Introduction
In The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, the main protagonist of the story, Amir, undergoes a transformation. As a young boy in his homeland of Kabul, Afghanistan, he was cowardly and always relied on his servant-friend Hassan to do everything for him. Unfortunately, this lack of courage led to Hassan’s rape and haunted Amir throughout his life in California.
Determined to redeem himself for his past mistakes, Amir found the courage to return to Afghanistan despite its troubled state. He transformed from a cowardly rich boy into a brave uncle who saved Sohrab – Hassan’s son – from the Taliban.
Amir lacked courage as a boy.
Being a rich young boy, Amir felt he could get away with anything and be mischievous. However, this was not true. When the boys disturbed the neighbors, Hassan’s father Ali scolded him. Although it was Amir who always got them into trouble, Hassan always covered for him. Amir’s distant relationship with his father did not help in making him take responsibility for his actions.
Another instance that showed Amir’s cowardice was when his father took him to a Buzkashi tournament where a man was trampled to death by horses. On their way home, Amir cried and his father could only try to hide his disappointment.
Once, a boy named Assef who admired Hitler threatened to hit Amir with brass knuckles. As always, Hassan protected Amir and threatened to take out Assef’s eyes if he laid a finger on him. Assef and his posse retreated but swore revenge on the two boys.
We then move to the defining moment of the lives of the two boys. After winning a kite fighting tournament, Hassan, as always, ran kites for Amir. After fetching the kite, Hassan was confronted by Assef and his crew. Assef wanted the kite but, of course, Hassan would not give it up. Assef insulted Hassan by saying that even Amir considered him worthless. However, Hassan would have none of it and defended his and Amir’s honor. Outnumbered and overpowered by Assef and his gang, Amir witnessed everything unfold before him.
Assef ordered his friends to rape Hassan but they were not as psychotic as he was; they just held Hassan while he raped him. Astonishingly enough, Amir did nothing to help his friend; instead he ran away fooling himself that he did so out of fear when in reality he believed that sacrificing Hassan would save himself.
Amir’s belief that because Hassan was a Hazara confirmed that he did not consider him a true friend but rather a servant-friend. Even though it had already been established that Amir was cowardly in nature it was still surprising to find out that a friend could run away when you are in danger.
As if this wasn’t cowardly enough on its own merit; Amir didn’t mention anything about the rape to anyone so Assef and his friends could be punished accordingly nor did he act towards Hassan like anything had happened at all which only served to make matters worse between them.
The sight of Hassan reminded Amir of his betrayal which made him sick inside; consequently causing him to barely talk or want anything to do with him after this incident occurred.
In an attempt to get rid of some guilt or at least someone who reminded him constantly about what happened; He hid both his wristwatch along with some money he had received as a birthday gift under Hassan’s bed and blamed him for stealing it. Surprisingly, Hassan admitted to the crime he didn’t commit.
To Amir’s shock, Baba forgave him but both father and son had already decided that they would leave. It was the last time Amir saw Hassan.
Amir was a coward who ran away from his friend in need; He was also a coward for trying to get rid of his guilt. However, at the end of the story he learned how to take real responsibility for his actions.
Amir showed great courage as an adult.
In contrast to his cowardly acts as a boy, Amir eventually found the courage to confront his past. Or rather, the guilt of the past got a hold of him. As years passed, the guilt that he felt was seemingly overwhelmed by his life in America. He was able to study, earn a living, and get married.
It was when his wife Soraya told him about her secret that she ran away with a man once that the guilt reemerged. The guilt came back because he envied Soraya for being free from hers.
Not long after, Rahim Khan – a close family friend – contacted Amir offering retribution as Rahim Khan puts it a way to be good again.” It was then that Amir knew Rahim Khan knows everything. He agreed to visit Pakistan not knowing this would be the beginning of his freedom.
Rahim Khan wanted to see Amir because he had a favor to ask him: bring Sohrab to Pakistan. Even at this point in the story, Amir wasn’t ready yet and only agreed after some recollection out of guilt instead of free will.
The fact that Sohrab is his half-nephew made him feel like it was his duty because Sohrab is family.
Amir eventually made his way to Afghanistan. In a courageous move, he arranged a meeting with the Taliban leader who had enslaved Sohrab. Amir proposed to buy Sohrab from the leader, but he refused. The Taliban leader was Assef, who was now torturing Sohrab just as he had done to his father. Assef countered Amir’s offer by stating that he would release Sohrab only if Amir could kill him. Unfortunately, it was no contest as Amir got beaten up.
However, Amir wanted to suffer for both Sohrab and Hassan; it was his way of cleansing himself from guilt. He embraced the idea of suffering for his sins and did so willingly – at one point even laughing while Assef beat him mercilessly. This newfound courage showed that Amir was willing to sacrifice himself just as Hassan had done for him.
All those years of hiding his guilt led up to this moment where Amir finally became a man who could take responsibility and nullify his father’s fear that he would become someone who couldn’t stand up for anything.
Conclusion.
From a spoiled coward to a courageous and true Afghan,” Amir eventually found his courage. As he matured, he learned to take responsibility for his actions. He confronted his past and found freedom from years of guilt that had tormented him. His sense of responsibility led to this change. In the end, he became the “Kite Runner” just like Hassan.
