The Kite Runner Betrayal Theme

Tanmay Sikka

Ms. Kanika Dang

10th October 2013

Exploring the theme of friendship and betrayal in The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)

The Kite Runner is an inspiring story which shows how a lifelong friendship cannot be destroyed by an instance of betrayal; the betrayal may create temporary barriers between the friends but are outlived by the bond which amalgamates the friends even after death.

Khaled Hosseini shows a liking to various different types of relationships and the formation and destruction of human bonds.

Amir and Hassan have a deep bond of friendship and love, Hosseni states “Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And , under the same roof we spoke our first words.

Mine

Amir betrays Hassan many times in the novel but the biggest betrayal is when he watches Hassan get raped by Assef and does nothing for Hassan even though Hassan has always helped , protected and supported him in times of need; watching Hassan get raped leads to Amir getting nauseated at the very thought an sight of Hassan. The in turn leads to the second betrayal where Amir hides hi birthday money and an expensive watch under Hassan’s bed and blaming Hassan for the theft manages to remove him from his life at the cost of saddening everybody he has ever loved.

Then baba and Amir move away from Afghanistan to The United States of America. Even though baba does not like living the life of a war refugee in another nation while his own nation is destroyed he realizes that the way Afghanistan was his place where he was known as ‘Toophan Agha’ (Khaled Hosseini) and had all pleasures of life he realizes that America is the better place for his young son Amir. Even though baba has t work at a gas station without any medical cover he still works and tries his best to earn and save as much as possible for Amir’s future. It seems as if baba and Amir have forgotten their past lives with Hassan and Ali but that is not the case , the memories of Hassan and Ali and that of their mansion like house in Afghanistan hovers just under the surface and it

Within a few weeks of the wedding Baba dies in his sleep, even when everyone suspects that baba is nearing death Amir never confesses his guilt of removing Hassan and Ali from the family because he fears that if that was to happen baba might disown him.

Ten years pass but Amir never tells Soraya, his wife about him and Hassan or of his betrayal and guilt. One day he gets a call from kaka Rahim, his father’s friend from Afghanistan , kaka Rahim tells him about how Hassan’s son is held in an orphanage in Afghanistan and requires help. Amir heads for Afghanistan without telling Soraya why.

In Afghanistan Amir meets kaka Rahim and finds out that Hassan’s son Sohrab is in the house of one of the leading members of the Taliban where Amir goes to rescue Sohrab and gets beaten up badly. There he finds Sohrab in a bad condition and the talib whose captive Sohrab is turns out to be Assef the person who raped Hassan in a dead alley many years ago, He has bought Hassan’s son from the orphanage to bully and harass him so that he may show the world how the Taliban is above all Hazaras and lower caste