know. Would you?” “I’d sooner eat dirt,” he said with a look of indignation. “Really? You’d do that?” He threw me a puzzled look. “Do what?” “Eat dirt if I told you to,” I said. I knew I was being cruel, like when I’d taunt him if he didn’t know some big word. But there was something fascinating-albeit in a sick way-about teasing Hassan. Kind of like when we used to play insect torture. Except now, he was
Amir had followed suit but stops suddenly when he sees Hassan being beaten by the gang and raped by their leader. He watches in the shadows, as his friend is tortured, all the while refusing to surrender the kite. Like the coward his father always said he was, Amir sprints away from the scene. When Hassan returns home late, tattered and bruised, Amir pretends to have not seen the attack and accepts the kite and his father’s affection with bleeding guilt. Perhaps the reader is too harsh on 13-year-old Amir, who has always been spineless. He never stood up for himself or made the tough choices, so only the same could be expected in this situation. Unfortunately this was the one time that Hassan desperately needed his friend but Amir once again disappointed him. I’d like to think that if I was in the same situation, I would be brave and protect my
It holds such personal meaning to the protagonist that after hearing these words Amir finally had to courage to face his past. This line greatly impacted my image of Amir, of who up until page 296, had been nothing but a self-proclaimed coward. After reading Rahim Khan’s final letter to Amir, I finally understood how “tortured” his soul was. The author made the interesting choice of writing the entire novel from Amir’s adult recollection. This made it difficult for me as a reader to sympathize with his youthful flaws. However, this passage reminded me that Amir was just a boy when he betrayed Hassan, and that he still had plenty of time to prove himself. This moment captures the moral of the story that even the deepest wounds can