Compare And Contrast Baba And Amir's Move To America

The novel Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a poignant story about the main character, Amir, a young Afghan man running from the traumatic events of his past, who travels to America with his father after a Russian takeover, and then back to Afghanistan to confront his demons. For Baba and Amir, America is a chance to escape Afghanistan and change their lives for the better. Baba and Amir’s move to America affects many parts of their life, including differences in their lifestyle, a change in their unstable relationship, and traits that persist throughout their difficult transition.
The move to America changes Baba and Amir’s lavish lifestyle to one of minimum wage and social programs. Although Baba is a well known man in Afghanistan and quite well off, he too falls victim to the low salary of minimum wage jobs and the federal aid that comes with a low income. Baba finds the social programs embarrassing and goes as far as returning the food stamps provided to him to avoid the embarrassment of buying food with

Amir carries his love of writing to America, not only majoring in creative writing, but also going on to become a successful writer “The novel was released in the summer of that following year, 1989, and the publisher sent me on a five-city book tour” (183). Baba was by no means thrifty while in Afghanistan, and this carries into America. Baba lives long enough to be able to see Amir and Soraya’s wedding and, just like Amir’s 13th birthday party, he spared no expense, providing everything from the rings to the venue for Amir. “Baba spent $35,000, nearly the balance of his life savings, on the awroussi, the wedding ceremony” (169). Baba is also just as liberal in his way of thinking in America as he was before, openly drawing the ire of fellow Afghans with his politics “What they don’t understand...is that religion has nothing to do with it”