Preview

The Kite Runner Character Analysis Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
783 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Kite Runner Character Analysis Essay
Devin Dozier
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Boardman English
15 May 2016
The Kite Runner Character Analysis
From the start and through his death, Hassan remains the same: loyal, forgiving, and good-natured. Hassan grew up with a very particular role in life. He prepares Amir’s breakfast and collects his books while Amir gets ready for school. Rather than going to school as well, Hassan stays and helps his father, Ali, get groceries and complete their chores. Instead of receiving his education, he stays home and lives as a servant to those richer than he. Hassan learns early on in life that it is his duty to sacrifice himself for others. As a result of growing up this way, Hassan is not prone to envy and is even happy with the way he lives; the life he has. Even after a traumatic, violent past, he remains innocent from the beginning and to the end of his life. There is no way for Hassan to become ‘good again’ because he had never been bad. Hassan’s ability to suffer without becoming bitter, his integrity, and what his character truly shows us that there is no way for him
…show more content…
Hassan uses his letters to Amir, who is now in America, to tell him how Afghanistan has changed. The streets of Afghanistan are being terrorized, but he only thinks to worry about those around him. “The streets are full enough already of hungry orphans and every day I thank Allah that I am alive, not because I fear death, but because my wife has a husband and my son will not be an orphan.” He also dreams that Amir will come back to him, free of guilt. “ And I dream that someday you will return to Kabul to revisit the land of our childhood. If you do, you will find an old faithful friend waiting for you.” His journey just proves to us again and again how wonderful a person Hassan truly is and how possible, but rare, it is for true integrity to exist in those who have the patience and tolerance to let it be

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Amir changes to become worthy of Hassan’s love and loyalty. After many years Amir returns to Afghanistan to learn the fate of his childhood friend and he finds a very different country than the one he left as a boy. Even as an adult, Hassan had remained loyal to Amir by asking Rahim Khan about his friend and he wrote a letter to Amir in hopes that it would be passed along. Amir’s guilt is brought back and he feels he owes Hassan loyalty in return. The friendship is developed further when Amir finds out that Hassan was actually his brother. At that moment, Amir became determined to find Hassan’s son. Only when Amir goes to rescue Sorab, Hassan’s son, does he truly start feeling “healed at last” (289). As an act of loyalty back to Hassan, Amir’s journey and heroic efforts allow him to adopt Sorab. This showed that Amir really had a deep respect and love for his best friend. The parallelism of Amir and Hassan’s last kite flight together and Amir and Sorab’s first kite flight together shows that Amir’s and Hassan’s friendship never died. In the final scene of the novel, Amir yells to Sohrab, “for a thousand times over” (391). This statement proves that Amir has become loyal to Hassan. The past clearly dictates who one is in the future, and the previous actions of Amir have taught him to accept his betrayal and account for it in the end. By lovingly and wholeheartedly adopting Hassan’s son, it proves to…

    • 1364 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I believe the source of Amir’s power is in his ethnicity because he was born in a higher class. I also believe that Hassan had some power since he was the son of Baba. Throughout the book, you can see that Hassan had lived a plight free life. Amir would always scoff at Hassan about literature even though Hassan is unschooled. Hassan always stayed loyal although I would think he would feel animosity towards Hassan. I also think that Hassan’s passive ways have power over Amir. Amir hates that he cannot undo what he did, or have Hassan deal the same pain unto him. This makes Amir feel bad because he knows that he has hurt Hassan. While Hassan doesn't hurt Amir back, Amir is handling things in a pragmatic way. Amir’s goal was to get rid of Hassan.…

    • 195 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Review and think about the section titled "Contemporary Postmodern Understandings of Culture and Variation in Human Behavior" found in Chapter 8 of your text.…

    • 376 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the book "The Kite Runner" Amir and his father escape from Afghanistan before the Taliban can get them. Amir is happy to be in America because he longs for peace from what had happened to Hassan. Yet, he cannot escape the events that had happened that changed his life. He is still an insomniac and he carries guilt over not standing up against Assef when he was raping Hassan.…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Where he failed to take action as a child, he now has the chance to do the right thing as an adult. Family friend, Rahim Khan telephones Amir and tells him to come to Pakistan. Amir realizes that Rahim Khan knows of his betrayals to Hassan for he said, “Come. There is a way to be good again” (202). Even though it was twenty-six years later, Rahim Khan understands that Amir can atone for the past by helping Hassan now. Meeting Rahim Khan, Amir learns that the Taliban has killed Hassan and his wife yet Hassan’s son, Sohrab has survived. Amir further learns that he and Hassan share the same father making Sohrab his nephew. The way for Amir to make amends for his past actions is to go back to Kabul despite the danger and rescue Sohrab from an orphanage: “Hassan had loved me once, loved me in a way that no one ever had or ever would again. He was gone now, but a little part of him lived on. It was in Kabul. Waiting” (239). Amir knows that he will never have a friend as loyal and loving as Hassan again. The best way he can repay Hassan is by helping Sohrab. Amir must be selfless and possibly sacrifice his own family’s happiness and his life to find Sohrab: “I have a wife in America, a home, a career, and a family. But how could I pack up and go home when my actions may have cost Hassan a chance at those very same things?” (238). If Amir acted differently when he was younger, Hassan may still be alive today. Amir…

    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When you read two great stories you always notice that they have things in common and some things different. From what I read “The Bean Trees” and “The Kite Runner”, their meaning had the most in common.…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    He is selfish, demanding, cowardly, disrespectful and jealous. He does not seem like the type of person that will do something for another out of the kindness of their heart. He always thinks about himself and what he wants. He has never sacrificed anything for the people he loves. Growing up with the memory of Hassan’s rape still fresh in his mind like a situation that has just unfolded has finally opened his eyes and makes him realize he needs to be brave for once in his life. So Amir acts. He goes back to Afghanistan to find Hassan’s son, Sohrab. Rahim Khan’s advice, “There is a way to be good again” (pg.2) helps Amir to put his feelings into action. Assef, now a Taliban officer, beats Amir up badly, but this, heals Amir of his wrong doings from the past and he takes Sohrab back to America with him to live a good life. Amir finally puts someone before himself after all the sacrifices Hassan has made for him in the past. This shows the love and sacrifice he makes for Hassan’s child knowing it is the only way he can ever repay Hassan for the years of mistreatment in their…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Kite Runner Analysis

    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In today’s society many people make mistakes and either choose not to fix them, or never have the chance to. The Kite Runner is a fictional work by Khaled Hosseini. Hoesseini starts the book with a memory of Hassan kite running for Amir, which leads to a horrible mistake. Hoessini ends the book similarly with another scene of kite running, but this time Amir is running for Hassan’s son Sohrab. Hosseini frames the novel with two scenes of kite running to illustrate how Amir redeems himself.…

    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kite Runner Themes

    • 2157 Words
    • 9 Pages

    As a child, he makes a number of major mistakes and terrible choices. But that’s a part of growing up. Amir learned from his rough past not to make the same mistakes twice. He learned that inner conflict must be confronted. He learned that in this world, everything does not come easy. He learned that intermittently a person has to stand firm what is right, even if everyone is against them. He learned not to take things for granted. All in all, he learned how to fight back. Amir’s bumpy past truly compelled him to appreciate his present day existence. Without problems people would not appreciate the enjoyable times they have as much or they would not be as memorable. This book has opened my eyes. I have not had a terrible life, although I have definitely had my ups and downs. When I was four I lost my father, it was a difficult time for considering I was young and it seemed as though just as I was learning more about him he was taken from me. “Good night Khalil, I love you and I’ll see you in the morning, now go to bed.” Those are the last words my dad said to me. I still become extremely emotional every time I remember them because I went to sleep expecting to wake up with two parents and that was not the case when I woke up. After that night I never took another thing for granted because nothing is guaranteed. I live and savor every second…

    • 2157 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rape In The Kite Runner

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Amir, to win his father’s approval allows for the rape of Hassan to occur and becomes an insomniac as a result. Amir, believing Hassan is the ‘price (he) (has) to pay’, allows him to be raped, causing him to carry an enormous amount of guilt and shame with him, until he seeks redemption, forcing him to become an ‘insomniac’, as he is no longer able to be at peace with himself. By moving to America, Amir believes he can ‘bury (his) memories’ and forget the traumatic events of the winter of 1975. However, the amount of guilt Amir is carrying with him for not correcting his wrongdoings is what forces him to eventually return to Kabul and seek redemption. Amir, who is a ‘coward’ when a child, remains…

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Role and Conflict

    • 1218 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Amir, is the central character and is shaped both in character and intellect by power. He is privileged and wealthy, but also steeped in jealousy and cowardice. He is selfish and guilty of abhorrent behaviors. The one positive strength Amir has is his friendship with Hassan. Considered best friends this is a friendship that is generally one-sided with Hassan showing the loyalty and trust. There is an ongoing conflict for this friendship because Amir shares paternal heritage with Hassan. Hassan was born into servitude and thus Baba, the boys’ father, cannot lay claim to Hassan’s heritage. The Afghan traditions and culture pose a conflict for Baba regarding Hassan. Hassan for his part is loyal, forgiving, and an all-around pleasant person to be with. The two boys are drawn to each other naturally. Hassan is the family servant and never wavers in his loyalty to the family even with the knowledge that he should be considered part of it. At the same time, Baba struggles with his own morals and the rigid Afghani traditions. He is proud and determined but also emotionally detached from Amir. Amir feels the detachment deeply and constantly strives to receive Baba’s affection.…

    • 1218 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kite Runner Thesis

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Years after leaving his homeland, Amir receives a letter through Rahim Khan that causes him to succumb to a heart-wrenching emotional turbulence, in it Hassan stating, “I dream that someday you will return to Kabul… if you do, you will find an old faithful friend waiting for you”. Even after the passing of 26 lengthy and unpredictable years, Amir’s considerable wrongdoings and irreparable actions, and the vast distance between the two men, Hassan remains the ever-ardent and dedicated…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Kite Runner Theme Essay

    • 2339 Words
    • 10 Pages

    “He knew about Assef, the kite, the money, the watch with the lightning bolt hands. He had always known. ‘Come. There is a way to be good again,’ Rahim Khan had said on the phone just before hanging up. Said it in passing, almost as an afterthought.” (Chapter 14, pg 202).…

    • 2339 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kite Runner

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Finally Amir came back to his hometown, witnessed the change of his hometown by the war. At the same time, he also met childhood butler, saw the ruined house, and learned Hassan's death. Although Hassan is dead, Amir’s salvation did not stop, Hassan’s only son Sohrab was controlled by the rivals of Amir’s childhood. His cowardice and guilty intertwined him..., a redemption began again.…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Are there people in your life that have similar characteristics with the characters in the book, The Kite Runner? Sometimes when you read a book, you like it because either you find yourself in one of the characters or you find similar people in your life from that book. The Kite Runner has rich and multipronged characters in it. Especially, the relationship between specific characters has taught me a lot of things. In the book, the readers see that there are many characters with many different characteristics, in fact; Amir, the narrator of the story, tells about his childhood in Afghanistan and the relationship between him and his half-brother, Hassan. Hassan is the most sacrificing and the kindest character in the book. He is Amir’s best friend and later in the story it is revealed that he is also his half-brother. Another important character, Baba, is Amir and Hassan’s father, who is very ashamed of the fact that he is also the biological father of Hassan and keeps this as a secret until his death. Those are some of the main and the most important characters in the book. These richly described characters get the readers’ attention and hook them up to the flow of the story. The characteristics of Amir, Hassan and Baba in The Kite Runner, such as, Amir being guilt-ridden and condescending, Hassan being loyal and compassionate and finally Baba being protective and heroic, constitute the main idea that the author is trying to give the reader.…

    • 1469 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays