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.