Amir's Influences In The Kite Runner

Unlike how The Kite Runner begins, “I became what I am today at the age of twelve” (Hosseini, pg.1). Amir became what he is today through Baba’s upbringing and his surroundings. Baba influenced Amir in positive and negative ways. Rich surroundings made Amir feel superior. But in America, he was poor and forced to work hard for a better life. Lastly, Amir’s character was greatly influenced by his move to America.

Baba’s upbringing influences Amir both negatively and positively. For example, Amir couldn’t understand why Baba treated him and Hassan the same as he thought he was Baba’s only son and Hassan was just a Hazara servant. This led to Amir being jealous of Hassan and it can be seen in the quote,” Sometimes, I wish he couldn’t do that.
In Afghanistan Amir didn’t have to work for food and had servants doing everything for him. This led him to feel he was superior over the others evidenced by the quote, “But he’s not my friend! He’s my servant!”(Hosseini, pg.44). Secondly, Amir never actually understood how regular Afghans lived as he was from a wealthy family and this shaped his character.”That’s the real Afghanistan, Agha Sahib”. “You’ve always been a tourist here, you just didn’t know it”(Hosseini, pg.245). However, Amir’s character changed when he went to America. In the past, Amir was wealthy, but in America, he had to start over again from the bottom. Not just that, it was also a place for Amir to forget his memories: “For me, America was a place to bury my memories”. Amir’s character also changed and it is evidenced when he says, “But I would stand my ground, I decided. I didn’t want to sacrifice for Baba anymore.”(Hosseini, pg.142). In the past, Amir always wanted Baba’s approval and was willing to do anything to do get it. But in America, he decided to stand up for himself and this is a sign of change in Amir’s
Amir didn’t have to go through what the regular Afghans had to go through when the roussi and taliban came to Afghanistan. For example, Farid talks about a friend of his that wasn’t able to leave:”I had a friend there once,... The Taliban killed him and his family and burned the village” (Hosseini, pg.256). Also, Amir didn’t have to go through what the wealthy people like Assef had to go through either. “It was happening all over: Round up the rich, throw them in jail, make an example for the comrades” (Hosseini, pg.296). In addition, Amir’s life was changed forever when he left Afghanistan and went to America. He got a post-secondary education and became a successful writer:“A month later, Martin called and informed me I was going to be a published novelist ”(Hosseini, pg.196). None of this would've happened had Amir stayed in