How Does Amir Change In The Kite Runner

The novel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, portrays three main settings; Kabul, Afghanistan before the war, Fremont, California in the 1980’s and 1990’s, and finally Kabul again in 2001 when the war is progressing rapidly. In each of these settings Amir’s character develops in diverse ways. As our protagonist moves from place to place, he transforms from a cowardly, and somewhat greedy boy into a brave man who will fight for what is without a thought to the consequences.
As a boy in Kabul, Amir, although creative and intellectual, is somewhat spineless and cruel. Amir holds his father (Baba) in high regard, but feels unloved because he lacks athletic ability and bravery as Baba would like. Hassan, Amir’s best friend and servant (whom we later find out is Amir’s half-brother), is athletic,

His old mentor Rahim Khan (the sage archetype in this novel), calls and announces that he’s ill, Amir returns to Afghanistan. There Amir learns of Hassan’s death. Hassan left behind a now orphaned son (Sohrab) who is lost somewhere in Afghanistan. Amir sets off in search of Sohrab. Upon finding him, Sohrab is prisoner to Assef and being sexually abused. Amir stands up to Assef and a gory brawl ensues, where our hero is brutally beaten. After the fight Amir thinks “My body was broken—just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later—but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed” (pg. 303). The shows that Amir has finally redeemed himself for his cowardly actions regarding Hassan. At this point in the novel Amir’s character is the complete opposite of when he was just a boy. Before, Amir would have run away, thinking only of himself. The new Amir however, stands up for Sohrab, without a single selfish thought. He bravely faces Assef, acting to help Sohrab, instead of being an unmoving bystander. Amir has gone from a weak-willed, jealous, and egotistical boy, to courageous and selfless