Question: Choose a novel in which a central character is flawed but remains an admirable
figure. Show how the writer makes you aware of these aspects of personality and discuss how
this feature of characterisation enhances your appreciation of the text as a whole.
In Khaled Hosseini’s heart-wrenching novel “The Kite Runner”, the author powerfully
portrays the protagonist, Amir’s, relentless search for redemption. Amir is a flawed character
revealed through many incidents throughout his life all of which indicate a wide range of
flaws from cowardice to jealousy. However Amir gains our admiration through his
immediate guilt, his constant search for redemption and when he finally faces his past and his
fears “to be good again”. Hosseini skilfully illustrates Amir’s journey through
characterisation, themes and structure. The fact that this complex characterisation permeates
the entire novel significantly heightens our understanding and appreciation of the text.
In Amir Hosseini effectively creates a deeply troubled child who grows up into a guilt
ridden adult. This character however is so human that not only do we engage with him but we
also admire his troubled journey for redemption. Some of his flaws as a child stem from his
fractured relationship with his father, Baba. For instance his jealousy of his friend and servant
Hassan is caused by the fact that Hassan is more like Baba’s ideal son than Amir and
therefore gets more praise. A key moment which highlights this is when Amir lies to Baba
and says that Hassan “has the runs” so can’t come to the lake with them. The reason behind
this is that last time Hassan managed to skim a stone more times than him and “Baba patted
Hassan on the back. Even put his arm around his shoulder.” He carries these flaws to
adulthood which the author subtly illustrates to us when Amir is reluctant to return to
Afghanistan. However we can understand this reluctance and fear because of the deeply
human character of Amir that we can see ourselves and our own traits in. The understanding
we have of him then allows us to greatly admire Amir when he finally faces his past and also
the antagonist Assef, with dignity. Amir is a complex dynamic character who we can relate to
and understand deepening our appreciation of his journey and the novel as a whole.
One of the central themes of “The Kite Runner” is guilt and redemption which is
woven throughout the whole novel. This theme reveals that not only does Amir have
weaknesses but he manages to overcome them ultimately with courage. Amir is a deeply
flawed character with weaknesses ranging from mean-spiritedness and cowardice. His cruel
nature is illustrated through him lying to Hassan for his own entertainment for example
telling him that “imbecile” means “smart, intelligent”. His central flaw however of cowardice
is revealed in a main turning point of the novel; the rape scene, when he does not stand up for
Hassan while he is being raped by Assef. These flaws lead to Amir being wracked with guilt
for years to come, so much so he cannot even admit his actions to his wife despite her telling
him her secrets. The flaw of cowardice is also still present as an adult and delays his
redemption as he is scared to return to Afghanistan. He still manages to gain our respect
though because of the very fact he is guilty highlighting that he does have self-knowledge
and understands how badly he treated Hassan as a child. Our admiration is further heightened
when he finally confronts this guilt through confronting his cowardice and his past when he
fights Assef and although his “body was broken” he “felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed.”,
when he finds this redemption we celebrate with him. Through this deeply complex theme
Hosseini powerfully illustrates Amir’s defining weaknesses. These weaknesses lead to his
empowering guilt causing Amir to search for redemption and also the reader to gain respect
for him, overall heightening our understanding of the novel.
Another way Hosseini makes us aware of important aspects of Amir’s personality is
through the structure, which reveals his character. Although the majority of the novel is a
flashback it is still mainly chronological. This is only up to the pivotal rape scene however
during which Amir’s life is changed because of the flaws in his personality exposed when he
says that he “ran because I was a coward.” After this moment the narrative is splintered going
to more flashbacks, memories and also dreams. Amir’s guilt is highlighted through this
technique and also his splintered character. By the end of the novel the narrative is yet again
chronological after he overcomes his flaws and finds redemption. This clever but subtle use
of structure allows us to see how Amir’s flaws disrupt his life yet he admirably manages to
deal with the flaws and disruption broadening our understanding and appreciation of the text.
Through the use of characterisation of Amir, the theme of guilt and redemption and
the structure of the novel Khaled Hosseini successfully creates a flawed central character,
Amir. He suffers from many flaws including jealousy and cowardice but eventually
overcomes them to find redemption and peace with himself greatly increasing our admiration
for him. In this way Hosseini also heightens our overall admiration of “The Kite Runner” and
we engage fully with Amir.