Kite Runner

A soldier in war knows he could die at any moment, but remains on the battlefield to protect that which is dearest to him. It takes a special kind of person to do this. When faced with adversity, there are a select few who can push it aside for the greater good. These are the people worth writing about. In Khaled Hosseini's, The Kite Runner, the main character, Amir, learns the true meaning of loyalty and friendship by risking his own life to save another, thus proving that one does not know the value of friendship until it is gone. After years of misguidance, Amir realizes that on the road to friendship and loyalty, one must be able to stand up for what they believe in, something many are too afraid to do. When they were young, Amir and Hassan, Amir's slave, were confronted by the neighborhood bully, Assef. They happened to be in a remote location. Afraid of being hurt, Amir wondered if anyone would be able to hear his scream. “'Just let us go Assef,' I said, hating the way my voice trembled”(Hosseini 41). If not for the lethal threat of Hassan's slingshot, Assef might not have left without giving them a beating. This event portrays one of Amir's weaknesses, which contrasts his adult persona. It shows how he thinks about himself in situations that threaten his well being. A strong person would not have assumed that the only option was to admit defeat. Hassan managed to put aside his fears to overcome Assef's superiority; which was the opposite of Amir. Amir's weakness did not go unnoticed in his daily life. Baba, Amir's father, was able to see this in him: “A boy who can't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up for anything”(22). Baba's statement is not so much of a fact as it is a challenge. He does not believe that Amir will ever change, but there is never a way to be absolutely sure of what the future holds. The encounter with Assef was only a stepping stone on the road to learning what it means to be a true friend. Amir