Father/son
By Colin Watson
Amir comes from a wealthy family but he desperately lacks affection
from his father, Baba.
Amir idealises his father and says that “ Baba once wrestled a black
bear in Baluchistan with his bare hands. If the story had been
anyone else, it would have been dismissed”, this shows that Amir
admires him and believes his father could do anything.
This can be seen as with Amir’s first word was “Baba”, this show
that Amir looks up to him the most in the world.
He thinks that his father blames him for his mother death in child
birth.
Throughout the story Amir tries to make up for the wrong he has
done in his life, one of which is that he thinks is he killed his mother
in child birth and he says “And maybe, just maybe. I would finally be
pardoned for killing my mother”
Baba is totally different for many Afghanistan fathers as he smoke,
drank and did not have religious believes.
He had lots of friends in Kabul and threw lots of parties but he did
not spend time with his son.
His wife died in childbirth to his son.
Baba built his own house which was very grand and
He also built an orphanage himself even though lots of people told
him “it is not in your blood”
Baba gets cancer after he moves to America. This
can be seen as the loss of his power.
Throughout Baba’s live he helped many people and
changed there lives.
Amir’s father never played with him, telling Amir to “Go on, now, this is
grown-up time” this made Amir feel locked out.
Although he built an Orphanage and in doing so helped lots of children he
did not help his own child.
Baba says “that a boy who can’t stand up for himself becomes a man who
can’t stand up for anything”.
This make Amir think because he is weak he is not loved by his father.
Baba tells Amir what he thinks about sinning
“There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every
other is a variation of theft.”
Ali is a gentle and loving father, despite the knowledge
that he cannot be his biological father.
The relationship between Baba and Amir is poor, whereas
it is in total contrast between the relationship between
Ali and Hassan.
Amir struggles to prove himself too Baba but he
thinks winning the kite tournament will change
things.
When Amir’s does the terrible act of not
stepping to save Hassan in the alley. He does
this because he wants the winning kite for his
fathers affection.
Amir feels rejection from his father as he does
not read Amir’s story but instead Rahim Kahn
reads it.
Throughout most of the story Rahim Kahn is like
a father figure to Amir.
At the end of the story Rahim Khan says in his letter to Amir that
“Your father was a man torn between two halves”
The first was Amir the “entitled half, society-approved, legitimate half”
The second being Hassan the “unentitled, unprivleged half ...
Inherited what had been pure and noble in Baba.”
Finally with the gentle insistence from Rahim Kahn, who is seen as
Amir’s spiritual guider, finds “a way to be good again”.
Amir becomes a good father to Hassan’s son Sohrab.
Hosseini also shows the result: Amir’s affection and
patience finally pay off in the end.