Amir's Relationships

Throughout the first 40 pages of the novel, Khaled Hosseini, the author, presents and develops Amir's relationships with his peers and family, Baba and Hassan in particular.

At first, Amir expresses how proud and grateful he feels for having Baba as a Father. He has heard stories about how great his father is and how feared his father is. As we turn the pages, though, Amir shifts this attitude and begins to express his true feelings. He feels as if he is being ignored by Baba, and that he is a disappointment of a son. This feeling is sensed at its height when Amir tries to share his story with Baba.

This part is key to Amir, as it sets the grounds for what Amir will feel in the future. He is being deprived of a father-son relationship, and his belief system is ultimately being skewed by it. This is seen when he is confronted by Assef and his two friends. We get a glimpse of Amir's thoughts on page 41: But he's not my friend! He's my servant! This thought stood out to me as a direct result of the remote relationship with his Father. Instead of seeing Hassan as a brother, he subconsciously thinks of Hassan as just a servant, and that he would never dare hang out and comfort a Hazara. Since he has never really experienced a real relationship with someone close, he can't feel what he should feel toward Hassan, and doesn't classify him as anything more than a servant subconsciously.