Interpersonal Relationships In Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner

Murray Bowen once said, “That which is created in a relationship can be fixed in a relationship.” During the 20th century, Bowen, a well known professor and psychiatrist, developed a theory that holds eight concepts that all help explain how and why a family unit functions the way it does. This approach of analyzing family dynamics through a psychological point of view, can also help explain many relationships in literature as well as those in real life. Khaled Hosseini, a well known contemporary Afghan author, has written many novels that focus on interpersonal relationships between the characters in his works of literature. One of his most commonly known works, The Kite Runner, focuses on betrayal and sin in a family. In his novel, The

The triangle between the males seems to be most impacted by Hassan. One day at the kite running race, as Hassan is running down Amir’s kite, he encounters Assef and two other boys. As Hassan is maliciously abused and raped, Amir watches him in shock and runs away thinking; “I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (Hosseini 77). This triangle between Baba, Amir, and Hassan is involved in many of the problems found throughout the novel. The third person in this party is Hassan, as he seems to be the person both Amir and Baba bring into their problems. Both father and son neglect their issues and look towards Hassan as their way out. Baba see’s Hassan as his “perfect son figure” and he uses him to forget about the disappointment that Amir is to him. Amir uses Hassan to get Baba’s attention in a way. Amir is so caught up on getting his father’s approval that he doesn't worry about his morals or essence as much anymore. He would rather sacrifice his friend that is the most loyal person to him, then keep being emotionally cut off by his father. This triangle is created by the conflict between Amir and Baba, and Baba’s secret relationship with Hassan, his