The main protagonist, a man born in Afghanistan in 1963 named Amir, has to come to terms with his past, when the Taliban began their takeover. His younger years are filled with cowardice, pain, as well as undeserved loyalty. Loyalty is described as faithful to any leader, party, or cause, or to any person or thing conceived as deserving fidelity. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini demonstrates how loyalty often condones the recipient to take advantage of another’s kindness and innocence. They take advantage of the presence, sacrifice and respect of others.
Loyalty is characterized as going out of one’s way to be there for someone else or make them happy; which can be simplified as presence. Throughout the beginning of The Kite Runner, Hassan is almost always right next to Amir. With every step Amir takes, Hassan is never far behind. He is there for Amir not only as a Hazara but also as a friend. “‘Someday, Inshallah, you will be a great writer,’ Hassan said. ‘And people all over the world will read your stories,’” (Hosseini, 33).
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As a Hazara, Hassan doesn’t usually sacrifice much besides his time to do chores and serve Amir’s family. This changes in chapter eight when Amir attempts to get a rise by throwing pomegranates at him, screaming at him to fight back. “He opened [the pomegranate] and crushed it against his own forehead. ‘There,’ he croaked, red dripping down his face like blood. ‘Are you satisfied? Do you feel better?’” (Hosseini, 93). Despite Amir’s attacks, Hassan refuses to harm Amir in return, and instead hurts himself. Hassan shows Amir loyalty by crushing the pomegranate against his head, while Amir hurts Hassan to get him to fight back, which backfires. Amir could have done what he did differently, without harming Hassan. Though no one is perfect, someone who takes out their anger on a friend in that way does not deserve the undying loyalty that Hassan shows