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Betrayal and Jealousy

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“That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years” (Hosseini 1).

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“That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years” (Hosseini 1).

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In the opening paragraph of the novel, Amir reflects on what seems to be a troubling incident from the past. He reflects on the central conflict of the book and how it impacted his life. After reading the novel, I have realized the opening paragraph was describing the defining moment in Amir’s life. He turned his back on his friend during a truly traumatic time, and his actions haunted him for many years after the incident. Amir states that it is impossible to bury the past due to his own personal experience of constantly being reminded of his mistake for the past twenty-six years.

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“‘And where is he headed?’ Baba said. ‘A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who cant stand up to anything’” (Hosseini 22).

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“‘And where is he headed?’ Baba said. ‘A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who cant stand up to anything’” (Hosseini 22).

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In a conversation between Baba and his friend Rahim, Amir overhears his father expressing his disapproval of his son. Amir is very hurt by these words and he realizes that his father has more respect for Hassan than his own son because Hassan always stands up Amir when he is in need. Reflecting on the book, I have come to the conclusion that Amir overhearing this conversation had a lasting negative effect on Amir’s consciousness. Because of this event, Amir later lives up to his fathers fear of him being a coward when he does not stand up for Hassan in his desperate time of need.

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“He turned to me. A few sweat beads rolled from his bald scalp. ‘Would I ever lie to you, Amir agha?’” (Hosseini 54).

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“He turned to me. A few sweat beads rolled from his bald scalp. ‘Would I ever lie to you, Amir agha?’” (Hosseini 54).

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In Afghanistan, kite fighting was a largely admired sport, and when a kite is cut out of the sky by another kite, kite runners chase the fallen kite to claim it as a prize. Amir admired Hassan because he was the best kite runner he has ever seen. As Amir is recalling a winter day in which he and Hassan were chasing a kite, Hassan picked the spot in which the kite would eventually land. As they were sitting together, Hassan shows the major difference between him and Amir by telling Amir that he would never lie to him. Hassan is a loyal and truthful boy while Amir is jealous and deceitful. The quote about truth from Hassan foreshadows the betrayals that Amir will later commit against Hassan.

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Amir and Hassan take part in a kite-fighting tournament in an attempt for Amir to win his fathers love and attention. Amir surprisingly wins the fight, and when Hassan, his servant, goes to retrieve the kite, he does not return. Amir sets off to look for Hassan, and what he discovers is horrific. In an alley, Amir witnesses a group of bullies attacking Hassan. As Amir watches Hassan being brutally beaten and raped in the alleyway he battles internally on whether to step up or turn away from helping Hassan. In the end, he decides to run away like a coward and never speak of the incident again. This incident is the first of Amirs betrayals of Hassan.

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“In his arms, I forgot what I’d done. And that was good” (Hosseini 79).

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“In his arms, I forgot what I’d done. And that was good” (Hosseini 79).

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After witnessing Hassan’s attack, Amir was immediately overwhelmed with guilt weighing on his shoulders. He does not know how to tell anyone of the terrible thing he has done, so he tries to bury the truth deep inside himself. neither of them spoke of the incident because Hassan was not aware that Amir witnessed it. Amir thought it would be best for everyone if he forgot about his deceit all together. Amir shifts his focus from hiding the truth about Hassan’s attack to attempting to finally gain his father’s love. As Amir and Hassan return home the day of the attack, Amir enters his home with the prize kite, and finally, his father smiles at him with approval. Baba welcomes Amir with open arms and for a short period of time, Amir was contempt and not filled with guilt.

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“Then I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies” (Hosseini 104). 

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“Then I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies” (Hosseini 104). 

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In a shameful attempt to rid his guilty conscious and win over his father’s admiration, Amir devises a plan to betray Hassan and get him and his father Ali fired from their jobs as servants to Amir’s family. On his birthday, Amir decides to hide money and a watch under Hassan’s mattress for Baba to later find. When Amir’s father finds the money, Hassan takes the blame and he and his father are relieved of their duties. Hassan takes the blame even though he knows Amir was framing him and his father, because he is a forgiving person, unlike Hassan.

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“Come. There is a way to be good again, Rahim Kahn had said on the phone just before hanging up” (Hosseini 192).

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“Come. There is a way to be good again, Rahim Kahn had said on the phone just before hanging up” (Hosseini 192).

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Rahim Kahn, an old friend of Amir’s father, calls Amir when he is living in the United States to inform him of the worsening conditions in Afghanistan. Rahim reveals to Amir that Hassan and his wife were brutally murdered by the Taliban and their son was left as an orphan. Hassan’s son Sohrab was taken in by a child predator named Assef who is also the man who raped Hassan when they were kids. Rahim tells Amir of Sohrab’s condition in order to make an attempt at redeeming himself for his past deceit against Hassan. In order to become “good again,” Amir takes on the responsibility of saving Sohrab and taking him in as his own son.