ipl-logo

The Kite Runner Betrayal Essay

688 Words3 Pages

Betrayal is an issue many can relate to, whether it is done by a family member or a friend. In the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, we witness betrayal play a vital role in the downfall of the main character’s Amir and Hassan’s friendship, and how betrayal was the reason for why Amir sought redemption in hopes to move on. The novel begins with Amir as an adult, recalling an event that took place in 1975 in his hometown Kabul, Afghanistan and how this event was what changed the rest of his life and made him who he now is. Despite this heartbreaking occurrence of Amir’s reluctance to help Hassan while he was being raped, it was the reason for why Amir later decided to be brave and stand up for what he believes in. Hosseini shows us how the Afghani culture and Amir’s reluctance to help …show more content…

In The Kite Runner, the author tells a story of the close friendship of two boys who come from different social classes, Amir being the wealthy boy and Hassan the servant. It takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1978, a time where the separation of Hazara Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims took place. A part in the book where we witness betrayal of their friendship and this division of culture is after the yearly kite tournament where Hassan goes after the kite Amir won and promises to bring it back to him. During his search for the kite, Hassan encounters Assef and his friends, who constantly bullied Amir, threatened Hassan to give up the kite or pay the price. Being that Hassan was loyal and wanted to keep his promise to Amir, he decided to pay the price which was rape. The saddest part was that Amir was there watching from a distance and was unwilling to help his best friend due to his lack of courage and inability to stand up for himself. Up until adulthood, Amir had to carry the baggage of betraying Hassan by not being there when he most needed him, this guilt tormented him to the point where he moved to America with his dad, Baba, as a way to escape his

Show More
Related
723 Words | 3 Pages

The Kite Runner is a novel of love, struggle, and most importantly, redemption. The main character, Amir, is haunted throughout adulthood by transgressions of his childhood and finds himself in a journey for redemption that nearly costs him his life. By the end of the novel, Amir has grown into a respectable man through the criticism from his father, Rahim Khan’s dying confessions and influence upon him, and his own conscience choice to change who he was. Up until this point he acted as a coward in every sense of the word. The most glaring example of this was when he didn’t stand up for his closest friend and half-brother, Hassan, when he was being raped.

Read More
1089 Words | 5 Pages

In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, Amir struggles to cope with his inaction during Hassan’s rape. Overwhelmed with guilt, Amir devises a plan to get Hassan and Ali dismissed so they would no longer be a constant reminder of all the times Hassan had protected him and his failure to do the same. The guilt of betraying Hassan burdens him for years, and even after he and Baba move to America, he carries the weight of his actions with him. However, after he accepts Rahim Khan’s request to rescue Sohrab and bring him to safety, Amir strives to leave behind the selfishness and cowardice he had previously succumbed to. Amir progressively begins to forgive himself for his injustices towards Hassan as he recognizes his evolution from a coward

Read More
919 Words | 4 Pages

Cassidy Bulger Mr. Rigney AP English Lit October 22, 2014 Betrayal and Guilt in The Kite Runner In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, betrayal and guilt are prevalent in Amir’s relationship with Hassan. Throughout the course of the novel, Amir betrays his childhood friend, and family servant, Hassan. Much of this betrayal occurs in their youth, and because the acts were so horrific and the guilt that Amir carries is so heavy, their relationship dissolves over time.

Read More
1039 Words | 5 Pages

The Kite Runner describes the life of Amir. Before the war, he lived in Kabul with his father Baba, their servant Ali and Ali’s son Hassan. Hassan and Ali are from a lower class than Amir and Baba, but Amir and Hassan are best friends regardless. In this essay the assertion ‘Amir is selfish and

Read More
888 Words | 4 Pages

Brooke Ketterer Mrs.Elsbree English Lit AP 27 April 2023 The Kite Runner Q3 Essay Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner features a character's guilt leading to a constant search for redemption. As Amir, the novel’s protagonist, attempts to make amends for his past injustices, he undergoes several acts requiring courage and compassion readers had yet to have seen from him in the novel.

Read More
931 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini he illustrates the sacrifice one gives for love. Over the course of the novel Amir, Hassan, and Baba all face dramatic events that shape them to the person they are. Each one of them sacrifice a piece of their own happiness for the one they love. Hassan is loyal to Amir even though in their childhood Amir was not a good friend. Baba sacrifices his life in Afghanistan for Amir to have an education in America.

Read More
871 Words | 4 Pages

The Kite Runner is a novel written by Khaled Hosseini, this novel shares the story of a young boy named Amir and his transition from childhood to adulthood. Amir makes many mistakes as a child, but the moral of the story is to focus not on the mistakes he has made, but how he has grown, and become a better man by redeeming himself for the mistakes he has made. The mistakes he has made mostly revolve around his friend Hassan, and his father Baba. Three of the most prominent mistakes are when Amir doesn’t help Hassan when he is being attacked by the village boys, lying to Baba about Hassan, and not appreciating and abusing Hassan’s loyalty to him.

Read More
1067 Words | 5 Pages

In the novel, Hosseini uses Amir’s internal conflict highlights how unresolved guilt and fear can negatively impact one’s life. Hassan’s rape initiates the internal conflict in Amir that lasts the rest of his young adult life. Assef rapes Hassan after the kite running competition prompting Amir to run away in terror and fear. After the incident, Amir celebrates the victory of

Read More
1226 Words | 5 Pages

In the novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini tells the story of Amir, a young, Afghan boy who learns about what it means to be redeemed through the experiences he encounters in his life. The idea of redemption becomes a lesson for Amir when he is a witness to the tragic sexual assault of his childhood friend, Hassan. As a bystander in the moment, Amir determines what is more important: saving the life of his friend or running away for the safety of himself. In the end, Amir decides to flee, resulting in Amir having to live with the guilt of leaving Hassan behind to be assaulted. Hosseini shows us how Amir constantly deals with the remorse of the incident, but does not attempt to redeem himself until later in his life when Hassan has died.

Read More
1488 Words | 6 Pages

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, provides readers with an idea of what life was like in Afghanistan and the hardships and betrayals the people of Afghanistan had to endure. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines betrayal as, “the act of failing or deserting especially in time of need” (Merriam-Webster). Throughout The Kite Runner, many of the characters choose to betray someone they love because of how they were raised or who they are as a person. The motives behind the betrayal vary depending on the person. However, the consequences of the betrayal are always long lasting and have sever effects.

Read More
1254 Words | 6 Pages

Betrayal: Kite Runner Betrayal is the form of committing a dishonest or treacherous act against something or someone that means a lot to you. Betrayal plays an important part in the Kite Runner as redemption does also guilt. Throughout the book “Kite Runner” By Khaled Hosseini betrayal was expressed numerous amounts of times from Amir, Hassan, Baba and Sanaubar. It can be argued that betrayal can be shown in many different ways, and that deception of a loved one in any way is equally horrible. Hassan which was one of the main characters in Kite Runner was betrayed by many people throughout the book.

Read More
751 Words | 4 Pages

Sacrifice, one the most prominent themes in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, clearly determines a person’s unconditional love and complete fidelity for another individual. Hosseini’s best-selling novel recounts the events of Amir’s life from childhood to adulthood. Deprived of his father’s approval and unsure of his relationship with Hassan, Amir commits treacherous acts which he later regrets and attempts to search for redemption. These distressing occurrences throughout his youth serve as an aid during his transition from a selfish child to an altruistic adult.

Read More
765 Words | 4 Pages

The worst pain in the world is the betrayal of a friend. This can be said about two boys raised in Kabul. Despite coming from different social standings, portraying strikingly different characteristics, and leading contrasting lives, the novel, “The Kite Runner,” written by Khaled Hosseini describes how the relationship between Hassan and Amir still remained unbreakable. Friendship is a strong bond that can occur between seemingly similar individuals or people who contrast each others personalities.

Read More
927 Words | 4 Pages

One of the main themes in The Kite Runner is forgiveness. It is shown in many different ways throughout the book and mainly revolves around how Amir wants to be forgiven for not helping Hassan when Hassan needed help the most. Amir cannot live with the guilt and feels a strong need to find redemption after he betrays Hassan. Hassan, who has always helped him and stood up for him in the past, got raped while Amir was watching and cowardly refuses to intervene.

Read More
721 Words | 3 Pages

The very first page of the book talks about a sin committed by Amir. After the kite flying event, Amir witnesses Hassan getting raped. However, he stands behind a wall, silently. Instead of speaking up for Hassan, Amir gets angry with him and avoids him.

Read More

More about The Kite Runner Betrayal Essay

Open Document