Life goes on

Wendell Pfefer

12/8/13

Life goes on

            Life has changed drastically for Amir and Baba – Hassan and Ramir Khan have left them and now they face the destruction of the Russian military. The Russians have taken everything away from them; they have destroyed Afghanistan as a whole and will forever never remain the same. Beside the Russians Hassan can’t help but stay in denial. He lived in a secluded bubble away from misery - everything was made out for him: big house, servants, great role model and a lavish lifestyle. Amir lived a life that only so many people could dream of living. But now he must leave all of that and head towards a safe zone or a place away from the fighting zone. This causes him to change drastically in character in a good way. He no longer demonstrates that rich kid snotty behavior, which you begin to see as he slowly progresses into an independent adult living in the United States. His father on the other hand still remains the same as before: a brave, courageous man only seeking to help benefit the greater good. He is always on the lookout of helping other people in need. One incident that strongly demonstrates this factor was when he stood up towards an armed Russian soldier to prevent him from raping a married woman.

            When Amir and Baba arrive to America things don’t go as well as they hoped. Baba had longed loved the idea of America, but the quality of life is much worse than in Afghanistan. They live in a small apartment; Baba works non-stop at the gas station and life itself seems to be much worse because as Baba says in the book “there is no trust.” However, there does seem to be one positive aspect of living in the United States. Baba and Amir have developed a strong loving relationship, a relationship that seemed impossible to achieve in Afghanistan because his father barely had the time to appreciate Amir. In addition to the bonding relationship in the United States Baba has finally accepted Amir’s passion – creative writing, which again in Afghanistan it would have been impossible. From my perspective one factor that contributed towards Amirs success with his father was his change in character – he has grown out of his childish self and into a man. His man like character leads him to the one person that shares the same passions and love as him – writing.