How Does Amir Change In The Kite Runner

Redemption; it is often sought after suffering a defeat or committing a crime or wrongdoing. The past can never be undone but only redeemed, or offset, by the present and future. In the dramatic novel, The Kite Runner, author, Khaled Hosseini, formed the main character of the story into a dynamic character in order to reveal the idea that past transgressions can be atoned. Amir, the protagonist of the novel, originally as an adolescent was weak and cowardly; Amir chose his own selfish desire over rescuing his loyal friend from abuse. Eventually, Amir’s life changed dramatically and he demonstrated selflessness and courage through his actions. Because of Amir’s alteration in character, he used his newfound qualities to directly redeem his past

In the beginning of the novel, Hosseini first established that Amir was selfish and a coward. Amir would forever regret his actions (or lack thereof) and the decisions he made when he was young. Amir’s father, Baba, in the beginning of the story, worried that Amir was too soft and lacked any courage to stand up for himself. When Baba was privately speaking to his friend, Rahim Khan, about Amir and his peers, “I see how they push him around, take his toys from him, give him a shove, a whack there. And, you know, he never fights back. Never” (Hosseini 22). At first when reading the story, it may seem Baba was just being a bit too hard on his son for being different than how he was as a child. As readers found out, however, Baba’s worries foreshadowed the future. After Hassan attained the highly valued, second place kite in the kite competition, neighborhood bullies, Assef and friends, cornered Hassan in an alley. Assef twistedly decided to rape Hassan while Amir watched in the bushes, paralyzed with fear. Amir selfishly decided he would rather have the coveted blue kite to bring back to Baba, which he hoped would fix his broken relationship with his father, rather than stepping in and preventing his

Not only had Amir’s life changed (he was married and living in San Francisco), so did his personality and character. Amir said when, “a former Afghan ambassador to Sofia called and asked if I wanted to help him with a hospital project. I said yes” (Hosseini 363). Amir generously took after his father by helping those in need (Baba had built an orphanage in Kabul). Amir, “spent most of his days in the study, emailing people around the world, applying for grants, organizing fundraising events” (Hosseini 363) for a small hospital that treated refugees on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Amir’s generosity and selflessness was clearly evident by his commitment to the hospital and his sacrifice of time. Furthermore, Amir demonstrated courage by standing up to his father-in-law, General Taheri. While eating dinner, the General asked what he should say when people ask why there is a Hazara boy living with his daughter and son-in-law. Amir replied, “You will never again refer to him as Hazara boy in my presence. He has a name and it’s Sohrab” (Hosseini 361). Before this encounter Amir had been timid around his father-in-law and Hazara people were often looked down upon in Afghan Pashtun culture, yet Amir still assertively stood up for his new son. Evidently, Amir was a dynamic character in the novel and Amir’s change in character was used by Khaled Hosseini in order to show