Amir, when he was a child, was jealous of Hassan because of the amount of attention Hassan received from Baba. He wanted Baba to love him more than Hassan, but he never realized that Hassan was his brother as well. After he finally got to spend some alone time with Baba, he felt like he was missing something, or perhaps someone. Amir felt guilty about being horrible to Hassan and feels ashamed of his jealousy. Character Trait Note #5: Amir can also be seen as caring.
This is once again another attempt to relieve guilt from Amir’s life. Amir tries to become a good father figure for Sohrab. Amir’s father was rarely proud and happy for
Amir’s main enemy is guilt because it leads him to blame himself for the death of his mother and for his father’s lack of acceptance of him. Amir takes it upon himself to say that it is his fault that his mother is dead, and that he is the sole reason why his father does not like him for the way he is. He blames himself instead of blaming the possible natural causes of why his mother is dead - he does not let it go. He also does not accept who he is for who he is to his father, he feels the need that his father’s acceptance is not good enough; thus, he seeks the love he needs by doing what his father likes despite disliking such activities himself (examples, sports). Amir does not take in account that there are more reasons outside of his control for why things happen, why the
He can not bear the scrutiny so he humiliates hassan in public by not defending him or protecting him and he humiliates him when they 2 are alone by telling petty lies to him. But the ironic thing is that the very shame he tries to avoid, becomes a worse self loathing shame latter from all his guilt. However, eventually Amir finds himself in a situation where a sense of family, redemption and belonging comes over him and is able to push his instinctual self preservation tendencies away and pay his respects to Hassan by defending and protecting his child. Coincidentally, where Amir prefered to be accepted, Hassan was never given
Amir finds himself seeking redemption with his father and with Hassan. Amir and his father don’t have the best relationship. At the beginning of the novel, Amir tells us that he understands why his father doesn’t like him. He says it is because Amir killed his wife during childbirth and now he resents him for it.
As an adolescent, Amir wanted his father to notice him. They lived in the same house but it felt like there were in separate worlds. Amir's father was known for doing many great things in his life time and he hoped that his son would be the splitting image of him. As years went by, Amir's father saw that his son was more like his deceased wife, loving to read and write, rather than hunting and sports. Amir tried for years to meet his father's standards but it just wasn't who he was.
A significant point when Amir understands that he must change his actions was at Baba’s funeral, “Listening to them, I realized how much of who I was, what I was, had been defined by Baba and the marks he had left on people’s lives… now he was gone. Baba couldn’t show me the way anymore; I’d have to find it on my own. The thought of it terrified me.” (Hosseini, 174) This thought process was the start of Amir’s personal journey; it was what led him to return to Afghanistan and later to adopt Sohrab.
Ali and Baba are great friends who have lived together for most of their lives, and by forcing Ali to leave, Amir causes Baba and Ali great pain. Amir has “never seen [Baba cry] before” (107). By keeping the truth to himself and creating a narrative to avoid the truth, Amir hurts multiple people while failing to protect himself. When Amir meets Rahim Khan many years later, he feels the “thorny.barbs of guilt bore into [him]” when they speak about Hassan (202). The truth about Hassan has been with Amir for many years, untouched until this conversation.
As a child, Amir was selfish and would compete against Hassan for the attention of his father. But, as he grew up, he adapted into a compassionate adult and his need to please his father decreased. Amir’s journey
Amir who is greedy for Baba’s love, would do anything just to grab his attention. He did this by taking advantage of Hassan’s loyalty and betrayed him. He treated Amir poorly as a way to make up for his father's love. When other kids were around Amir, he wouldn’t recognize Hassan as his friend, but denied him as being his friend by calling him his servant; although, it was true Hassan was a servant, Amir was hypocritical to his actions, because he would play with Hassan the next day. Hassan was more of a property to Amir, rather than his actual friend; he used him for his needs, either when he was bored, or in need of protection.
Amir a boy with the desire to be accepted by his father and live up to someone of his father’s character. Amir was fragile and afraid unlike Baba who was strong. However as the novel progresses many similarities arise between the father and son. The similarities between Baba and Amir are shown through their acts of courage, in pursuing their passions and their choices to betray a loved one.
It’s human nature to want to be liked by everyone. Obviously, though, is impossible. Amir feels neglected and unloved and strives to change this. He focuses on his father 's interests and as a result of this Amir changes. He matures and values intelligence more.
Rahim acts as a physical link between the characters and themes of the story, a middleman that deepens the context of the plot. The role of a father-figure, shared by Baba and Rahim Khan is a complex relationship that heavily impacts Amir’s actions and emotions. Whilst Baba is the biological father and role model of Amir, it is Rahim Khan who is the one to provide emotional support, and stability. Amir’s selfish tendencies are a result of the lack of affection that is given to him by Baba, a man who wants to, but struggles to find similarities between himself and Amir.
This was all being pushed onto Amir at a young age, and Amir’s plan was to achieve his father’s validation and make a name for himself in Kabul, therefore He competed in their local kite fighting tournament to gain affection from his father through triumph. Amir lacked any other parental love, considering his mother had died giving birth to him, hence there were no other biological figures to source this satisfaction and assurance. The qualities that lacked in Amir were present in Hassan, a Hazara servant, his best friend, and his only friend. Baba’s affection towards someone with good character but bad social status only resulted in envy in Amir’s eyes and disruption of Hassan’s relationship with him. Amir and Hassan were polar opposites in all aspects, what Amir lacked in character he made up through Baba’s honor, reputation, and status, and what Hassan lacked in honor, reputation, and status, made up in his character.
Many people in Amir 's life affect the way he sees himself. For example Baba, his father. It is hard for Amir to find out who he really is because he is not the typical male afghan son Baba
