Amir and Baba in America

Camille Kelleher

The plotline in The Kite Runner has reached a very dramatic and meaningful point as we, the readers, see the differences and similarities in Baba and Amir’s life between America and Afghanistan. Leading up to this point, I wholeheartedly hated Amir because of his rash and selfish decisions regarding Hassan. On page 102, for example, Amir came to the conclusion that either Hassan or himself had to leave the family. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions that led him to this point, he decided to get rid of Hassan. Somehow, Amir thinks that he will earn his father’s love by pulling the family apart and causing everyone to get hurt. This desire to isolate himself and his father becomes a reality when they move to San Francisco. Baba and Amir are left impoverished in America. I find this very ironic given that only 5 years earlier Amir was piling up his “blood money” gifts into a huge pile in the corner of his room. 

Even though their accustomed Afghan wealth diminishes relative to the American fortune, Baba remains noble and loyal to his morals and Afghanistan. Yet, these perspective virtues have no value in the San Francisco neighborhood they live in, nobody can trust each other. When Baba got angry because the shopkeeper asked for identification, his actions reflected badly and made him look selfish and crazy.

Since moving to America, Amir has become less worried about making his father proud of him. I think that Amir has finally started to move on from the unfortunate circumstance that he was born into and figure out who he is and what he wants to do for the rest of his life. Amir can start making decisions regardless of Baba’s opinions, like becoming a creative writer. The freedom that Amir has found in America is entirely separate from the freedom that Baba was pursuing when he decided to move to America. Amir is free of his father and his conventions that tormented Amir everyday in Afghanistan. These changes in the plotline, Amir’s transformation into an easy going American, and Baba’s static morals are simply described on page 129, “For me, America was a place to bury my memories. For Baba, a place to mourn his.” Amir feels free of his mistakes he made when he was little regarding Hassan while Baba is still worried for his second son and his whereabouts.