Character Analysis Of Amir From 'The Kite Runner'

Although Baba was not a good father to Amir because he neglected and was hard on his son for not sharing his interests or personality and he negatively impacted his son’s life, Baba taught Amir important life lessons which he can pass on to his children. Amir has always admired Baba and has seen him as a hero or role model figure. The stories he was told of Baba’s life inspired Amir to grow up to be like Baba. Because of these stories, Amir craved Baba’s approval. He devoted his life to pleasing Baba but Baba never cared. Baba always neglected Amir because he wasn’t the son he had imagined. Instead of playing sports, Amir enjoyed reading and writing. When Amir was teased, instead of standing up for himself, he was fearful and made Hassan the

On the day of the assault, Amir was so desperate to get the blue kite to please Baba that he sacrificed Hassan’s happiness and dignity. Although Baba was proud when he saw the kite, if he had known what Amir sacrificed to get it, Baba would have been more disappointed in his son because he didn’t stand up for his best friend. Amir had to live with the guilt of what happened in the alley for the rest of his life, and the cause of the assault was his desire for Baba’s approval. If Baba had been a good father and hadn’t neglected his son, the assault might not have happened. Many years later at Baba’s funeral, Amir recalls, “I realized how much of who I was, what I was, had been defined by Baba and the marks he had left on people’s lives,” (Hosseini 174). Before the assault, Amir was defined by his need for Baba’s approval. He heard stories from others about Baba’s heroism, but Amir didn’t experience any of it. Amir was constantly neglected and he craved the love others received from his father. After the assault, Amir was defined by his guilt from the action that was partially Baba’s

He decided he “wanted to be just like Baba and [he] wanted to be nothing like [Baba]” (Hosseini 184). Amir looked up to Baba as a child and saw him as a role model. He was told stories of Baba’s heroic actions, and he aspired to be like him. Amir wanted his child to see him as a person to look up to. Baba also taught Amir valuable life lessons about treating others, bravery, and the only sin, theft. A quality that all fathers should possess is to be able to teach their children important lessons they can use throughout their lives. Amir can pass these teachings on to his children, which is one way he wants to be just like Baba. However, Amir also suffered because of Baba. As a child, he was jealous of anyone who was given Baba’s approval, because that was what he needed. Amir was neglected and made to feel bad about his interests by Baba. He doesn’t want his children to experience the negative treatment from their father that he did. The reason this neglect and negative treatment occurred was that Baba disapproved of Amir’s interests, which is similar to Santiago and his father’s relationship in The