The Kite Runner: Quote Analysis

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The Kite Runner: Quote Analysis “I stopped watching, turned away from the alley. Something warm was running down my wrist. I blinked, saw I was still biting down on my fist, hard enough to draw blood from the knuckles. I realized something else. I was weeping. From just around the corner, I could hear Assef's quick, rhythmic grunts. […] In the end, I ran.” (Hosseini 77) Craving for a father’s acceptance, Baba’s words with Rahim Kahn never escaped Amir’s mind. During their conversation, Baba emphasizes Amir’s cowardice by stating “there is something missing in that boy” (22). Amir’s decision to leave Hassan during the rape was a significant scene in the story that provides evidence for Baba’s thoughts to be true. His lack of courage leads to a major internal conflict between guilt and Baba’s acceptance. Being envious of the way Baba treats Hassan, Amir struggles among the sacrifice of his companion and the blue kite to win Baba’s approval. He asks himself many questions during an internal dialogue as he returns home. Amir compares Hassan as ‘the lamb’ (77) he had to slay and questions whether it was a ‘fair price’ (77) for the relationship and approval from Baba that he had always longed for. However, his stereotypical perceptions blind him as he suggests Hassan is ‘just a Hazara’ (77). As the story unfolds, Amir sums up his cowardice and guilt after witnessing the rape, which gradually becomes the foundation of irony as Rahim Khan reveals his true relationship with
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