Character Development in the Kite Runner Essay

The central character of the story as well as its narrator, amir has a privileged upbringing. His father, Baba, is rich by Afghan stand outards, and as a result, emeer grows up accustomed to having what he wants. The only thing he feels divest of is a deep emotional connection with Baba, which he blames on himself. He thinks Baba wishes amir were more like him, and that Baba holds him responsible for killing his mother, who died during his birth. Amir, consequently, be take a shits jealously toward anyone receiving Babas affection. His kindred with Hassan only exacerbates this.Though Hassan is Amirs best friend, Amir feels that Hassan, a Hazara servant, is beneath him. When Hassan receives Babas attention, Amir tries to assert himself by passive-aggressively attacking Hassan. He mocks Hassans ignorance, for instance, or plays tricks on him. At the same time, Amir never learns to assert himself against anyone else because Hassan always defends him. All of these factors play into h is cowardice in sacrificing Hassan, his only competition for Babas love, in order to get the blue kite, which he thinks will bring him Babas approval.The change in Amirs character we see in the novel centers on his growth from a selfish child to a selfless adult. After allowing Hassan to be raped, Amir is not any happier. On the contrary, his viciousness is relentless, and he recognizes his selfishness cost him his felicitousness rather than increasinfulnessg it. Once Amir has married and established a career, only two things prevent his complete happiness his guilt and his inability to have a child with Soraya. Sohrab, who acts as a substitute for Hassan to Amir, very becomes a solution to two problems.Amir describes Sohrab as facial expression like a sacrificial lamb during his confrontation with Assef, but it is actually himself that Amir courageously sacrifices. In doing this, as Hassan once did for him, Amir redeems himself, which is why he feels relief even as Assef beats h im. Amir also comes to see Sohrab as a substitute for the child he and Soraya cannot have, and as a self-denying father figure to Sohrab, Amir assumes the roles of Baba and Hassan. Plot Amir tells us about the unique relationship he has with Hassan, a Hazara boy who is the victim of discrimination, but ironically is the half-brother of Amir, a Pashtun.Amir is overwhelmed with guilt when he allows Hassan to be beaten and raped on the day Amir wins the kite flying tournament. He lies to have Hassan accused of theft so he will leave their home and Amir can try to forget his guilt. Eventually, Amir and his father flee Afghanistan subsequently the Russians invade and Amir takes his tragic memories to America to start a new life. Unfortunately, his debt to Hassan must be paid and he returns to his country to find Hassans strip son and rescue him.There, he discovers that Sohrab has become the sexual plaything of Assef, the bully who had tormented both Amir and Hassan when they were youn g. Ultimately, Amir must defeat Assef in a raging physical battle, take the damaged Sohrab out of Afghanistan and try to help him repair his spirit. Conflict Amir is the protagonist, because it is his story a story that details his childishness in Afghanistan and the terrible sin he commits against Hassan, a Hazara boy who also happens to be his half-brother. It also details how he eventually returns to his homeland to atone for that sin by finding Hassans son, Sohrab, and bringing him home.The antagonist is, on the surface, the man named Assef, who is a bigoted childhood acquaintance of Amir and Hassan. He torments them both, but actually attacks and rapes Hassan. Later, when the Taliban gains control of Afghanistan, he becomes one of them so he can continue to torture others he finds inferior to himself. He also takes Sohrab as his sexual plaything and Amir must defeat Assef to bring Sohrab home and to the family he deserves. the other antagonist is Amirs sin which he must expia te before he can find redemption. Setting.* (Time) 1975 through 2001 * (Place) Kabul, Afghanistan California, United States Mood The narrator speaks in the first person, primarily describing events that occurred months and years ago. The narrator describes these events subjectively, explaining only how he go through them. At one point, another character briefly narrates a chapter from his own point of view. At times, the mood of The Kite Runner is tragic, filled with despair, and very disturbing at other times, it is uplifting and hopeful. Finally, it is a triumphant commentary on the human spirit.Development of Central Theme The search for redemption the love and tautness between fathers and sons the intersection of political events and private lives the persistence of the past. The Search for Redemption Amirs quest to redeem himself makes up the heart of the novel. Early on, Amir strives to redeem himself in Babas eyes, primarily because his mother died giving birth to him, and he feels responsible. To redeem himself to Baba, Amir thinks he must win the kite-tournament and bring Baba the losing kite, both of which are inciting incidents that set the rest of the novel in motion.The more substantial part of Amirs search for redemption, however, stems from his guilt regarding Hassan. That guilt drives the climactic events of the story, including Amirs journey to Kabul to find Sohrab and his confrontation with Assef. The moral standard Amir must meet to earn his redemption is set early in the book, when Baba says that a boy who doesnt stand up for himself becomes a man who cant stand up to anything. As a boy, Amir fails to stand up for himself. As an adult, he can only redeem himself by proving he has the courage to stand up for what is right.