Amir Character Analysis in The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner takes place during the 1970s and 2001s, with Afghanistan only for the former and both Afghan and the US for the latter. Hosseini—to develop and demonstrate Amir’s beliefs, values, and character—juxtaposes Amir’s peaceful and privileged life in the 1970s in Afghanistan with the peaceful and happy life he’s created in the Americas. Due to the differences in setting, both time and location, Amir changed from a privileged, cowardly, attention-starved child into a guilt-ridden, mature, responsible, and reliable young man as he learns to stand up for himself and for what is right. 

Amir initially lived a delightful life on the surface level: great best friend, wealthy father, socially accepted, privileged. However, Amir makes it clear that his life isn’t charmed. His loving relationship with his father, tainted by the death of his mother via childbirth and Baba’s high expectations for Amir. His joyous relationship with his best friend, besmirched by betrayal and rape. The basis of Amir’s privileged cowardice originates from his life in Afghanistan; He lived a privileged life where everyone respected him and he had anything he needed. He never needed to learn to fight for anything. Since he never learned to, he became unable and unwilling to. 

1975 Afghanistan saw Amir’s cowardice in his sacrifice of his best friend as “the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba”, unwilling to defend his friend if it meant getting hurt and losing the blue kite that symbolized his father’s potential love (77). 1981 Afghanistan exemplifies Amir’s privileged cowardice once again when he begs his father to sit down and prevent the prevention of attempted rape, begging him to “sit down” because “he really means to shoot you” despite the consequences being the ultimate theft of women’s innocence and dignity (116). He’s willing to sacrifice others, their lives, dignity, and innocence for his own selfish desires. 

His life in the Americas after escaping from Afghanistan shows his growth perfectly. In America, he was neither respected nor wealthy, and with his father’s declining health and lack of wealth, he was forced to grow, take responsibility, and become reliable. This is demonstrated in the incident where Baba erupts at the lack of trust in America. Amir takes responsibility for his father’s actions, stating that he’ll “pay for everything”, showing that he isn’t as dependent on his father and that he’s now willing to bear responsibility (128). As he grows older and develops into a man, he becomes much less reliant on other people and far more independent. The ultimate display of his independence comes from the death of his father, where Amir realizes that “Baba couldn’t show me the way anymore; I’d have to find it on my own” (174). At this point, everything from Amir’s past in Afghanistan is gone: Hassan, Rahim, and Baba. leaving him in an emotional storm of grief, guilt, and sorrow. He can no longer rely on anyone but himself. 

Through his life in America, Amir has become a man, independent, reliable, and strong. His past character and actions (or inactions) still haunts him to this very day, leaving him in an emotional turmoil or guilt and sorrow. However, it is similarly his past, his privileges and cowardice in Afghanistan, and his present, his growth and maturity in America, that allows Amir to change into the man that he becomes.