Hosseini consistently sets up The Kite Runner so that we hate Amir. I've tried to give him the benefit of the doubt by blaming most of his actions on his stressful and cruel past, but this is too far. He deliberately got rid of the only bright person in his life, and I'm trying to comprehend how and why.
I've noticed that Amir has doubted and has contradicted himself in almost every facet of his life. Days before the kite flying competition, Amir could not even sleep because of the opportunity to win and finally win his father's love. So, he wins the kite tournament, and his father's superficial love. Then, at his birthday, Amir shows his displeasure at Baba. He feels that Baba would not have thrown him such an over the top birthday celebration if he had not won the tournament. So, Amir is contradicting himself and his thoughts. He goes through with things, and then doubts himself and those actions, and then does something to contradict it. Another easy example is the raping of Hassan, but I'm not going to go into that. Amir's overall attitude toward the people he love is the perfect example of his emotional contradictions.
Amir consistently appears to have the subconscious affection and tender feeling toward Hassan, yet he treats him like a piece of crap. Why? My guess is that Amir has learned over the years that dealing with problems like the one he had with Hassan is best handled with force and getting rid of it completely. Hassan has shown nothing but good and pure emotions to Amir, yet Amir is forced to treat his guilty feelings by just getting rid of the person causing it, who is Hassan in this case. It's almost as if Amir has a type of infection or virus. Hassan consistently is causing pain to Amir, and Amir's natural reaction to this pain is to get rid of the causer, much like a person treating a virus.
To get rid of this 'virus', Amir makes it seem like Hassan stole his birthday presents. I really want to say that this is all completely ruthless and not excusable, but I can honestly see how and why Amir is doing what he's doing. He has grown up not being taught how to properly deal with his problems, so Amir naturally feels that the best way to get rid of the pain he is feeling is by literally getting rid of it, rather than dealing with it patiently and correctly.
I agree with Ben. Amir knows that his father's love will only be won if he wins the competition. He is aware that this love will be superficial, and once he receives it he is disappointed. What did he expect? It is already a conflicted relationship and once he gets what he wants, he is unhappy. But at the same time, i feel as though this attention and love that he now receives from Baba is not as enjoyable because he feels that it was at Hassan's expense, and that makes him guilty.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that many of Amir's actions should be looked at as inexcusable, but that his upbringing are a big factor in his actions. He was never loved properly, so he does not know how to love. I feel that his father is also to blame for the way Amir turned out, but then again, to what extent can a person's actions be blamed on their parents? At what point is it no longer Baba's, but Amir's fault that he is such a terrible person?