The Guilt in Kite Runner

Up to the point of Hassan's rape, many of the tensions that have been building till now, such as the treatment of Hazaras by Pashtuns, Amir’s desperation to please his father, and the question of whether he can stand up for what is right, come together in this partition of the novel. The central event is Hassan’s rape, and it will be the catalyst that propels the rest of the novel forward. This event is the source of the guilt Amir feels as an adult, and it is why the image of the alleyway, the place where Hassan was raped while he stood by and watched, stays with him. Hassan, we are led to infer, is the kite runner of the book’s title, and Amir tells us the story both as a confession and an act of penance. He wants to atone for his sins, specifically the inaction towards Assef during the rape. Two other important themes also converge in the single image of Amir struggling with the decision to intervene while Assef, a rich Pashtun boy with a powerful father, rapes Hassan, a poor Hazara. This image conveys the challenge and importance of doing what is right, and the rape of Afghanistan’s powerless by those who have power. In terms of Amir’s character growth, his desperation to please his father, plays a significant part in the events unfolded in this section of the novel. Although Amir feels paralyzed by fear when he sees what is happening, he admits that his main reason for not intervening is selfish. When Baba was a boy, he won the kite-fighting tournament. Though Amir had always done well in the competition, even making it to the final three once, he had never won. To finally please Baba, Amir feels he must show Baba he is like him by winning the tournament and bringing home the kite of his final opponent. Only then will Baba forgive Amir for killing the woman who was Baba’s wife and Amir’s mother. Amir does not stop Assef from raping Hassan because he wants the kite to bring to Baba, and Hassan is the price he has to pay.

Response to Camille

Baba is somewhat like an antagonist because Amir is consumed with pleasing him. To me its ironic that because of the unsaid pressure Amir feels from his father, Amir’s true character becomes everything Baba would not have wanted. I think Amir’s character become apparent in all the controversial and hard situations he has to go through because he always chooses the passive and gutless path. Maybe if Baba taught Amir to stand up for what anything liked, even if it was just books and reading, Amir would not be so afraid to stand up for anything at all. Perhaps the conversations where Amir got to sit on his father’s lap and be taught were too little, so Amir even started to give in to the world, like Camille says, even though his father is the opposite. While Baba was busy being disappointed in his young son, he forgot to teach Amir to be a good and strong person regardless of any social pressure or standards. Baba wanted Amir to be more like Assef, and Amir was like him when he did things like watch his best friend get rapped. Baba is as clueless as his son as Amir about standing up for anything. However, I can’t put all the blame on Baba because it takes a lot to be able to stand and watch someone who’s like a brother to you go through something like that. I think Baba wanted only one thing out of his son, and the pressure made Amir slip from his grasp. 

Contrast Between Father and Son (Through page 130)

There is  a huge contrast between Amir’s old life, and new life as a refugee and living in America. It was a powerful image when Amir said that everything his father has worked for had now been summed up into two travel bags and one disappointing son. It’s ironic that even the wealthy and seeming untouchable people’s lives were now similar to Hazara’s. The Pashtun boys thought that they were superior to Hassan in the same way the Russian soldier thought he was superior to the refugees. However, Baba of course took a fearless stance against it, because he is not afraid to fight for what he wants. It probably cemented the idea in Amir’s head that he was weak and gutless to watch what happened to Amir. His father wanted to protect a woman he did not even know from a man who would not hesitate to kill him. I found it interesting that the author added his first internal thoughts when Amir thought that the Russian fired the gun because the thoughts were selfish. It was a really honest paragraph that reminded me to The Stranger because Amir automatically thought about being abandoned and that now he would have to bury his father, and about any sadness or mourning. Even though many of us partly or completely hate Amir and at this part of the book and were not surprised by those thoughts, I still think that selfishness is alive in all of us. When someone dies part of us do feel those “what about me” thoughts and not just mourning the loss. 

Amir has to live with the constant contrast and reminder that he will not ever be his father.  Like the difference between the rough working hand of Baba and the soft student hand of Amir, they will always be extremely different types of people.  It’s would be hard to live with that pressure and guilt and Amir had to submerge the majority of his emotions. Probably the difference between his father and him also served as a reminder to everything he could not be for when Hasan when he needed him. I think that Baba’s willingness to stay in America and the fact he was proud of him when he graduated high school signifies somewhat a possible shift in his perspective of his son. Like most parents, Baba wants his son to amount to something. His happiness in his son completely relies on quantitative things like did he win the kite race or did he get a diploma. Yet, even though he’s proud of his son for those things I think part of him will always be disappointed, because his son will just never be the person who stands up for a stranger, or even just gives back their food stamps. 

Comment on Ben's post

Ben, I can relate to how infuriating Amir's actions are. I found myself thinking about The Kite Runner days after I finished the reading; I could not accept the extreme selfishness of Amir's actions and the catastrophes they have caused.  Then I found myself remembering something that I  imagine most of us tend to forget: Amir is a child. He does not possess the ability to imagine consequences and weigh his options carefully. Sure, helping out a friend in need is common sense, but children of his age tend to be extremely selfish. After being neglected by his father his entire life, Amir could not bring himself to lose the opportunity to win his love.
Like I mentioned in my post, Amir does not realize what it is his father truly wants of him. Had he understood what winning the tournament would mean to his father (teamwork and honor), he would have easily realized that saving Hassan would be a far more noble act.
The guilt that Amir feels afterwards shows that he does actually have a conscience and a heart. In his desperation, he will do anything to alleviate his guilt. In the process he goes to extreme measures. However, I am certain that one day, when Amir is older, he will come to understand his love and gratefulness toward Hassan, and attempt to repent for his sins.

Amir- when will you be a hero?

I admire Kahled Hossini for having the skill to create a character like Amir: a protagonist hated or disliked by most readers. Amir is an antihero who refuses to act and earn his right to be the main character, which causes a great deal of frustration on the part of the reader. Although I expect Amir will prove his worth later on in the novel, at this point he comes across as a small-minded, self-centered brat. What makes his relatable, however, is the physical torment of guilt that comes after his failure to save Hassan. Amir hates himself for not acting; at the time, he made the decision that was most beneficial to him. As a child craving his father's love, Amir could not risk losing his one big chance. At the same time, because he is a child, he is unable to understand what he truly must do to make his father proud: prove himself to be a hero.
Baba would certainly prefer Amir to come home having saved Hassan than holding a blue kite. Baba himself is trying hard to like Amir; he is continually attempting to convince himself that perhaps his son is not as untalented and selfish as he seems. When Amir asks him in the garden if he ever gave any thought to getting new servants, their new relationship falls apart. This is because Baba sees the comment as a reminder of his son's selfishness.
When Amir fakes Hassan's theft, I was almost glad. The event forces Hassan to tell his father what has happened to him and therefore allows him get the help he needs. This insensitive act also takes Hassan far away from Amir, who only torments Hassan as a product of  his own guilt.

Response to Emily

I agree with the term monster to characterize Amir because he was basically the monster ruining Hassan’s life. Amir didn’t know what he had with Hassan until it was too late to turn back and change what happened. His inability to step in and help Hassan in his moment of trouble against Assef shows just how pathetic Amir is and how unbalanced the friendship was between Hassan and Amir was because, unlike Amir, Hassan would’ve done anything to protect Amir. It was sad to realize that the friendship would never be the same again and that Hassan’s beloved personality got ruined. It was angering to find out that even after backing out of helping Hassan, Amir still only thought about himself and the attention he was getting from his father and decided that in order to make himself feel better, Hassan was the one that needed to go. This problem could’ve gone in so many other directions. Amir could’ve told Baba what Assef did and although he’d lose his father’s respect, he’d help Hassan, or he could’ve retaliated against Assef, but instead hurt Hassan even more. It was sad to see that Amir believed the only way to fix the pain of the guilt is to make the problem worse and ruin everyone’s happiness. 

Response to Davis' post

I agree with Davis to a certain extent that Amir is a coward and he is not built to be a leader. However, I do not think he is a horrible person for not acting upon the rape situation. He was fearful for his own life, even if he had acted, the result may have been even worse than it was. I think Amir was smart to put emotions aside and think logically in a situation like that one. Moreover, his remorse and guilt prove that he is not a bad person, just a coward. He does not give off the impression that he wants to hurt Hassan by ignoring him. He avoids him because he is being overcome with guilt and worry, this causes him to avoid Hassan because he feels so bad for what he did that deep down he doesn't feel worthy of being in Hassan’s presence. To add to his worries, he cannot talk to anyone about what is bothering him so there is no way of him venting his feelings and releasing any of the emotions that he has bottled up inside.

Series of Despicable Events

Assef’s actions against Hassan are despicable and they represent the lowest, most disgusting human behavior imaginable. To me it is unacceptable that even the though of these actions could go through a person’s head. The two kids that held Hassan pinned to the group are even worse than Assef because they let a person pressure them into doing something that they know just how bad it really is. I feel the need to comment on how bad these actions are because they have completely changed the tome of the entire novel. Up until that point, the story had been fairly easygoing with a few heightened moments of tension but nothing out of this world. As soon as the old man at the bazaar told Amir that Hassan was being followed by three rich kids, the suspense and series of despicable events began.

It is pretty clear that Assef’s actions are the worst in this entire scenario but I think that mot people read tho, are shocked by it, but later dismiss it as something that simply happened. To me it is unthinkable that a 12-15 year old kid could think of such a disgusting and severe crime. Furthermore, actually committing this crime shows that this kid is much more than just a bully, he is a criminal and a monster with no compassion. The two boys that helped him commit this crime are complete and total imbeciles and cowards. They did not have the valor nor the righteousness to say no and to go against the horrible intentions of their companion. They are almost just as bad as Assef because they chose not to act upon this even though they knew that it was wrong and completely out of line. While Assef may not have measured the gravity of his actions, these two boys did. The fact that they did not act upon their sense of right and wrong makes their non actions just as bad as Assefs actions because they permitted him to go through with this horribly disgusting crime. Amir’s inaction is similar to that of Assef’s two sidekick but much smaller in scale. Amir has the sole excuse that action in this situation would have cause him personal injury. Though I do not agree with his decision, he used the police mentality, to care for one’s own safety first.

comment on Davis

Wendell Pfeffer

11/24/13

Comment on Davis reaction

Davis brings up many valid points from his latest reading of then novel. To start it off Davis and I have similar viewpoints regarding the main character – Amir. Davis when you begin to describe that they are “virtually opposites” I cannot but help agree with this statement but add on to it. Hassan is benevolent, athletic, honest and has all the qualities that most kids wish they had while Amir is a liar, weak and a person that focuses on literature. Their distinct qualities are what ultimately lead Amir to have a profound hatred and jealousy towards Hassan because his father wishes that his son came out to be more like Hassan. Another reason to prove my point is Hassan even reminds Baba about himself when he was a kid and thus leans towards appreciating and loving Hassan more. With that said this is what leads Amir to do everything in his power to gain his fathers love etc. This is where Davis and I share the most similarities because Amir has represented himself as an asshole through this process and a person that does not necessarily deserve to die like Davis says but actually receive some sort of punishment and thus I cannot agree more with Davis statement at the end of his reaction: “Amir is basically a pathetic excuse for the son that Baba wants, Hassan.” Another thing that I noticed in Davis reaction but would like to add onto was “the discrimination of the Hazara people.” Davis you begin to relate this racism towards the Nazis relationship with the jews, but what I also find unique about this notion is Assefs love for the Nazi regime and Hitler. I predict that Assef will lead a massive genocide against the Hazara people instead of Amir. 

Comment on Davis' Post

I completely agree with Davis and feel that his feelings are reasonable though they might seem a bit extreme. You would think that two boys nursed by the same woman ad raised by the same two people would share a bond. On the contrary, only Hassan feels this fraternal bond and Amir feels nothing.

120 pages into the novel and I am still at a failure to understand why Amir lets the idea of Hassan being a “hazara” get in between the way that he should feel about him. I feel like Amir perfectly embodies the children that our parents always try to teach us not to be- he likes Davis says is actually utterly despicable. He might have “everything” and be considered the highest of society, but to me he is filth. Again, just like Davis it makes me truly sad to see how “Pure-hearted” Hassan is. He tried so hard to be friends with Amir only to have Amir treat him like shit because he is a hazara. It is slightly ironic that Amir treats Hassan like shit when Amir is actually the bad person here.

Though we often say, “it is the thought that counts” I do not think that the saying applies to Amir. He thinks about telling the truth when Hassan takes the fall for the watch and he money but does not actually go through with it because the lie that Hassan tells would make him and his guilt go away. I almost wanted to cry reading about how a much a dedicated friend Hassan was lying about the watch. He does everything for Amir to get nothing in return. In my opinion, Amir should suffer for the rest of his life because his failure to step in before his “friend/brother” was raped was inexcusable.   

- Talia Akerman 

Comment on Wendell's Post

I have to disagree with Wendell's claim that Amir is "a cruel person." I don't believe Amir is cruel at all, actually. Based on his actions so far, it's clear that Amir's actions occur in part because of his experiences and family. He does not know how to handle problems correctly, because nobody has shown him how. The one person he looks up to (Baba) looks down at him, and hold him accountable for the death of his wife. So what does he do? He tries to earn his love with the kite, something obviously wrong. Amir should not have to 'earn' his respect. Baba's lack of respect and love for Amir is not something Amir should be concerned with.

I agree with Wendell on the basis that Amir should quell Hassan's suffering, and it angers me too. I think Hassan not only deserves a confession, but a huge apology. I like what Wendell pointed out at the end. Amir's life could have been exponentially smoother than it is now.

Happiness and success in life come down to one simple, yet elusive idea for most of us. The idea of getting out of your comfort zone, and going against what other people think or do in the 'normal world'. Amir, like many others, cannot get out of his comfort zone, thus leaving him to live and suffer with guilt. His comfort is running from his problems so he does not have to deal with them at all. If he were to just put a little effort, and gone against his comfort zone, he would have already apologized, or maybe even stopped the rape.

Response to Mona

I completely agree with Mona and her theory of guilt. I wrote something very similar on my blog post this week. Mona said that guilt never goes away and it cannot be avoided. Little things started to remind Amir of Hassan, and then the thought of Hassan would bring back memories of the alley. Amir threw up every time he thought about the moment in vivid details on the car ride out of Iran. When he caught something that reminded him of a pleasant memory of his childhood, it would again bring him back to that terrible time. Even his happiest memories were ridden with guilt and tainted forever.  He could not be happy, when his father retold the story of Hassan greatest victory at kite running. He could not be happy when he watched Hassan fold close. He had to avoid Hassan and Ali altogether because they were too honest and kind.  He was living the good life because Hassan had protected him so many times. He knew he was lucky to have him and that is what made his act of betrayal even more atrocious. 

The Downfall of The Good Life

This was a painful part of the book to read because things just took a turn for the worst for all characters and Amir’s lies and cowardice took its toll in the family and ended up in Hassan’s and Ali’s leaving. It was angering to imagine Assef taking drinks from a platter Hassan was holding because one could only imagine how much that moment hurt Hassan and how much anger and aggression he must have held back towards the boy that raped him. This part of the book also increased immensely my dislike for the immature and coward Amir who, being selfish as always, wanted to get rid of Hassan just to make himself feel better and to try to ease the uneasiness of the guilt he felt for standing back and watching while Assef did what he wished with Hassan. It was also frustrating to read how Hassan and Ali just took Amir’s indecencies and on top of Hassan accepting the lie that he stole the watch and the money, neither Hassan nor Ali told Baba the truth about Amir even though they both knew everything.

On top of that, the life Baba worked so hard to build for himself and for Amir, all his friends, everything he knows and loves, taken from him by the Russians who took over his beloved Kabul. The hardships they had to go through to get out alive, the people they saw die right before them like Kamal and his father, and the fear of getting caught at any minute and being murdered by the Russian soldiers. So much empathy was felt for Baba because not only does he have an unworthy son to his morals and strong will, but he has to leave everything he knows behind, leaving only with the dirt he put in his little container to remind him of what he loved. Baba is a character I really look up to because he is just so respectable and unselfish. Leaving to the United Sates for Amir’s benefit is just one example. Time has taken its toll on Baba though and it seems that the duty of taking care of the family has befallen on Amir, and he seems to be doing a good job in understanding that his father has given all he can to bring them here to start their new life and he isn’t the same able man he was back in Afghanistan and now needs Amir to take care of him. 

A Monster

Amir crossed a line when he saw Hassan get raped and chose to protect himself and his relationship with his unloving and unconcerned father, instead of saving the only person who truly loved him. Amir changed that day, he become weaker and cowardly. He now had a new understanding of the terrible things that he was capable of. He continued to change until he was truly revealed to be a monster. In contrast, Hassan’s love for Amir was so strong that he really stretched himself to the limit and made the ultimate sacrifice.  The first example of this is when Amir does not tell his father or Ali about what happened to Hassan.  Then he emotionally pushed Hassan out of his life, by ignoring him, When he realized that this was no longer was enough, he resorted to other methods to push Hassan out of his life. Amir pelted Hassan with pomegranates until he was bleeding and crying. He thought that his would compel Hassan to beat him. Hassan remained loyal and took the beating and did not fight back. Finally as an act of complete selfishness and cruelty, he accused Hassan of stealing. He wanted Hassan gone and he thought that blaming him of a cardinal sin (according to Baba) would relieve him of Hassan’s presence. He not only stole a good and happy life away from Hassan but also way from Ali and Baba. He kept all the dirty little secrets to himself and he got away with it. These types of sins come with a price. Amir became constantly filled with guilt; it ate away at his soul. His guilt was a constant reminder of the person he had become, the person that his father was disgusted by. He was sickly, cowardly, and he lacked all forms of honor.

Hassan was the opposite of Amir, as far as Amir went to the dark side, Hassan went just as far to the light. He made every type of sacrifice for Amir, not because he had to or felt obligated to, but because he wanted to.  He took a terrible beating and was raped, in order to get Amir his precious kite. He let Amir abuse him and misuse him to compensate for Amir’s own guilt. He knew that Amir watched him get brutally raped and beaten and yet he remained loyal to Amir. He sacrifices his comfortable life at Baba’s house for Amir. He took the blame for the stolen items and he left to please Hassan as well. He even begged and cried to his father, Ali, to keep Amir’s secret, although Ali would have gladly told on him. Hassan’s love and friendship extends far beyond the normal and yet Amir treats him like his slave.        

To See a Parent Cry

I can honestly say that I find every page of this novel to be captivating. Hosseini’s words allow me to connect with these characters and their stories that are really just different combinations of the same twenty-six letters. Nevertheless, I do find more often than not that in our readings there is one sentence that resonates with me. I almost always find one part of the reading that gets me thinking about how something that is set on the other side of the world can relate so heavily to me.

            The scene where Amir speaks, or rather experiences, his father crying in front of him for the first time struck me a lot. It got me to thinking about how as children we see our parents as the strongest people we know. As I child I thought both my parent were strong and more specifically I attributed the quality of strength to my father. I honestly believed that there was nothing that could bring my father down. To me he was stronger than a G.I. Joe action figure or a man behind a gun. I think that life is highly defined by specific moments and one of them is seeing your father cry for the first time. When Amir saw Baba crying he was almost scared and he even remarks, “grown fathers weren’t supposed to cry.” He specifically notes how the “pain in his plea [and] the fear” resonates with him.

            I think that seeing your father cry for the first time is such a defining moment in life because it is one of the first times that you truly understand how vulnerable people are. You realize that fathers are as breakable a delicate China that is highly polished and kept in the nicest of cabinets. I know that the first time I saw my dad cry, is a memory that I will never forget. I stood from a distance watching this man that for my nine years of life I thought was unbreakable. I saw his continued sob and all I could think was that what was occurring was not real life. Hosseini’s mention of Baba crying touched me so much because of how relatable it seemed to me.

            Another part of the reading that really struck me was the gift that Hasaan and his father give to Amir. It was not really the gift that struck me but rather the manner in which they eyed “ a book neither he nor his son could read”. It got me thinking to how our society places such a high value on literacy. Though I do not find anything wrong with being literate I find it wrong that literacy becomes very close if not our complete definition of intelligence. Amir, completely literate and gifted with wonderful writing is no where near as intelligent as Hassan. To me, much of intelligence relies on how much a person you can be. I understand that how good or bad of a person you are is relative and an immeasurable quantity but I find it to be a much greater defining tool of intelligence than someone’s ability to do calculus problems or read novels.

- Talia Akerman 

Comment on Davis' post

I hundred percent agree with Davis when he states that Hassan is like the son Baba has always wanted and should receive Baba's respect. Amir is a coward and decides to run away from the problem instead of helping Hassan who is basically his father. Davis pointed out that the two boys had grown up together and had nursed from the same breast. If that does not create a bond between the two of them then what will? It is obvious that Hassan feels the need to defend Amir and be loyal to him but Amir never returns the favor. Instead, Amir runs and then acts like a spoiled brat. In my opinion, Amir should have told Baba or even Ali about what happened in the alley and his guilt would have gone away. The way Amir responded to what happened made me despise him. Just like Davis, I was utterly disgusted to find out that Amir did not stand up for Hassan and then later tried everything he could to get Hassan out of the house. His final attempt of kicking Hassan out was so low and so hurtful that even I felt the pain Baba and Ali went through.

Overall thoughts through Pg. 100

Through the first 100 pages, I've enjoyed some things, and hated others. I'll start with what I do like.

In comparison to the other books we've read so far, this is definitely the most straightforward. I'm sure no one is having trouble deciphering the plot or possibly getting stuck in the middle of some tough paragraphs, something that happened to me a countless amount of times in Atlas Shrugged. I also think that Hosseini allows the plot to flow very well. The reading is fast, and is straight to the point, something I really enjoy.

Although enjoying some, I hate some as well. The plot and character development is brutally grotesque and hard to believe. The raping paired up with Amir's response to it is just sickening. Amir's character development transforms into one that resembles something of insanity and obsessive compulsive disorder. He's trying with all of the mental effort expendable to fix the guilt he feels. What he does not understand is that the prevention of this came before, when the opportunity to stop the rape had shown up, not now after the horrific event. This leads Amir to hurting Hassan even more when Amir throws the pomegranates at Hassan, looking for an angry reaction. Amir thinks that pain is the way out, which is completely wrong. That's what frustrates me. This idea that Amir can solve his problem by feeling the same feelings Hassan felt is just absolutely mad.

Amir is beginning to realize how much he hates the world around him. He rather stay inside, doing homework. Rather than moving on from the past, he gets bogged down by it. That's what I think Hosseini is trying to emphasize. Amir has so many great things in his life, but when something tragic happens to him, he forgets to look around toward the positive energy, and he rather turn to the negativity around him. Amir should stop feeling guilty, and pour out his emotions to someone, something much easier said than done, but it must be done if Amir wants to escape the hole he's dug himself into.

The last sequence on page 100 really stood out to me. The sight of Hassan serving Assef and his two other friends is just sick. Hosseini implies a light smile on the face of Assef. When picturing this in my mind, I really started feeling angry. Seeing poor Hassan, powerless and submissive at the hands of Assef, is sad. I dont think I could stay emotionless like Hassan, I'd definitely explode at the sight of Assef.

who really is Amir?

Wendell Pfeffer

11/24/13

Reaction: chapter 8 -10

            These three chapters are by far the most important in the book because not only does it explain life in Afghanistan right before the invasion but reveals what kind of person Amir truly is. There’s no doubt about it Amir is a cruel person, he places himself above everyone else and deserves everything bad that is coming towards him. First off the rape incident that occurred in the earlier stages of the novel – Hassan really demonstrates himself as a true, loyal and benevolent friend. A friend that is willing to sacrifice himself for people that he truly cares about – in this case Amir. He saved him the blue kit so that he could have a better relationship with Amir. But the exact opposite occurred. Amir was only using Hassan so that his father can finally demonstrate his love and be proud of him for once. Amir does succeed and his father never stops on repeating to others about his son winning the kite tournament – how his kite was the only one out of hundreds of kites to be standing. However, it came at a price because Amir didn’t feel as if he deserved it and he is absolutely right. What Amir really deserves is a form of punishment, which is what he ultimately ends up looking for from Hassan but doesn’t get it.

            Without Hassan Amir would have never won the kit tournament, he would have been Assefs bully victim and would have never achieved what he had worked so hard for – his fathers love and appreciation. What really angers me the most about Amir’s actions is that he never came to quell Hassan’s suffering after the rape in which should have never occurred. Also how he makes it seem that Hassan did something wrong because after the rape he never spent time with him, never read him stories and invited him to the events his father wanted him to go to. Amir is just simply to deprived from his guilt that being around Hassan makes him feel and look uncomfortable. But that should have never got in the way. He should have been a man and told everyone what had happened and made an effort to re-construct the relationship he had with Hassan. Life could have gone much smoother for Amir but he chooses the coward way out – lying. Ultimately his stream of lies leads Ali and Hassan to leave Baba and Amir forever. Enough is enough and I agree with their decision to leave. This comes as a form of punishment towards Amir because I think he will never be freed from his guilt.  

           

Comment on Rodrigo's post

        I completely agree with all of your comments. While reading this part of the story I was just as upset and appalled as to how someone could just sit by and watch this awful situation take place without doing anything about it. We all know for a fact that Amir is a coward, but I do not think he is aware of how much this will affect his life. It practically ruined a life long relationship between him and his best friend that was almost like a brother to him. Amir even caused his father to loose his friend that he grew up with as well, Ali. Amir had no idea that this selfish incident would impact his life in this manner. His family is now broken apart and this guilt will haunt him forever. I have no idea how or if Amir will ever get the chance to fix this relationship or make things better, but I know if he doesn't, he will take on this guilt with him for the rest of his life. I can't ever even imagine Amir confessing this incident to anyone either, but I think that would be a start to fixing the problem. I hope that as I continue to read on and Amir continues to grow that he grows out of this selfish and cowardly attitude and own up to his faults. I really want to see that Amir is given another chance later on so that he can make things right in some way if its not too late.

Amir's Guilt

If I hated Amir before, I hate him even more after reading what he did- or what he didn’t do- when he saw Hassan being raped by the disgusting, corrupt, and immoral Assef. Amir gets everything he wants after what happens; his father is proud of him, he becomes closer to him, and everyone see’s him as a “hero” for having won the kite running competition. But Amir finds it hard to enjoy this attention because he is drowning in his own guilt. The worst part about it is that Amir gets all of this appreciation and attention because of Hassan, who stood by him every moment of the competition and ran for Amir’s trophy. Hassan demonstrates his unconditional love for Amir, resulting in Amir’s glory, but Amir cannot and did not do the same for Hassan. Amir deserves the unhappy life that he is destined to live due to his guilt, and I have no pity for him.

Something that caught my eye about Hassan was that he had done nothing wrong, yet he still did everything he could to rekindle his relationship with Amir and felt guilty. Amir rejects him and treats him badly, and uses Hassan, as well as other characters like Ali to let out his anger. The scene where Amir throws the pomegranates at Hassan shows just how much this guilt is haunting Amir. He feels so terrible for what he did not do that he wants to be punished for it, but Hassan refuses to fight back and walks away, which makes Amir feel even worse about what he did. When I first read that Hassan did nothing to fight back, I was frustrated because I feel as though he should grow courage and defend himself. But as I thought more deeply about it, I realized that Hassan was raised to be submissive, and it is not in his nature to harm Amir in any way; not only because he loves him, but because he sees him as a superior. Amir is a terrible person, and even when he has his father’s love and attention, he gets jealous if the slightest bit of Baba’s attention is given to Hassan. This envy and jealousy is invested in Amir and I’m not sure it will ever disappear. 

Baba and Amir

      As the characters continue to develop throughout the novel, we begin to see how different Amir is from his father, Baba. I am pretty sure that after reading the whole incident regarding Hassan and Amir we can all agree that Amir is a total coward. Not only is he a coward for not standing up to his friend, but also for not speaking up once he had the chance too. Baba's friend even confronts Amir on his birthday and asks him what is wrong, almost as if he knew about the whole situation and offering Amir a chance to own up to himself and be good again, but of course I was not surprised when Amir does not admit any of his wrongs.
      Unlike Amir, his father, Baba, is the complete polar opposite. Baba is one of the most courageous, good hearted people out there. He is constantly going out of his way to give back to others that need help the most, almost as if he was trying to redeem himself but everyone in Kabul already loves him and knows what a great man he is. Baba never refers to Ali and Hassan as their servants, because he knows that they are family. Amir who has grown up with Hassan who is almost like a brother to him even fails to recognize that at times. When other kids bully him and asks why he is hanging around with a Hazara, the thought that it is just his servant following him around always pops up into his mind.
      A couple of years after Hassan and Ali leave Baba and Amir, Baba and Amir begin a journey to America to escape the war stricken streets of Afghanistan. This really showed me how courageous Baba was. He was leaving behind everything he had ever worked for, knowing that America would be a completely different life for him and his son. For the most part I think Baba decided to move to make sure Amir could grow up and continue to study in a safe area, but once we continue to read of Amirs life in America, we continue to see that Amir hasn't changed much; he is still a coward and he is still constantly haunted by his past.

Baba starts to change

 America: the land of opportunity, freedom, and change. Even though Baba feels that America is where he cannot escape his memories, he has a change of heart for Amir. No longer does he compare Amir to Hassan or look at Amir with disappointment. Baba left Kabul for Amir, not for himself. He wants Amir to have a better life and be able to become successful. For the first time in Amir’s life, Baba tells him that he is truly proud of him but still wishes that Hassan could be with them to see Amir graduate. Although Baba has changed for the better, it seems to be an unwelcomed changed because he does not want to be there. This was clear when Amir describes Baba’s love for the “idea of America” not with actually living there. “It was living in America that gave him an ulcer” (pg. 125).  This loathing for America was shown by Baba’s political interests. He hated Jimmy Carter but loved Regan and supported “Reganomics”. Baba was now surrounded by democrats and was considered the outcast while in Kabul, he was a well respected Republican who was looked up to. Baba constantly thinks of his life before America. This change was clearly seen in the differences in between how Amir and Baba felt about living in America. For Amir, America was a place to burry his memories but for Baba, it was a place to mourn his.  Instead of taking pictures of the whole senior class graduating, Baba stood in the corner with his hands in his pockets and smiled only when he saw Amir alone. Besides his emotional change, Baba also changes physically. He is described by Amir as worn out and aged. The loss of his wife, country, and his second son, Hassan, seemed to have taken a toll on him. On top of being alone and in a new country, Baba has to deal with new cultures. When Baba goes to buy oranges with a check and is asked for his ID, Baba responded aggressively and shows that he has not yet adjusted to life in America. Baba is used to being known by everyone and trusted. When he confronted Mr. Nguyen he commented in frustration “What kind of a country is this? No one trusts anybody!” (pg. 128)  Even after a year of living in America, he is struggling to adjust to American life.