Who Is Amir's Identity In The Kite Runner

In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, Amir grows up surrounded by a culture that hinders his identity through its conflicting nature. The outside world interferes with the way Amir thinks, preventing him from discovering different aspects of life. Amir’s growth is withheld from him through Baba’s traditional views of power. In Baba’s perspective, a man is someone who stands up for himself and people around him; someone who acts manly. Amir wants to live up to that hope and subsequently emphasizes it too much, distracting him from living as a normal human. His ignorance toward his brother Hassan also brings uncountable amount of guilt to himself. Eventually, when he finds out all the secret of his childhood he loses his direction in life. Base on the Afghan culture, an ideal man is one that is strong and powerful. Amir’s father values this culture and set this expectation on Amir. At the end of chapter three, Baba says, “I am telling you, Rahim, there is something missing in that boy. … A boy who won’t stand

Through Rahim Khan, he reveals the secret of his father and realizes that they both are trying to redeem what they have done in the past. At the end of chapter 18, Amir says, “As it turned out, Baba and I were more alike than I’d ever known. We had both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for us. And with that came this realization: that Rahim Khan had summoned me here to atone not just for my sins but for Baba’s too.” (P.226) For years, Amir has been trying really hard to live up to Baba’s expectations. Toward the end of the story, he finds out that they are actually alike and both hold regrets because of betrayal. Since Baba has passed away, it is now Amir’s duty to get the redemption. Baba plays a huge role in shaping Amir’s identity, but rather than pointing him toward the right direction, he causes confusions and affects Amir’s search for