Summary: The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a book based in Kabul, Afghanistan from the year 1963 to 2001 follow a boy name named Amir and his life dealing with issues that stay with him as he grows up. In most of the book, Amir has been described as physically weak, even by his own father, and is shown through the course of the book to also be emotionally weak. Because of his cowardly ways, he is unable to stand up for himself or other people. Although he is definitely physically weak, he has shown multiple acts of courage and strengthens his morality towards the end of the book.
“‘A boy who can’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up for anything’” (Hosseini 25). In the end of chapter three, Baba speaks to Rahim Khan about how weak Amir is because he cannot stand up for himself. In the beginning of the book, Amir and his Hazara servant and best friend Hassan (later revealed to be Amir’s half-brother) were faced with a sociopathic bully named Assef. Assef degrades Hassan for being a Hazara, but Hassan pulls out his slingshot and scares Assef away. Amir does not do anything to stand up to Assef. However,

One of Amir’s most cowardly moments was when he let Hassan get raped by Assef and pretended that it never happened. Following this event, he acted negatively towards Hassan and ignored him. Hassan and his father Ali ended up moving out of the house to live on their own after Amir framed Hassan for stealing his money and wristwatch. Hassan never protested or betrayed Amir in any way, showing how loyal he was in their friendship. Amir had been guilty for most of his life but always pushed his feelings aside because he was afraid to face the truth. His decision to come back to Kabul was the decision that would appease his guilt and make amends with his own conscience and Hassan. It would also prove to Baba that he was becoming a stronger