Had Amir acted differently, Ali and Hassan never would have left for Hazarajat, and both might still be alive now. Through this logic, Amir has made himself responsible for their deaths. He realizes he cannot save them, but a piece of Hassan lives on in Sohrab. By rescuing Sohrab, Amir will figuratively rescue Hassan as well.
How does Amir react to Hassan's death?
Hassan's death also marks a turning point in Amir's quest for redemption. To Amir, the news of Hassan's murder means not only that he has lost his friend forever, but also that he can never apologize to Hassan for allowing his rape and then lying about him stealing Amir's birthday money.
What does Amir blame on Hassan?
After the rape, Amir frames Hassan for the stealing of his birthday money and his brand new watch that Baba bought for Amir. The reason Amir does this is because he can barely stand to be around Hassan due to his guilt overcoming him for not stepping in and interfering with the rape.
How does Amir betray Hassan and what makes him do it?
Lesson Summary In Amir's attempt to prove himself to his father and to himself, he throws Hassan under the bus. Even when Amir attempts to redeem himself by saving Hassan's son, he commits another betrayal by abandoning Hassan's son.
Why did Amir want to get rid of Hassan?
Why does Amir want Hassan to leave Baba's household? Amir tells himself that having Hassan leave Baba's household would lessen both Hassan's and his own suffering. He got such an idea from Baba's friend, Rahim Khan, who once told Amir of loving a Hazara woman who was then sent away from his family.
How did Amir mistreat Hassan?
He stumbles upon Hassan being harassed by Assef and his friends. As Amir watches, Hassan refuses to relinquish the kite to Assef, and Assef ultimately rapes him as his friends hold him down. Although Amir is aware that he is acting cowardly and betraying his friend, he cannot bring himself to step in and help Hassan.
How does Amir mistreat Hassan?
When Hassan refuses to give up Amir's kite, Assef rapes him. Amir sees this happening from a distance, but does not do anything to help Hassan. Instead he runs away. Of course, when Hassan brings Amir the kite and Amir shows it to Baba, he gets the recognition from his father that he had hoped for.
What sins does Amir commit?
Even when Amir was born, he had committed his first sin; his mother had died giving birth to him. He had believed that it was his fault for her death. The next sin Amir had produced was watching Hassan get raped and not doing anything to help Hassan when Hassan had constantly saved him.
Why does Amir feel guilty in The Kite Runner?
Amir's personal guilt comes from his failure to become a good friend, his familial guilt comes from his burden to bear the sin of the family, especially his father, and his societal guilt comes from his burden to bear the injustice that happened in the history of his tribe.
Why is Amir jealous Hassan?
Amir sees Hassan as a threat to his relationship between him and his father, which is spurred by his jealous nature. He wants his father to only show him attention and not show Hassan father-like love.
Why is Hassan so loyal to Amir?
Ali has taught Hassan to be so righteous and loyal that he would not dream of starting trouble and does not hesitate to cover up for Amir. As we learn, Hassan is so determined to protect Amir and not to cause anyone grief that he keeps his rape a secret.
Who suffers the most in The Kite Runner?
Who suffers the most in The Kite Runner? In Khaled Hosseini's novel “The Kite Runner” many characters have to suffer so another can feel better. Hassan, Amir and Sohrab all undergo extreme suffering either physically or psychologically.
Why does Amir constantly test Hassan's loyalty?
Amir tests Hassan's loyalty because, he is insecure in his relationship to his father, so he tests the loyalty of those who are closest to him. Later on in the book, way after the kite running tournament, Amir takes the birthday money he received and put it under Hassan's pillow, blaming him that he stole his money.
How has Hassan become a scapegoat?
Hassan as a Scapegoat Topic Sentence; Hassan is a scapegoat because he allows himself to be blamed for things that he did not do. Although he is innocent he takes the scolding and punishment for something he did not commit. Amir did not have to ask him to lie for him, Hassan just did it.
What does Amir mean when he says like father like son?
Amir would have felt that his father didn't trust him completely. The cliché 'like father, like son' is true because both Baba and Amir hide the truth and this has devastating effects on the future. Baba has hidden Hassan's true identity which leads to Hassan being left in Afghanistan and eventually leads to his death.
What did Baba steal from Hassan?
The morning after, Amir waits for Hassan and Ali to leave. He takes his birthday money and a watch that Baba gave him and puts them under Hassan's mattress. He tells Baba that Hassan stole them, and when Ali and Hassan return, Baba asks Hassan if he stole the money and the watch. To Amir's surprise, Hassan says he did.
What does Amir realize when Ali and Hassan come to Baba's study?
What does Amir realize when Ali and Hasan come to Baba's study? Amir realizes that Hassan knows that Amir watched him get raped. He also realizes that Amir told Hassan this.
Why does Farid treat Amir so contemptuously?
Farid’s other reason for treating Amir contemptuously has to do with class. While rich Afghans had the money to leave, an expensive endeavor that required paying drivers to smuggle them out or buying plane tickets, most Afghans did not. Even before the wars destroyed Afghanistan, life was different for the rich. Knowing that Amir grew up rich, Farid says Amir was always a tourist in Afghanistan. As a boy, Amir lived in a large house with servants. Most Afghans, by contrast, have very little. When Farid points to the old man walking with a sack filled with scrub grass on his back and calls him the real Afghanistan, he is right to a large degree, and Amir knows it. Even Amir’s job as a writer represents a privileged life, which is why he is slightly embarrassed to tell Wahid what he does. Amir’s most troubling confrontation with Afghanistan’s poverty occurs when he overhears Wahid and his wife arguing. He realizes they gave him their food out of courtesy, but it meant that they and their children had nothing to eat. In an act recalling the way he framed Hassan years earlier, he stuffs money under the mattress before he leaves, only this time he does it to make amends.
Who did Amir rescue?
By rescuing Sohrab, Amir will figuratively rescue Hassan as well. With this in mind, and the knowledge that he still has time to begin fighting for himself, Amir returns to Rahim Khan’s house to tell him he will make the trip back to Afghanistan.
What did Amir think of Baba?
Baba had said that theft was the only sin, and Amir thinks how Baba stole from him a brother, from Hassan his identity, from Ali his honor. Amir realizes he and Baba were more alike than he knew. They had both betrayed their truest friends. What Rahim Khan wanted was for Amir to atone for Baba’s sins and his own. On the ride back to Rahim Khan’s, Amir recognizes he is not too old to start fighting for himself, and that somewhere in Kabul, a small part of Hassan remains. He finds Rahim Khan praying and tells him he will find Sohrab.
Why do Amir and Farid argue?
They are arguing about dinner. Because they gave Amir their food, the children did not have any dinner. Amir realizes that the boys weren’t staring at his watch, they were staring at his food. The next morning, before Amir and Farid leave, Amir stuffs a wad of money under one of their mattresses.
What did Rahim Khan want?
What Rahim Khan wanted was for Amir to atone for Baba’s sins and his own. On the ride back to Rahim Khan’s, Amir recognizes he is not too old to start fighting for himself, and that somewhere in Kabul, a small part of Hassan remains. He finds Rahim Khan praying and tells him he will find Sohrab.
What does Amir notice when he eats?
While Amir eats, he notices Wahid’s three boys staring at his wristwatch. He gives the boys the watch as a gift, though they lose interest quickly. As Amir and Farid lie down to sleep, Farid says it was wrong of him to assume Amir’s reason for returning and says he will help Amir find the boy.
What does Farid call the old man walking with a sack filled with scrub grass on his back?
When Farid points to the old man walking with a sack filled with scrub grass on his back and calls him the real Afghanistan, he is right to a large degree, and Amir knows it. Even Amir’s job as a writer represents a privileged life, which is why he is slightly embarrassed to tell Wahid what he does.
What is Amir overcome with?
Amir is overcome with joy, and he cries into the doctor’s hands. Amir’s prayers are answered, and so he will return to Islam for the rest of the narrative, and keep praying regularly. Amir’s redemption is imperfect, but so is this latest betrayal.
What does Amir feel when he sees Sohrab?
Amir starts running, the kite rising behind him, and then he realizes Sohrab is following him. Amir feels a rush of joy, as he hasn’t flown a kite in decades. Kites return to the narrative, but this time as a symbol of hope for the future.
What chapter is the kite runner?
The Kite Runner: Chapter 25 Summary & Analysis. The Kite Runner: Chapter 25. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Kite Runner, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Sohrab is taken to the emergency room, and Amir is not allowed to go in with him.
What does Sohrab say to Amir?
Amir touches his shoulder and he flinches. Amir says that he had been coming to tell Sohrab that he found a way to take him to America.
What is the nature of Sohrab's silence?
Amir describes the nature of Sohrab ’s silence – it is not just quietness, but as if he had shut himself down or curled up deep inside himself. He seems to occupy no space, and leaves no trace when he enters or leaves a room. The silence is hard on Soraya, as she had dreamed of doing so many “parent-child” things with him, and both her and Amir’s dreams of a happy family seem to wilt in Sohrab’s presence.
When did Amir and Sohrab arrive in San Francisco?
Amir returns to the narrative, as he and Sohrab arrive in San Francisco in August of 2001. Soraya picks them up at the airport, and she talks to Sohrab and shows him the bedroom she has decorated for him, but he does not respond or show interest.
What is the happy ending of Sohrab?
The happy ending that should have been, with Sohrab completing Amir and Soraya’s family, and them raising Sohrab in a safe, loving environment, seems to dry up in the face of Sohrab’s traumas.
Why did Amir want to suffer?
Amir wanted to suffer, for Sohrab and Hassan, it was a way of cleansing himself from guilt. He embraced the idea of suffering for his sins, and he did. At a point he was even laughing while Assef beat him to pulp. This is Amir’s new found courage, he is willing to sacrifice himself just as Hassan sacrificed for him.
Why did Amir run away?
He ran away instead, fooling himself that he ran out of fear but he knew very well that he ran because he believed that Hassan had to be sacrificed in order to save him. Amir’s thought that Hassan was just a Hazara confirmed that he did not consider Hassan to be his true friend but as a servant-friend.
How did Amir get himself to Afghanistan?
Amir eventually got himself to Afghanistan. In a brave move, he arranged a meeting with the Taliban leader that enslaved Sohrab. He proposed to buy Sohrab from the leader but he refused. The Taliban leader was Assef, now torturing Sohrab like he did his father. Assef countered Amir’s bid, stating that he would let Sohrab go if Amir can kill him. It was a no contest, Amir got beat up. Amir wanted to suffer, for Sohrab and Hassan, it was a way of cleansing himself from guilt. He embraced the idea of suffering for his sins, and he did. At a point he was even laughing while Assef beat him to pulp. This is Amir’s new found courage, he is willing to sacrifice himself just as Hassan sacrificed for him. All the years of hiding his guilt led to this moment, Amir finally becoming a man that can take responsibility, nullifying his father’s fear that he would become a man that would not stand up to anything.
What is the story of Amir in The Kite Runner?
Amir’s Courage in “The Kite Runner”. In “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Husseini, Amir, the main protagonist of the story undergoes a transformation. As a young boy in Kabul, Afghanistan, his homeland, he was a cowardly kid, always letting Hassan, his servant-friend, do everything for him. His lack of courage led to his best friend’s rape.
What did Amir learn from his past?
He confronted his past and found freedom. Years of his guilt tormenting him and his sense of responsibility led to this change. In the end, he learned to be the “Kite Runner” just like Hassan.
What is Amir's courage?
Amir’s Courage as an Adult. In contrast to his cowardly acts as boy, Amir eventually found his courage to confront his past. Or rather, the guilt of the past got a hold of him. As years pass, the guilt that he felt was seemingly overwhelmed by his life in America. He was able to study, earn a living, and marry.
Why did Hassan hide his wristwatch?
As a desperate attempt to get rid of the guilt, or at least the person that would remind him of his sin, he hid his wristwatch and some money that he got as birthday gift, under Hassan’s bed. He blamed Hassan for stealing. Not surprisingly, Hassan admitted this crime he didn’t commit.
What would have happened if Amir had not driven Ali and Hassan from the house?
If he had not driven Ali and Hassan from the house, they might have come to America with Baba and Amir, and things could have been totally different . Amir wishes that Rahim Khan had never called him and dredged up the past, but again he thinks of the phrase “a way to be good again,” and hopes that perhaps with Sohrab there is a way to end the cycle of betrayals and lies.
What does Amir realize about Baba?
Amir realizes that Baba was right – Amir was unable to stand up for himself for most of his life – but now he has a chance to do the right thing. By rescuing Sohrab, Amir will symbolically be saving Hassan as well, and righting some of the wrongs of his past. Active Themes.
Where does Amir find Sohrab?
Hassan was gone, but part of him lives on in Kabul. Amir finds Rahim Khan praying, and he tells him that he will go to Kabul and find Sohrab .
Did Baba betray Ali?
Even though Baba also betrayed Ali, Amir sees that his own betrayal ultimately led to Hassan’s death. There is more irony in that if Amir does go save Sohrab, he will be doing what Baba would have done – after his own betrayal – in having the courage to stand up for what is right.
Is Amir different from Baba?
This is a new irony, that Amir is not so different from Baba in his betrayal. But Amir now starts to see that by saving Sohrab, he can share in Baba’s virtues, which redeemed Baba later in his life. Active Themes. Amir cannot help thinking that he is responsible for Hassan ’s death.
