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Conflicted Character In The Kite Runner

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The Conflicted Character of an Anti- Hero
In literary writing, a protagonist is often the one who captures the hearts of readers through their heroic traits and acts. In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, the protagonist, Amir, lacks these conventional heroic traits and more often displays characteristics that line with a villain. Through his acts of betrayal and redemption, he is often found hurting those who are most loyal to him. Despite Amir committing immoral acts against those who care the most about him, he cannot be named a true literary villain as he consequently experiences overwhelming feelings of guilt. As Amir is found as a conflicted character through this becoming of age novel, he finds the weakness and strengths within …show more content…

Rather than formally and responsibly resolving the issue, he attempts to demolish Baba and Ali’s forty year relationship by framing Hassan. This time, instead of feeling at discomfort with who he was due to his father, it was due to his dearly beloved friend Hassan. Choosing to ease himself of the burden of mistakes, he hides a stash of money under Hassan’s bed to rid of it. Lasty, a last instance in which Amir is found choosing his own desires over the good will of others is twenty six years later when Amir is given a chance to redeem himself. “Why me? Why can’t you pay someone here to go? I’ll pay for it if it’s a matter of money,” (204) Amir says to Rahim Khan when asked to retrieve Sohrab, Hassan’s son. Despite the wrenching act done against Hassan during Amir’s childhood, he still had difficulty summoning the selflessness act of committing a favour for Hassan. Just as Amir had struggled to rescue Hassan twenty six years prior, he hesitated one again. It is quite obvious Amir is only thinking of himself rather than the immoral act done against Hassan, once again proving him to be selfish at heart. These disfiguring events show readers the anti-heroic trait of selfishness distinguished within Amir that are driven by his own desires to feel content with who he

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