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The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini

533 Words3 Pages

There are lots of books that cover themes of friendship, loyalty, and sacrifice. “Kite Runner” is no different, the book was written by Khaled Hosseini. It details the life of a boy living in pre-war Afghanistan named Amir and tells the story of his friendship with his servant, Hassan. Unlike other books, the pair’s friendship is challenged and almost destroyed by the actions of others and even Amir himself. Throughout this essay, I will be discussing the three main themes of the book, the first of which is friendship. Amir and Hassan grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan. Hassan was the son of one of Baba’s, Amir’s Father, servants. As children, they would play with one another and even had a special tree they would climb with their names carved into it. “I spent most of the First twelve years of my life playing with Hassan. Sometimes, my entire childhood Seems like one long lazy summer day with Hassan, chasing each other between Tangles of trees in my father's yard, playing hide and seek, cops and robbers, Cowboys and Indians” (page 20, Hosseini) The two were raised together, sort of like brothers. And yet because of their master-slave relationship, Amir thinks down on his friend. Despite that, Hassan was still very loyal to Amir. …show more content…

He would have done anything to help or appease him. After Amir's birthday, he hides a watch and some money under Hassan's pillow, when Baba finds out, he says, “Baba came right out and asked. "Did you steal that money? Did you steal Amir's watch, Hassan” Hassan's reply was a single word, delivered in a thin, raspy voice: "Yes."…. This was Hassan's final sacrifice for me.…we all knew Hassan never lied. And if Baba believed him, then I'd be the accused”.(page 88, Hosseini) Even though Amir betrayed him and framed him for something so serious he was still loyal to him and chose to sacrifice himself for amir. Hassan sacrifices himself for Amir a lot in the

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The protagonist, Amir, is a Sunni, Pashtun and the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant. Throughout his life, Amir has received every materialistic want but has always felt the need to please his father, his Baba, and share a deeper connection with him. This is shown when Amir says, “We’d had a fleeting good moment-it wasn’t often Baba talked to me, let alone on his lap-and I’d been a fool to waste it.” And “I didn’t want to disappoint him again.” Likewise, Amir feels a sense of jealousy every time Baba praises Hassan and he receives the attention that Amir constantly longs for.

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Amir makes hassan look like a thief by “planting [his] new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under [the mattress]” (Hosseini 104). Hassan knew of Amirs intentions that Amir wanted him to leave so Hassan lies and says that he stole it in order to remain loyal with his friend Amir. Thus, Hassan and his father Ali, feel like they can no longer serve Baba or Amir anymore and leave forever; Amir never sees him again. It was then that Amir realized how much of a horrible person he was and how undeserving he was to have Hassan. His father realized it was him and forgave him even though his father said “theft is unforgivable.”

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He is so loyal to Amir that there is one quote in the novel that proves it, “For you, a thousand times over.” This quote stuck with me because it is showing how he will absolutely do anything for his friend, even if it means that he could pay the consequences. For instance there was a part of the novel where Amir asks Hassan to throw the fruit at him and hurt him as hard and as much as he wants but instead all Hassan did was hit himself with the fruit proving that he will never do anything to hurt his friend, he splits hits himself with the pomegranate which opens it and asks Amir if he is happy yet and walks home. “Then Hassan did pick up a pomegranate. He walked toward me.

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When Amir is being attacked, Hassan stands up to the attackers, stating "For you, a thousand times over" (Hosseini 71). This quote shows that Hassan is willing to put himself in harm's way to protect Amir, even at the cost of his own life. This selfless act of sacrifice demonstrates the depth of Hassan's loyalty and love for Amir. Additionally, the character of Amir also makes sacrifices to seek redemption for his past mistakes.

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In his mind, he believes that Baba will send Ali and Hassan away, and, as a result, he will finally gain some peace. To Amir’s surprise, Hassan confesses to stealing his gifts without hesitation symbolizing “Hassan’s final sacrifice for [him]” (105). At that moment, Amir realizes that Hassan knew of his betrayal, which added to his already guilty conscience. Hassan could have easily told Baba the truth and he would have believed him because”[everyone] knew that Hassan never lied”, which, in turn, would ruin Amir’s relationship with his father (105). He probably knew that Amir was unworthy of his sacrifice, that he was the “snake in the grass, the monster in the lake”, but he lied for Amir’s own benefit

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Amir is very aware that what he is doing is morally wrong, but sees no other option. It seems that his plan works too, which proves that Amir planned this with care. By making it an act of stealing he makes Hassan unredeemable in Baba’s eyes. When Hassan lies for him out of loyalty, Amir still chooses not to confess. “‘Did you steal that money?

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