Amir's Major Change

            I am about three quarters of the way through The Kite Runner now, and things have really heated up. Amir travels to Pakistan to see Rahim Khan who is on his deathbed. When he gets there Rahim Khan explains to him that Hassan had built a life for himself including a wife and adoring son. Rahim then goes on to explain that the Taliban executed Hassan right by the front gates of Baba’s old house. Then, in one of Hosseini’s favorite plot changing one-liners, Rahim asks Amir to go back to Kabul in order to retrieve Hassan’s young son. The resulting actions by Amir very well categorize the changes that his character has undergone throughout the story.

            You will recall that Amir was a selfish young man. He allowed Hassan to serve him with endless loyalty, and when Hassan needed him the most he faded into the background and covered his ears to the sounds of Hassan’s cries. Initially, when Rahim Khan requests for Amir to travel to Kabul in order to find Sohrab (the son of Hassan) he has a similar response to that of the day in which Hassan was raped. Rahim Khan recognizes this response and addresses Amir’s cowardice by sharing that Baba use to worry that Amir might become a, “‘… man who [can’t] stand up to anything’” (221). Amir storms off, but after reflection realizes that this is the opportunity to make up for his lack of loyalty to one of the people that loved him most, Hassan. He realizes that in the days where Hassan would fight off the bullies for Amir, he would stand by and watch but never jump in to help. In his own words Amir was always, “held back by something” (255).  He decides that it is time to stand for something, time to have his friend’s back. Amir eventually accepts this journey to find the son of his fallen brother as a final thank you the years of unyielding friendship that Hassan had blessed him with.

            Amir’s willingness to carry out a mission which puts himself into immediate danger shows his maturation as a character. After he decides to go on the trip to Kabul he is a changed man. He starts to take responsibility for his actions in the past and begins to be a more loyal friend to those that need him. This transition in Amir’s character is a refreshing change and brings about two essential lessons of the novel. The first of which is that everyone makes mistakes in their lives that they cannot go back and fix. However, you can always learn from those mistakes to make yourself a better person for the future. In this case, Amir made the mistake of standing back as Hassan was raped. This memory haunted him for his entire life until he makes the decision to learn from his mistake and finally be the loyal friend that Hassan deserves. He does this by rescuing Hassan’s son from Taliban rule. Even though Hassan is dead, Amir is putting himself at risk in order to save the life of Hassan’s child. This action shows a tremendous amount of loyalty and selflessness, traits which Amir did not posses during his childhood. The second lesson is that sometimes you have to put the needs of those you love before your own. In Amir’s story, returning to Kabul could mean that he would never leave. He risks never seeing his wife again in order to help the son of his late friend. He knows, however, that he needs to be there in Hassan’s time of need. Hassan, although in the grave, would have wanted someone to rescue his young son from the brutalities of the Shari ‘a law. The strong moral obligation that Amir feels to save the son of his half brother Hassan shows not only a major development in his character, but also some of the main ideas that Hosseini is trying to display. That’s all for this section, I’ll see you next time!

Nolan “the breeze” Burgundy