What Are Amir's Expectations In The Kite Runner

Christy Gallagher

Mr. Lavelle

World Lit/Writ

March 6, 2023

Choosing Your Own Path

Parental expectations shape our lives, our careers, and our opinions. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the author demonstrates the high expectations the protagonist’s father has for him. Throughout the book, Baba expects Amir to be just like him: brave, physically strong, and even pursue the same career as him. Ultimately, Amir is different from Baba because he has different interests, hobbies, and personality. This disappoints his father because he is not brave and willing to step up for other people. Baba worries that this will make him unable to stand up for anything later in life. Amir also wants to become a writer, which further disappoints Baba who

Regardless of Baba’s expectations, Amir still pursued his dreams and became a successful person. The Kite Runner teaches the lesson that: despite parents' high expectations for their children, people are the ones who have to choose their own path.

Because of his father’s high expectations, Amir finds it difficult to break free of how his father perceives him throughout the novel. From the beginning of the book, Baba perceives Amir to be weak and cowardly. He tells his friend Rahim Khan, ”There is something missing in that boy… a boy who won’t stand up for himself become a man who can’t stand up to anything” When Amir overhears this conversation with Rahim Khan, he finds it difficult to perceive himself as anything other than how his father sees him. This affects his actions in the later chapters. When Amir is faced with the choice of whether or not to confront the people harassing Hassan, he runs away. Amir states that, ”I ran because I was a coward… I

Similar to Baba, my parents want me to go to college and preferably also a graduate program so I can get a high-paying job. This expectation has been expressed since I was in elementary school so it doesn’t feel like I could have any other option for a career. I also feel pressured by my peers to do this because it appears like they all have similar plans for their future so I feel obligated to follow something similar to everyone else. Although my parents’ expectations are high, I understand their reasoning. They just want the best for me and they also want me to push myself academically. I think this expectation is good for me because I tend to lack motivation but I think it is harsh not to consider any other career paths. My parents also expect me to spend all my time increasing my academic ability, which I think is very unrealistic for an average