The Kite Runner
discussion
The character of Amir
date
newest »
newest »
Yes, I had hated Amir at the start as well; but when he betrays Hassan by blaming him of theft, i thought Amir had felt very guilty of what he did. Amir was a rich boy, and Hassan a poor one. I don't know about many countries but atleast in Asian countries, the rich kids are always spoiled and the poor ones exposed to the world. which is why the poor ones usually deal with many problems quiet boldly. The rich kids are spoiled and the "spoiling" can be categorized into two: either the kid is given too much attention by his parents that he usually uses them to get things done and is too much of a coward to face things by himself; or the kid isn't given attention at all and therefore he takes advantage and becomes a bully (Assef in this case). Therefore, it can be understood that it wasn't exactly Amir's fault... he had lost his mother and was the only child. His father probably thought that Amir deserved the attention to make up for the loss of his mother.
I understood why Amir didn't try to intervene during the rape. They were really just children and Amir was afraid too. It was how he treated his half-brother afterward that bothered me the most. It was just horrific.I don't think the rescue of Sohrab compensates for his cowardice. Amir was quite willing to leave Sohrab on his own until he tried to commit suicide. Because of his prejudice it doesn't even occur to him to love the child because he is his nephew. He does take Sohrab home with him but I think Amir still had a long way to go toward being a decent human being.
Ali wrote: "I hated Amir in the beginning of The Kite Runner because I though he was a conforming coward who only cared about himself. In that horrible scene with Hassan and Assef, I couldn't believe Amir cou..."Yes, I think it does.. also out of love.. he probably wants to see the long gone Hassan in Hassan's son.
"It was how he treated his half-brother afterward that bothered me the most. It was just horrific."hi silverpiper, totally agree with u. but maybe it's the complex guilt happened in his heart. he's ashamed of himself because he can't fulfill the very hope of his father who always said that bravery is the most important thing that man should have. and his jealousy of Hassan, since his father very cared of him. i think it's too complicated in every child's soul.
I hated Amir as well at first,as he treated hassan unfairly and even in the scene with hassan and asif, he didn't have the courage to stand upfor his friend. But when he finds Sohrab, it seems as if he wants to be punished and the fight with asif makes Amir imagine hassan in sohrab's eyes
Well said... But even when Amir tries to fix his past with the fight with Assef, he still isn't able to defend himself... The junior Hassan does it again. :) But I like how the author built Amir's character. It's excellent...
(this is a reply to Sahibah's last comment, the option to reply is not in the iPod app.)
I didn't hate Amir I felt sorry for him that he was missing character to do right thing. In the end he does but at what loss for everyone.
I tried to empathise with Amir from the beginning and tried to look at things from his perspective. But still, his cowardice during the episode where Hassan is abused is disgusting. Yet I feel he regrets it all and feels shame! I believe he is just human and it is that very human imperfection in him that makes his character so true to life.
I was so conflicted in my feelings toward Amir. I really tried to see things from his point of view the whole time, but like everybody else, I couldn't help but being absolutely disgusted with his actions (or lack thereof). I kept trying to remind myself that he was just a scared child, but then it kept getting worse. I just didn't understand his thought process. After Hassan leaves, I kept waiting for Amir to redeem himself in some way. I wasn't satisfied for most of the book. However, after I thought about it, I feel like he redeemed himself by punishing himself with a lifetime of regret. We can all relate to doing something that we wish we could go back and change. For most of us, that event probably isn't close to the magnitude of what Amir did. Which is why he punished himself far more than many of us will for our own transgressions. I was glad that he fought so hard for Sohrab, and I hope (that in his fictitious future) he and Sohrab are able to somewhat let go of the horrors of their past and live a decent life together.
Yes what Amir did was completely WRONG he should have done something; however, you also have to consider that Amir was very young and he was frozen in shock. PLUS his whole life he has been tortured for what he did by his conscience, he had regretted it each and everyday! He had always tried to escape it because he knew what he did was wrong, but there was no way he could have fixed it unless he had time machine, which would be highly unreasonable since this isn't a science fiction novel. Anywho what I am trying to say in the end is that he had finally faced his past and was able to redeem himself by taking in Sohrab. Also when Assef was beating him up Amir finally felt happy because he felt he got what he deserved! (he started laughing)
Well, he's a flawed character, as most of us are in some way.Yes, he was wrong not to act and defend Hassan, but his inaction is perfectly understandable, entirely in keeping with the character, and clearly explained in the narrative.
As readers, we are all supposed to ask ourselves what we would have done in that situation and whether we would have done any better.
The whole point of the novel (it seems to me) is an exploration of guilt, the burden of living with it, and how to resolve it.
As it turns out, most of the central characters are living with some sort of secret, one way or another.
What irked me more about Amir was how towards the end of the novel his actions seemed driven not by strength of character but by a desire to punish himself and suffer as much as others have.
I agree that Amir was a coward. Hassan was so loyal yet Amir still stood there in the alley. But I think he found a way to be good again by saving Sohrab. I am disappointed with Amir when he never admits that Hassan was his best friend.
I read the whole book just because I wanted Amir to redeem himself. I wanted a reason to stop disliking him. I think it is great that he got beaten up, finally.
I agree with Lacey & others. Yes. The whole book, even since the very opening sentences we have this feeling that something has gone wrong & that Amir wants to compensate.Also it is really unusual for such a character as Amir to accept such a mission as saving Sohrab out of Afghanistan.
He did his best to refuse the offer.
Also when he had gone through all those difficult situations with the boy; & Sohrab's heroic action to save him; when in hospital he sends Farid to go & find those Americans in Pakistan...
All these are becoming of a character like Amir.
Finally, I believe he's been able to compensate; in his own ways at least.
Amir is an idiot. He let his friend get raped in the ally by Assef. He truly is an idiot. I think he deserves to be dead. His friend, Hassan, got touched sexually and was traumatized for the rest of his life. He never even spoke up about the rape. Maybe if Amir spoke up then something would've been done and disciplinary action would've been enacted upon Assef.
Ali wrote: "I hated Amir in the beginning of The Kite Runner because I though he was a conforming coward who only cared about himself. In that horrible scene with Hassan and Assef, I couldn't believe Amir cou..."
Amir is Amir and always will be. He is a coward, and he came to terms with that near the end of the book, but that doesn't make him less of a coward, now does it?
Does he redeem himself in the end by "saving" Sohrab? Actually, I think it is Sohrab that saves Amir, just as Hossan always saved Amir.
Does he redeem himself in the end by "saving" Sohrab? Actually, I think it is Sohrab that saves Amir, just as Hossan always saved Amir.
it is not about hating or loving Amir, i believe. he is a coward, and whatever he does for Sohrab, is for his own mental peace. However, that makes him one of us. We despise him because we are looking at him from a distance. What if, we were in his place, in the alley? would we have acted differently?
Amir was just a kid and as a kid it was normal for him to feel fear and be paralyzed in such a scenario. No kid is the same and just like hassan was fearless Amir wasn't.If he would have interfered with Asef and Hassan he would have probably been beaten and sexually attacked as well. Although he later finds out the what he did wasn't the right thing since not only did he just stand there while hassan was sexually assaulted but when he was at home with Hassan he did nothing to try to help hassan and instead mistreated him and thats the one time when he was truly a coward.Amir saving Sohrab was a way for him not to redeem himself but to find peace.
I think Amir is a complete narcissist. He only ever thinks about himself.He accepts Hassan's rape not primarily because he is frightened, but because he profits by it - he gets to keep the kite and hence his father's praise. (The fact that Hassan is deliberately making that sacrifice for him mitigates this a little.)
And yes, he does feel guilty. But the fact that he then, effectively, punishes Hassan for "making" him feel guilty (simply by remaining a loyal friend!) shows that he still prioritises his own comfort over everything else.
As an adult, Amir hasn't changed. It is just now that he wants to INDULGE his feelings of guilt. His priority isn't to somehow right the wrongs he has done Hassan, but to make himself feel better. He wants to "save Sohrab" (with as little disturbance to himself as possible) to make HIMSELF feel good - not for the sake of his dead friend.
He NEEDS Sohrab to be grateful and admiring - to replace Hassan in the role of "make Amir feel good about himself". As second best, Sohrab hating him (he did, after all, CAUSE Hassan's death and Sohrab's suffering!) would allow him to think "ungrateful brat", and so feel good about himself... Sohrab's emotional absence is the perfect punishment for a narcissist like Amir: to be made to feel, daily, that he is simply NOT RELEVANT.
Amir needs to be the centre of someone's world. He was an attention-seeking child who grew into an attention-seeking adult. Being dismissed from consideration is the worst thing that can happen to him. (Note his concern is primarily "Why doesn't Sohrab respond eo me?" NOT "Will Sohrab be OK?"!)
In a child this is sad, but excusable. But Amir has learnt nothing from the admirable people who have surrounded his life. The adult Amir is as pathetic as the child. In many ways he is the worst person in the book: others may commit more evil acts, but they don't expect to be loved for them!
Amir did face such issues (such as Hassan's rape) that would be difficult for ANYONE to face. Though his motives for it are rather unclear to us all, he was a kid at the time as well, self-absorbed and scared. His saving of Sohrab later on isn't redeeming, but in the smallest of ways, because he didn't really seem 100% willing to do so until he tried to kill himself. But despite that, it was a step to becoming a better person, I believe.
Amir still has a lot to learn about life, and about humanity in general. He's definitely made progress since the beginning, but not a complete 180 by any means.
Amir was trying to find redemption throughout the whole book. Back in the time in Afghanistan, honor was by far the most important thing a family has. As a Pashtun, having a Hazara as a friend wasn't a thing to be proud of; rather a thing to be dissed about.Amir isn't a guy who likes to fight; seemingly he didn't try to rescue Hassan from the rape scene merely because he was afraid. As a 12-year-old, seeing your best friend get raped isn't an easy thing, when by fact it's done by the people who scare you the most, (Assef and his gang), also, since Amir considered Hassan as his rescuer, seeing him in that specific vulnerable position made Amir even more afraid. He simply didn't want to be in that position.
Amir didn't seek redemption through Sohrab; redemption isn't something Amir achieved, he is going to forever live in the lost memory of his childhood friend, and brother, Hassan. Sohrab will be the childhood part of missing Hassan, -for a short period of time, anyway- yet Amir will never find the brother he'd always longed for. He will live lacking the brother he never knew he had.
I to understand totally why Amir didn't do anything to resue Hassen, how horrific! He was only 12 and terrified, had he intervened I would imagine that the outcome would have been so much worse, poor Hassen. But to treat Hassen the way he did after was horrible to say the least. And what was sad about this story was that Hassen never got to know the truth of who his real Father was, I don't understand why the Uncle never told him as an adult. I balled when I read about Amir and Sorab flying the kite at the end of the story
No one loathes Amir more than Amir. He fails to rescue his rescuer. Even with the humiliation of being raped Hassan remains elevated, more deserving in Amir's mind. I had to keep reminding myself of their, Amir and Hassan, position. They lived in a cultural caste system that demanded strict adhesion between lines of servant and master, Shia and Sunni, privilege and obligation; lines like that have to be shattered, sometimes literally, with in-depth self inspection and commitment.
I suppose what I am trying to say is: had Amir the boy been better, acted more nobly; Amir the man may not have been as committed and devoted to saving Sohrab
I think I understand what you are saying Andy, but I still disagree. I don't think Amir becomes a better person - it's still all about him! The man is as selfish as the boy. He tries to help Sohrab, not because of the obligation he owes Hassan's son, but because he wants the boy to make him feel better about himself. The evidence of this is in hi response to Sohrab's withdrawn state: it is not primarily distress over this demonstration of the degree to which the child has been traumatised, it is whining that the boy is not properly grateful - not massaging his ego & assuaging his guilt in the way that Hassan used to do.
@Tonya: I'm not blaming the child Amir for not charging down the alley to rescue Hassan! Fear & indecision is an understandable emotion, particularly in a child. But Amir admits that this is NOT his motivation - he does not act, because it is more profitable for him to accept Hassan's sacrifice & keep the kite (& hence his father's approval). I blame Amir for NOT telling his father what had happened (knowing that his father's sense of honour would cause him to seek justice, even for a servant). I blame him for framing Hassan - punishing his loyal friend for his own sense of guilt. It's not what he does at the time, but what he does afterwards, in cold blood, while SAFE, that is so morally reprehensible.
I don't think amir was a total coward.He is certainly weak by nature . The reasons why Amir couldn't help hassan were more cultural and social along with his being only 12 year old.I think he evolved with age and different cultural influences to be able save shorab. It shows his strength of character to be able to respect his blood relation and give it the due respect which his father lacked. May be he is physically weak but to present shorab as his own blood relative in front of society is certainly not easy for a man of his culture.
Cowardice is a very harsh term for a child.. Amir's childhood actions were born out of the feeling of being less compared to Hassan when it came to virtues. Every child is scared of the bullies. He wasnt a coward, but he was a scared child who failed to stand by his friend because of the fear he felt against those bullies. And the selfish deeds that followed were a result of contempt for his own self, because he realized that he is not as strong as Hassan, who still treated him without any ill feeling inspite of being let down by Amir. Self contempt can make a person and especially a child very very bitter. Sadly, Amir though that getting rid of Hassan's presence will make the guilt go away which is a genuine logic a child can come up with for getting rid of his own demons. He did not frame Hassan for stealing because he had started hating him.He did that because he was trying to make Hassan hate him and finally to get rid of him, so that he does not feel the sting of guilt everytime he saw him. Weakness should not be called cowardice especially in a child.The grown up Amir understands this and the act of saving Hassan's child was not only a redemption for his own self, but also a way of apologizing to Hassan for not standing by him that fateful day.
I hated amir as selfish and heartless, but as i read the complete book i realised he was just a possessive kid and then he realised his mistakes
I hated amir...he was selfish and coward.He ruined hassan's life... left him alone, accused him and hassan didi nothing because he loved him.Even though he knew he was wrong but still he was not ready to admit.
I think Amir was a little bit of a coward when he didn't come to Hassan's help. Later, he tries to justify his actions and tries to remove his guilt by thinking that Hassan was just a Hazara, and just his servant. I hate Amir's father as he never was much of a father to him.
I loved the "Kite runner"...Khaled has described the book beautifully....How child feels when he is growing if some other child gets attention from one of the elder....and...once grown up as an educated and understanding human being...realizing...that it was wrong to feel hatred against his fellow child....
Yes I agree that what Amir did was wrong. He should have helped Hassan. But in real he just wanted to show his father that he was able to do something. He just wanted that kite to show it to his father. Yes he was wrong, but time taught him that Hassan was really important for him. He regreted. life gave him a chance to correct himself and he did not let that chance go. He took care of Sohrab the most precious thing Hassan had. He did so cause he really missed Hassan. And he kept with himself a part of Hassan.
While I read the books, I wasn't sure how I felt about Amir. I didn't like his actions, but I never hated him for one bit. With every page I hoped that soon he would not only look back with regret, but also do something real to make it right. And in the end he did. He didn't disappoint my expectations of him so I guess I see him as a character who grew throughout the book.
Titas wrote: "it is not about hating or loving Amir, i believe. he is a coward, and whatever he does for Sohrab, is for his own mental peace. However, that makes him one of us. We despise him because we are look..."I can say that without a doubt that I would have intervened. Rape steals someone else's humanity and I would never allow that to happen in my presence. Even if I could be killed in the process.
Totally agree... In some parts of the novel, I doubted that Amir is really a man. I believe Hosseini has exaggerated in this characterization.
I don't think the act of Amir's saving of his nephew compensates for his betrayal of Hassan. I believe that each choice stands alone. One is the choice of a boy who doesn't understand where his own deep inner troubles come from. The other is the action who finally grows up and becomes a true human: a 'real person': that is one who realizes we are all our brother's and sister's keeper. We become real when we begin to put the welfare of the other first. I've rarely read such a power novel. The story-telling is nothing short of exquisite.
Aamir is an asshole and Hassan an Idiot.
Silverpiper wrote: "I understood why Amir didn't try to intervene during the rape. They were really just children and Amir was afraid too. It was how he treated his half-brother afterward that bothered me the most. ..."concurred, amir was a coward and the worst thing about him is that he judged others the way he saw fit, like judging his father & rahim as bad person for lying but it never occurred to him to see what he himself was like.
I agree with silverpiper. I think any child would be afraid to intervene with rape. I think Amir wanted to help Hassan but he physically couldn't. He froze and you can tell how the guilt eats him alive.
Amir is a interesting character to judge in the kite runner. While judging Amir I think we should keep in mind that he is a child and like most children they make mistakes and learn from them hopefully. In saying that I don't agree with the choices Amir has made in the novel. He was really harsh and mean to Hassan throughout the whole story. Hassan was nothing but loyal to Amir and Amir mistreated Hassan on multiple occasions.However I do believe that Amir's effort to save Sohrab was to make up for his treatment to Hassan. I don't think that can make up for his treatment to Hassan. Amir would had to done something for Hassan, like make up it up to him. With everything I said I think that Amir is a child that needs to become mature. He is too shady and one day it will catch up to him.
I think Amir rescuing Sohrab was a way of him to relieve guilt. He had no other way to do it other than to rescue him and care for him as if he was his own child. Amir had me torn between good guy and bad guy. You could definitely tell towards the end of the book he was definitely starting to grow up.
all discussions on this book
|
post a new topic
But, when I finished this book, I grew really conflicted about Amir. Do you think his rescue of Sohrab compensates for his cowardice with Hassan?