Charles Tyler Mays Kite Runner Contemporary Essay |
Posted: September 2, 2020 |
Childhood is unofficially defined as a threshold of time where exploration, learning, and socialization are vital for young children and their character development. Factors such as how, when, even where, people are raised and taught can influence how they interact with others. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the story follows the development of a young male character, Amir, in Afghanistan during a culturally divided and politically volatile time period, the 1970s and 1980s. As a result of hostile influences and lack of confidence, Amir struggles with social interaction and self-identity, often seeking approval from others and circumventing adversity. Ultimately, Amir matures as weak and frail in a masculine, patriarchal society, yearning for an opportunity to atone for past sins and wrongdoings. Hosseini infuses Amir with self-doubt and insecurity, traits widely regarded as weak and insufficient in a masculine society, through repeated examples of Amir’s attempts to meet the overbearing fatherly and societal expectations he faces. After the death of his mother during labor, Amir is forced to live with his jaded father who is known and highly respected for his success. As a result of maturing in an atmosphere where a balance of masculinity and motherly comfort is absent, Amir must appease his father in order to receive affection and recognition for accomplishments. Due to his lack in physical stature and athletic performance combined with his love for literature and storytelling, Amir often fails to receive recognition from his father, forcing him to confide in other masculine figures such as Ali. Without the father-son relationship he craves, Amir develops a lack in confidence, often resulting in actions and decisions riddled with faults, mistakes, and disappointments. In an attempt to please his father and live up to his expectations, Amir competes in his village’s annual kite-fighting tournament. Finally, when Amir is presented with the opportunity to please his father and live up to the expectations he has been burdened with, tragedy strikes, replacing the prideful moment with shame and guilt. Amir’s FatherThroughout Hosseini’s novel, Amir’s greatest struggles are his desperate, failed attempts to seek the recognition and love of his father. As a result of his consistent disappointments, Amir fails to develop a close maternal relationship with his father. However, when Baba, Amir’s father, decides to purchase a kite from an esteemed kite manufacturer for the annual kite-fighting tournament, Amir is presented with an unparalleled opportunity to bolster his relationship with his father. If Amir can win the tournament and successfully retrieve the final fallen kite, hence The Kite Runner, he will finally be viewed as successful and worthy in his father’s eyes. Unbeknownst to Baba, the successful capturing of the kite is tainted with horror and an overwhelming sense of guilt and cowardice. After Hassan, Amir’s best friend and teammate in the tournament, manages to successfully pinpoint the fallen kite, he is confronted by Assef, both Amir’s and Hassan’s childhood bully. Assef represents Amir’s foil, physically masculine, athletically gifted, “the embodiment of every parent’s dream,” (cite enotes). After managing to locate Hassan, Amir yet again displays his cowardly behavior, hiding behind a street corner observing as Hassan is attacked and raped by Assef and his gang. Unable to live with the guilt and shame, Amir plots how he can remove Hassan and the guilt from his life. Although removing Hassan from his life rids the constant reminder of his sin, this act of betrayal only serves to further buttress why Amir feels guilty for his transgressions. The American DreamThis continued display of cowardice and disloyalty plants the seed of guilt and foreshadows Amir’s future quest to atone for his cowardice and spineless behavior. In another display of self-preservation, Amir and Baba flee to America following the spiraling downfall of political stability in Afghanistan. For Amir, “America is a place to bury my memories,” (cite enotes). In retrospect, Amir recognizes his success and fortune, having married, graduated from college, and published his first novel, essentially the American Dream. However, after publishing his first novel and reaping the rewards of success, Amir begins to question whether he deserves his fortune. Having betrayed his only friend twice and fled the country, Amir views himself as unworthy of success. After receiving a call from Rahim Khan, learning that Hassan and his wife have been murdered by the Taliban and their son has been taken, Amir begins his journey toward redemption. If he can save Sohrab, Hassan’s son, and end Sohrab’s suffering, Amir will finally be absolved for his transgressions. ConclusionAccording information from this page, the main character Amir struggles with contradicting forces: masculine and feminine, expectation and failure, cowardice and bravery. While some of these struggles find roots in Amir’s character, most derive from an overbearing presence of masculinity, the absence of feminism, and an unwavering, fatherly expectation for success. As a result of amounting pressures, Amir repeatedly doubts himself, struggles to find drive and courage, and betrays those he holds dear. These struggles, failures, and insecurities formulate a need for redemption that maintains its presence as Amir matures. While Amir’s childhood is centered in a culturally divided region during a time of unrest, the theme that volatile childhoods lead to significant character flaws remains. Through the story of Amir, Hosseini highlights the reality that childhood can influence adult life, possibly leading to an interminable search for redemption.
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