Final Response

Though the Kite Runner is a fairly quick read in the sense that is is not hard to understand, it is however, the most emotionally tough book I have ever read. The basis of this novel is most definitely the strong and unexpectedly expected feelings between Amir and Hassan. In the beginning of the novel, Amir and Hassan feel like brothers, they have grown up together and rarely does their class difference impact they way they feel about each other or they way they treat each other. Amir being the more privileged of the two does take advantage of his education and power at times but it never causes an issue. Hassan always takes Amir’s quasi abuses lightly and laughs it off because he cares too much about Amir to let his immaturities get in the way of their friendship. Amir and Hassan enjoy the majority of their childhood in the same household and little do they know that they in fact are brothers. For the majority of their childhood, they enjoyed each others company and they created a bond that seemed that could survive anything that life threw at it. As the kite competition became closer, they were both very excited and anxious to win, Amir to prove himself to Baba and Hassan to please Amir. During the competition they worked together like a perfect well-oiled machine. They knew what t do without saying it, they were as the have been for their entire lives, perfectly in sync. 

Once the competition was over and Amir had prevailed and managed to take down the remaining kite, Hassan  began his duty of chasing it down and retrieving the ultimate trophy for Amir. He ran through the ins and outs of the city after the Kite and when he finally got it he was not about to give it up, especially to Assef. Assef represents everything bad in the novel, he is the evil that first befell on these two brothers that caused all the problems between them. Hassan decides to let himself be physically and sexually abused in the effort to protect Amir’s pride and trophy. Unfortunately, as Amir watches this abuse take place, he comes to the shocking realization that he is too much of a coward to defend his brother. At this point in the story, the reader and Amir realize that things will never again be the same. At this point, Amir’s life changed and his perspective on Hassan and who he was and what he meant to him completely changed for the worse. Amir no longer treated Hassan like an equal, he treated him as an inferior being as a way to cover his guilt of what he did, or rather, failed to do at the alley. His guilt for not defending his friend is so great that he decides to mistreat him as a coping mechanism to excuse his actions. He ultimately cannot take the guilt anymore and decides that the only way to rid himself of the pain he feels it to get rid of what he thinks is the source of the pain. For this reason, he decides to fool Baba into thinking that Hassan stole from him. He does not realize that Hassan is not the true cause of his suffering, he suffers because he is angry at his lack of courage, he cannot come to terms with the idea that he is a coward. This is why he feels like a worthless person, not because Hassan is in the house. Not realizing this, he succeeds in causing Hassan and Ali to leave the house and is all of a sudden thrown into and even worse situation. 

War breaks out in Afghanistan and Amir and his father are forced to leave the country. Years later, when Amir returns he is faced with the reality that after all these years of being bothered by his lack of actions in the alley that day, he must finally stand up and do something for Hassan. This is why he decides to take in Sahib and raise him after Hassan’s death. Amir finally sees an opportunity to make things right with Hassan. Although Hassan is dead, he feels the need to reconcile with the idea that he is doing something right to this family after a lifetime of doing them wrong. This shows a true progression in Amir and it shows the reader that he does have a heart and a conscience after all.