Hosseini portrays and contrasts many different forms of parent/ child relationships in The Kite Runner, from the main protagonists, Amir and his tenuous relationship with his father, ‘Baba’. To Hassan’s contrasting, tender relationship with his father Ali. Through the exploration of these relationships Hosseini stresses the importance of parent/child relationships and the consequences of lack of love and neglect, the child can become insecure and in Amir’s case, his attempts of trying to win the father’s affection lead to devastating consequences.
1Harvey
Freedenberg remarked that a ‘source of tension in Amir’s life is
his relationship with Baba, his hard-driving and demanding father.
Desperate to win his father’s affection and respect...’ This is a
very accurate representation of Amir and Baba’s relationship, as
Baba is indeed the ‘demanding’ father, expecting more of Amir
than possible, while young Amir is an insecure child vying for his
father’s attention. An example of this can be seen through Baba’s
indifferent response when Amir beats all his classmates in a poetry
game, an aloof reaction which is no surprise to Amir.
The
relationship between Amir and Baba is very precarious, principally
arising from the disparity of the character’s attributes. While
Baba is a strong, overshadowing extrovert character described as: ‘a
towering/ Pashtun specimen with a thick beard, a wayward crop of
curly brown/ hair as unruly as the man himself, hands that looked
capable of up-rooting a willow tree…’. That coupled with Baba’s
nickname ‘’Mr. Hurricane’’ Hosseini gives the reader the
image of an overpowering man that commands attention with his
presence. In contrast Amir, is described as an introvert and
unsociable character, more likely to be reading books or ‘‘shuffling
around the house like he’s lost in some dream.’’, behaviour
that Baba does not understand. Baba feels Amir lacks the active
masculine qualities, which he as a child displayed, as Baba was
athletic as a boy and as a result is very disappointed that Amir
prefers reading poetry than playing Baba’s favourite
sports, such as football. These completely opposing character traits
make it difficult for Baba to bond with Amir; which is why Baba,
would rather work and spend time with Rahim Khan, than spend time
with Amir, resulting in the young Amir, to sometimes wonder ‘why it
was always
grown-ups’ time with him.’ The italicism of ‘always’
puts emphasis on the word to illustrate the minimal time Baba spends
with Amir but also puts a whining tone in the sentence to capture his
child-like voice. Nevertheless it is apparent that Amir is desperate
for his father’s love from the beginning, as Amir’s desire for
love is also rooted in Amir’s first word: ‘Baba’.
After
winning the kite tournament, although Amir wins and forms a bond with
his father, Amir is still unhappy because his victory is tarnished by
the fact that he stood by and did nothing, while Hassan was
assaulted. Amir is also aware that, although his relationship with
his father has improved for the moment; if he divulges to his father,
that he witnessed Hassan being assaulted and failed to act, he knows
that present bond with his father could be broken like the fragile
kite made of paper and bamboo. However despite Baba remaining
oblivious to Amir’s cowardice, of leaving Hassan to the mercy of
Assef that winter, Baba and Amir’s relationship still deteriorates
after a brief period of respite, where they allude themselves that
they were both happy in each other and they’d deceived themselves
‘into thinking that a toy made of tissue paper, glue, and bamboo
could somehow close the chasm between [them].’ The use of the word
‘chasm’, to describe their relationship, echoes, suggesting the
gulf between them is too big to repair, especially since they both
keep important secrets from each other.
Amir’s
frequent; fragmented dreams of Baba wrestling a bear and Amir’s
inability to differentiate the bears form, from his father’s,
illustrates that Amir sees Baba as a strong heroic figure. It is also
evident that Amir is continually proud of his father and that he is
son; this is illustrated by Hosseini through Amir’s internal
monologue: ‘Everyone agreed that my father, my Baba, had built the
most beautiful house in Wazir Akbar Khan district,’ the repetition
of ‘my father’
demonstrates that he is publicly proud of being Baba’s son because
his father is a well-respected, rich businessman. Yet behind closed
doors their relationship leaves a lot to be desired, as even the
beautiful house in Wazir Akbar shows their distant relationship
especially through photographs displayed around the house as Amir
describes: ‘Baba and his best friend and business partner, Rahim
Khan, standing outside our house, neither one smiling- I am a baby in
that photograph and Baba is holding me, looking tired and grim. I’m
in his arms but its Rahim Khan’s pinky my fingers are curled
around.’ This picture reveals an accurate state of their
aloof relationship that, as even though Baba was his true father,
Amir was always closer to Rahim Khan because Rahim Khan provided the
attention and encouragement, which he never received from Baba. In
this respect it can be said that Rahim Khan provided a better
father-figure role for Amir than Baba, since just as a good parent
should, Rahim Khan encourages Amir’s literary talents as a child,
also standing by him and encouraging him to talk of
leaving Hassan in the alley, something which seems Baba would seem
unlikely to do as he possesses strong morals and would be disgusted
of what Amir had done. Furthermore, Rahim Khan provides Amir with a
chance to atone for his past sins.
However
as 2Mary
Whipple pointed out The Kite Runner
is not just a story ‘of Amir and Baba. It is also the parallel
story of Hassan and Ali, their servants, who represent an entirely
different world’. As Hassan and Ali are Shi‘ah
Hazzara’s, in contrast to Amir and Baba’s
Sunni mainstream Pashtun heritage, they are seen as in the bottom
rungs of the Afghan social ladder and are seen to have been
persecuted throughout history, which is why Baba’s association with
an Hazzara woman, even if she was not married, would still have be
seen as very controversial. The controversy surrounding Hazzara and
Pashtun relationships in Afghanistan can be characterized by Rahim
Khan’s description of, the look of disgust and horror ‘on [his]
fathers face when [he] told’; them he intended to marry a Hazara
woman. Rahim Khan’s remark that: ‘in the end the world always
wins’ indicates that their division in their race as well as
religion cannot be overcome, as no matter what; a Hazara can never be
regarded as an equal to a Pashtun in Afghan society even if they ‘fed
from the same breast’.
The
Hazara’s low status in Afghanistan is demonstrated through Hassan
and Ali’s menial positions in Baba’s household but also more
harshly revealed through Assef’s fascist and xenophobic behaviour
towards Hassan, who he believes, is not a “true Afghan” because
Hazara’s descended from Mongolian invaders of the 13th
century and are therefore distinctive in their features. Despite
Assef’s ironic animosity and the community looking down on Hassan
and his father Ali, they both accept their inferior positions in
society. Hossieni poignantly demonstrates this through the parallel
drawn between the ‘look of acceptance in the animal’s eyes’
being slaughtered, put adjacent to the look of ‘resignation’ in
Hassan’s eyes. Hassan’s quiet acceptance to being raped by Assef
can symbolize the submission of the Hazzara people as a lower race in
Afghanistan throughout the years, from the Russian occupation through
to the tyrannical rule of the Taliban who mass slaughter the Hazzara
race.
Although
the reader does not get an in-depth view of Hassan and Ali’s
relationship, we get the impression that they have a much closer
father/son relationship in contrast to Amir’s relationship with his
father. Ali, in comparison to Baba’s rough attitude is described as
‘gentle’ and honourable, who expressed
his emotions through his eyes as he ‘had a congenital paralysis of
his lower facial muscles’. Although we are told by Rahim Khan that
Hassan was Baba’s son, making him Amir’s brother, we get clues
that Hassan is more than a just an ‘illiterate
Hazara’ servant to Baba before it is
revealed to us, specifically the event where Baba pays to get his
lip-cleft removed, a present which seems unorthodox and leads us to
question the true nature of their relationship. However despite
Hassan missing out on the wealth of growing up in a mansion and
instead living in a hut ‘on the south end of the garden, in the
shadows of a loquat tree’ and not raised by his biological father,
he receives better emotional care, in terms of love from Ali who
‘found his joy, his antidote’ in Hassan and it can be said that
Hassan is a better person than Amir, as he is loyal, honest and
according to Amir: ‘pure’. 
It can
also be argued that it is Hassan’s good nature led him to forgive
Amir, for not helping him, when he was assaulted, because Hassan
understood the emotional neglect that Amir felt as a child. His
understanding is presented by Hosseini through Amir and Hassan’s
shared like for the story ‘Rostam and Sohrab’, in which the son
‘Sohrab’ unknowingly gets killed by his father ‘Rostam’,
which may move Hassan ‘to tears’ so much because he can recognize
Amir in the character of ‘Sohrab’. As just like ‘Sohrab’,
Amir similarly is desperate for his father’s love but lacks the
much sought after love; of his father, which Hassan is aware of
because as Amir pointed out ‘Hassan always understood about [him]’,
which could be argued is the reason why Hassan names his son Sohrab
as a sign of forgiveness towards Amir.
However Amir and Baba’s relationship does improve a little when they move to America. Although it does not make Baba more supportive of Amir’s choices as Baba is very disappointed by Amir’s decision to become a writer because he does not believe its ‘real work’, however Amir sticks by his decision as he expresses that: ‘I didn’t want to sacrifice for Baba anymore’, as the last time he strove to make his father approve of him he had betrayed Hassan. In a way the relationship between Soraya and Amir’s relationship with their father’s are very similar, as both were emotionally neglected by their fathers, which is why Amir tried to strive for his fathers affection, while Soraya rebelled against Afghani custom by running away with a man. Both their fathers also seem to separate themselves from them, as Soraya explained of her fathers constant alienation, of himself from the family, while Baba also neglected Amir as a young boy. The Generals attitude towards Soraya’s chosen profession is also parallel with Baba’s attitude to Amir’s, as the General expresses his preference of her choosing a more prestigious job of being a lawyer rather than a teacher.
Furthermore
Baba’s reserved attitude can also be attributed to the ‘Afghan
culture’. As culture is a dominant factor that permeates
Afghanistan, since
in Afghanistan; how children are brought up is largely rooted in
their culture and Afghan culture is one that is based on traditional
values. The women are expected to be demure, virtuous and modest
while the men are expected to be masculine, athletic and proud. As
Amir, contrary to Afghanistan culture and
also Baba’s nature, is not athletic. Baba; therefore is unaware and
unsure about how to connect with the placid Amir. He is particularly,
unsure at one point, how to react to Amir crying at a game
‘Buzkashi’-
a violent game that is an Afghanistan national passion. Amir’s
tears, which are considered un-masculine, both made Baba feel
uncomfortable and exasperate him.
However
Baba, who was overtly masculine, shows that he cared for Amir in the
only way he knew how, which was materialistically, as he provides
Amir with the best education and tries to give him the best of
everything, such as organizing Amir’s birthday and all Amir gives
Baba is an unappreciative ‘half-hearted’ acknowledgement. What's
more following the Russian invasion Baba was forced to evacuate
from his beloved Afghanistan where he was greeted by people ‘who
knew him and his father’ and was well-respected, to America where
he was unknown, primarily to ensure that Amir was safe.
Moreover
Baba also showed what a good father he was by working in a menial
labourer job, once they move to America so
that he can support Amir through his studies. It is obvious that Baba
worked hard in his job, as Baba’s ‘grubby and calloused’ hands
are a contrast to Amir’s ‘clean and soft’ student hands.
Therefore after all his sacrifices, it is understandable that Baba
questions and is somewhat skeptical of Amir’s uncertain career
choice as a writer.
It can
also be held that Amir himself is flawed, in that he is essentially a
selfish and self-centered character, as all his thoughts revolve
around himself, even when his father is about to get shot Amir’s
internal dialogue is concerned with himself as he protests ‘what
about me?’, displaying that he is, in nature, selfish
character. Although it can be argued that Amir’s selfish attitude
is a product of his up-bringing it can be said Amir’s egotism is
innately great, as even after the event where Hassan is raped Amir’s
thoughts are solely about the kite and he honestly admits that: ‘I
can’t lie now and say my eyes didn’t scan for any rips’.
Despite Hassan’s ordeal and his loyalty, Amir disregards him, as he
is only concerned about himself; however he is not without a
conscience and Hassan’s unwavering words: ‘For you a thousand
times over’ haunt him throughout his life.
Bad
judgments are also made by Amir, concerning his care for Hassan’s
son, Sohrab; especially when Amir naively promises Sohrab that he
will never go to another orphanage, resulting in Sohrab attempt to
commit suicide, when Amir goes back on his promise. Sohrab spilled
blood is not only congruent to Hassan’s blood, in the earlier
chapter, after he was raped but is also symbolically
representative of the loss of innocent childhood
in Afghanistan and the hardships they face. As Hosseini aims to shed
light on the uncertainty and instability of the lives of the children
of Afghanistan, something which; is seldom conveyed in literature
regarding Afghanistan. Hosseini also serves to further highlight the
instability of Afghanistan; this is particularly reflected in the
ominous end to chapter, reinforced by the caesura, where Amir claims:
‘suddenly Afghanistan changed forever’. The first gunshots fired
in the streets Afghanistan serves to highlight that, where once a
sound so foreign, is now, at present a regular occurrence,
which the people of Afghanistan face
and a sound that now the children: ‘would know nothing but the
sound of bombs and gunfire’.
In
conclusion it is clear that Baba and Amir’s relationship was one
that even if Amir was the son Baba had ‘imagined’ Baba would
still be reluctant to have a relationship with him, as Baba’s
secret fathering of Hassan haunts him and distances him from Amir.
Hosseini effectively creates two characters, through the relationship
of Baba and Amir, where mistakes echo to the next generation
demonstrating how adults’ present mistakes affect the younger
generation. It is unclear whether Amir’s mistakes will also
subsequently affect Sohrab as Hosseini’s leaves the reader with an
open ending, where the reader can speculate the ending. However the
resonance of Amir’s words of: ‘For you a thousand times over’
echoes as an spoken promise that he will stand by Sohrab and
return the loyalty he was shown by Hassan and Sohrab’s counter
smile indicates that there is hope for Amir and Sohrab relationship,
will not reiterate that of Amir’s and Baba’s. The ending not
only inspires hope for Sohrab and Amir but also for Afghanistan, the
land that they love.
Some of the pictures are from the 2007 adaptation of the novel. I sincerely recommend watching it; usually I prefer books to reading so it is very rare when I actually like a film so much more than a book like I did with Marc Forster adaptation of Kite Runner; I think he did an amazing job so go and watch the film after you read the book.
