Baba And Hassan Betrayal

The theme of betrayal is prominent through the lies told by Baba and Amir and through Amir’s disloyalty to Hassan. When Amir is a child his father states, "There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft…" (17). Baba’s quote reveals that much of what happens in the novel would be considered sin. While Baba stressed that there was nothing worse than a thief, he himself robbed Hassan and Amir of the truth about their relation. Baba lied to them both their entire lives and Amir only learned that Hassan was his brother after Baba and Hassan were both dead. It reveals that Baba was not as strong on the inside as he pretended to be on the outside. While he may have wrestled bears he did not have the strength to tell the truth at risk of damaging his reputation.
The betrayal can also be shown in the character’s actions as well as their words. For example, “I lifted Hassan's mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it” (104). While there were betrayals that came early on in Hassan and Amir’s relationship, such as when Amir abandoned Hassan when he was attacked and how he never played with him when others were around, Amir framing Hassan seemed to be the final betrayal of their friendship. Hassan’s unwavering faithfulness to Amir makes it even more difficult when Amir frames Hassan and he and Ali choose to