Kite Runner Essay

2) The strong underlying force of this novel is the relationship between Amir and Hassan. Discuss their relationship. Why is Amir afraid to be Hassan's true friend? Why does he constantly test Hassan's loyalty? Why does he dislike Hassan? After the kite running tournament why does Amir no longer want to be Hassan's friend?

The Kite Runner is the story of a relationship between two boys, who don't realize they are brothers. It focuses on how they deal with guilt and forgiveness and their changing friendship as they grow older. The two boys, Amir and Hassan, grow up in the same household. Hassan is the son of the servant in Amir's father's large house. Hassan's family belongs to a minority ethnic group known as the Hazara who suffer discrimination from the privileged classes. However, Hassan and Amir in their early childhood, despite their social differences, are constant play mates and don't understand the differences between them.

To further emphasize the differences between them, Hassan has a birth defect, a hare lip. The young Amir and Hassan encounter a group of older bullies, including Assef, who accuse Amir of being a traitor to the Pushtan social group by playing with a Hazara boy. Hassan ignores the racial insults and drives the bullies away. Amir is affected by this and is afraid to be Hassan's true friend outside of the household.

Amir and Hassan continue to play together but Amir often feels jealous of the attention Hassan receives from Amir's father, Baba. Baba treats Hassan less like a servant and more like a family member. Indeed, for Hassan's birthday, Baba pays a surgeon to come and correct his harelip. He gives Hassan more attention than he does to Amir, as Hassan was more of the model son he wanted. Amir let his father down quite a few times; he didn't play football like the other boys as his father wanted. Amir felt he had