The Kite Runner

By Khaled Hosseini

Essay written by Jae-Young Lee


Teacher : Debbie Dwyer




Question 3
How do the relationships between fathers and sons affect the themes of the novel?











In the book, The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, the themes of the book are heavily affected by the
relationships described. The relationships between Baba and Amir, Baba and Hassan, and later on, between
Amir and Sohrab, are what the author uses to drive the plot, and create the main themes, Betrayal, Jealousy and
Redemption. The following paragraphs will attempt to explain why the chosen themes were describes as the
main themes, and why the chosen relationships were more important over the others.

The main themes of the book are Jealousy, Betrayal and Redemption. Although there are many other themes in
the book, such as friendship, family and forgiveness, the three stated above are the most important out of all.
The theme of jealousy first plays out when Amir feels that his father, Baba treats Hassan just as much, or
perhaps even better than himself. Amir notes this later on in the book, when he remembers how Baba never
missed Hassans birthday, Baba hiring Dr. Kumar to fix Hassans harelip. Baba never missing Hassans
birthday (page 208). This is an important theme because the secret jealousy Amir holds against Hassan sparks
the event which leads onto the second half of the book. The theme of betrayal when reading the book is most
obviously pointed out when Amir leaves Hassan to get raped by Assef. However the actual betrayal comes
slightly later on in the book, when Amir, in order to relieve himself from his guilt of leaving Hassan, tries to
force Hassan and Amir out of the house by framing him for theft. I lifted Hassans mattress and planted my
new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it( page 97). The theme of Betrayal is also an important theme
because the actions caused by the betrayal and the jealousy lead onto the second half of the book. From the
actions made by Amir, the final, most important theme is the theme of redemption. It is due to these reasons,
why the themes chosen were described as the most important themes of the book.

The first father-son relationships mentioned in the book is between Amir and Baba. Their relationships are
described as somewhat rocky, as Amir seems to be the polar-opposite of Baba. Baba was a huge man described
as a force of nature, a towering Pashtun specimen with a thick beard, a wayward crop of curly brown hair as
unruly as the man himself. However, Amir is a spindly boy, who cannot stand up for himself when bullied on
the playgrounds. When he does get bullied, Hassan would always step in to save Amir from the bullies. Baba
notes this to Rahim Khan, saying If I hadnt seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own two eyes,
Id never believe hes my son(page 22). This shows Babas dislike of Amir, and how much Amir is not like
himself. Including this, and Babas continual interest towards Hassan, Amir develops a jealousy for Hassan, and
wishes that he had Baba all to himself. In his way to find the approval of his father, Amir wins the Kite
tournament, but instead sacrifices Hassan to get raped by Assef. The relationship that is described between Baba
and Amir is an important part of the book and the themes, as the jealousy Baba creates in Amir, by showing his
disdain for his son, creates a chain of events which lead onto other major themes and the plot of the book.

The second father-son relationship is between Baba and the main theme that surrounds the relationship is
Betrayal. Firstly, it is important to explain the choice of the Father-son relationship. The Father-son relationship
is important to note, because like the relationship before, between Baba and Amir, the consequences of the
relationship spark the rest of the events that follow in the book. Baba shows much love for Hassan, even if it is
indirectly. Referring to the paragraph above, this love causes Amir to develop a slight jealousy for Hassan. This
jealousy later turns into a betrayal as Amir leaves Hassan to get sacrificed and raped by Assef. The betrayal of
Hassan is arguably the most key part of the book, as the rest of the book, is mostly about Amir and the third
theme, which is redemption. Later on in the book, Amir also finds out that Hassan was actually his half-brother
and was a child between Baba and Sanaubar. This was also an indirect betrayal as Amir feels like his father,
who he thought was the prime example of a perfect man, had lied to him about his whole life. Indirectly, the
father-son relationship that Baba shared with Hassan, had created a major theme which is arguably the most
important theme of the book.

The third and final major theme, is redemption, which is demonstrated by the father-son relationship Amir
shares with Sohrab. After Amir betrays Hassan, for a part of the book, he is haunted by guilt. He is relieved of
his guilt, when Rahim Khan calls and says There is a way to be good again (page 177). After hearing Rahim
Khans story, Amir decides to redeem himself by finding Hassans son, Sohrab, and taking him back to
America. In his path, he finally faces off Assef, and by taking the beating that Assef deals to Amir, Amir feels
that My body was brokenjust how badly I wouldnt find out until laterbut I felt healed. Healed at last
(page 289). Although Amir does not feel fully atoned for his sins as he makes mistakes with his care-taking of
Sohrab, nearly undoing all his efforts with Sohrab attempting suicide, he feels like he has finally fully redeemed
himself, and feels like he is making progress with Sohrab A smile. Lopsided. Hardly there. But there.( page
340). The relationship between Amir and Sohrab is also one of the most important relationships as it represents
Amirs redemption for his actions from earlier on in the book.

Due to the reasons stated above, it is easy to see how the relationships between the fathers and the sons affect
the main themes of the book. Khaled Hosseini masterfully uses the relationships as a way to, not only make a
plot, but also bases the themes of the book on them. Basing the themes of the book on the relationships, Khaled
Hosseini writes The Kite Runner with depth and style, creating a book which can be easily analyzed.