Amir's Emotional Health In The Kite Runner

The Slaughterers of Amir’s Emotional Health: Baba and Hassan
Everyone is born the same. People shape people. Amir did not become a coward because he lacked. The blame is to put on those that surrounded him. Hassan and Baba structured Amir’s life to bring out Amir’s negative features. Amir’s life would have differed without Hassan and Baba’s existence. However, the fact that Hassan and Baba are those that make Amir to become less of a man cannot be disregarded. Hassan’s existence itself, intelligence, and athleticism lead Amir to lack in morals. As for Baba, he may love Amir as a son. Nonetheless, due to Baba’s unrealistic standards, stereotypical views of men, and disinterest in Amir, Baba leads Amir to hide his true personality. Although Hassan

Amir is quite the opposite of pure. Although Hassan bothers Amir in the most innocent ways possible, his overly modest and pure characteristic is eventually what ruins Amir. To explain specifically, Hassan’s idyllic existence itself and failure to fit into the rest of the world becomes a disadvantage to Amir’s emotional health. Hassan is born a Hazara. His status as a Hazara limited him within academics. Nonetheless, Hassan is more intelligent than Amir in many ways. Moreover, Hassan’s overly pure heart affects the way in which he uses his judgment, which then leads Amir to abuse his powers as a

Hassan does so because of his lack of judgment. Hassan’s extreme genuineness and care rather makes Amir do more wrong. If Hassan’s judgments were less naïve and innocent, he would have concluded that limiting his care would do better for Amir. The more Hassan cared and loved for Amir, the more Amir took advantage of Hassan. It was never Hassan’s duty to sacrifice his everything for Amir.
Similarly, Baba is demonstrated as a well-respected man; nevertheless, he hurts Amir in various ways. Baba is never a father figure to Amir, nor does he ever try to understand Amir because of his stereotypical views and high standards.
“Of course, marrying a poet was one thing, but fathering a son who preferred burying his face in poetry books to hunting…well, that wasn’t how Baba had envisioned it, I suppose. Real men didn’t read poetry…” (19-20)
Baba expects Amir to be exactly like him. When Amir finally builds the courage up to tell Baba of his passion for writing, Baba does not even glance at Amir’s work.
“As always, it was Rahim Khan who rescued me. He held out his hand…‘May I have it, Amir Jan? I would very much like to read it.’ Baba hardly ever used the term of endearment jan when he addressed me.”