Baba had lived a life lying to his son and his close friend Ali. Baba had committed adultery and thief which he believed to be the worst sin. The shocker in the novel was when Rahim Khan expressed to Amir that Hassan was also Baba’s son. By Baba not telling Amir that Hassan was his brother earlier in the novel, he had robbed Amir and Hassan of a true brother to brother relationship. I feel that if Amir had known that Hassan was his brother, he would have never made the decision to put the money under Hassan bed which constituted to Ali’s and Hassan’s departure.
. .] he was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?” ( Hosseini 100). This quote goes beyond Amir’s childish acts, as it also portrays Amir’s views toward Hassan. Since Baba kept his secret tightly locked, Amir did not respect Hassan the way he would of if he knew that Hassan was his half-brother.
Although his father was looked upon as a failure in society, in the eyes of the tribe, and by his own son, he contained something that Okonkwo never had: humility and happiness in the smallest things. He thought that those were the reasons that made his father a failure. His son, Nwoye, was more like Okonkwo’s father and this leads them to drift off in different directions. Okonkwo had grown up to reject anything that resembled his father, humility or happiness, and this leads him to live his life dominated by fear. Okonkwo's tragic flaw is that he fears looking weak and letting emotions get the best of him is what lead him to his ultimate downfall.
Two characters that show bewilderment throughout the course of the novel is Scout, and Bob Ewell. One character in the novel that shows ignorance throughout the course of the novel is Bob Ewell. "This morning Mr. Bob Ewell stopped Atticus on the post office corner, spat in his face, and told him he'd get him if it took the rest of his life. "(271) Bob Ewell was desperate for revenge and the help that Atticus was trying to prove Tom's innocence of something that Bob Ewell caused. This quote is important because it showed that Bob had no respect for Atticus, and his embarrassment in court was his main priority in getting him back.
I ran it fairly” (P.77) and later got raped. Despite the consequences that Hassan was going to go through he believed that risking his life to satisfy Amir was worth giving up for than disappointing him. Near the ending of the book, Amir tries to redeem the broken bond between him and Sohrab. Amir used the kite in order to gain redemption, he flew the kite and used it in a battle against a local kid and won with the help of Sohrab. Right after Amir offered to run catch the kite for Sohrab and repeated the same quote that Hassan had said once, “For you, a thousand times over” (P.391).
Then I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies. Amir thinks that he can forget his guilt by driving Hassan out of his house. But he’s wrong. He can’t run away from his guilt in the past easily. Even after moving out to America, the guilty feeling taunts him back when Baba mentions Hassan’s name.
9. The tragedy for these two boys is that although Hassan is like Baba their father, Amir is not. Do you agree? 10. The Kite Runner shows that cultural values have the power to overcome values held by the individual.
Except now that I had it, I felt as empty as this unkempt pool I was dangling my legs into.” (p. 85). It is in this way that Hosseini uses the kite symbol to develop irony; Amir believes that the kite would be the savior of his relationship with Baba, but in reality, it is only superficial love. Amir wanted to be like Baba, but he didn’t realize that he already was like Baba. He was incapable of having a real relationship with a person, and valued things like kite fighting over actual relationships. It is because of this that he betrays Hassan, and says, “He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?” (p. 77).
From Amir's narrative view we see a boy who strives to be something his father can be proud of and a father who is disappointed in his son. Hosseini has made Baba and Amir's relationship rather broken in the beginning of the story; Baba even saying, "If I hadn't seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I'd never believe he's my son." After the Russians invade and the pair flees to America their relationship changes, from being rifted it becomes two people trying their best to make up for what they didn't have before. They work together at the flea market and Baba lets Amir choose his uni courses. Baba's death is a loss, not only to Amir, "Noting the two inches of empty space between the collar button and Baba’s neck.
However, the two most important instances were when he did not help Hassan during the rape and when he framed Hassan for stealing the watch and money. When Amir returns to Pakistan, Rahim Khan encourages Amir to find Sohrab from a war torn orphanage and says “there is a way to be good again.” Amir believes he can be redeemed if he can complete this task since Sohrab's parents were executed. Through the redemption Another example of betrayal and redemption is witnessed in Baba's relationship with his son, Amir. Baba is unable to accept Amir for who he is during his childhood. He is always comparing him to other boys and criticizing him for his shortcomings.