Student 1
Wonderful Student
ENG 4U1
October 28, 2013
Ms. Gorska
Class and Character in The Kite Runner
Social status is not necessarily an accurate prediction of a person’s inner strength. In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner , Amir and
Hassan demonstrate how a person’s social situation is often independent of their strength of character. Firstly, Amir and Hassan use their respective skills and knowledge in different ways. Upper class Amir teases and manipulates those less educated than he, while Hassan, his social inferior, is eager to use his intelligence to help those in need.
Moreover, the characters differ in what they value. Amir’s social privileges give him a selfish, object-oriented sense of success, whereas
Hassan proves to be selfless and optimistic in his pursuit of a fulfilling life. Finally, they vary in their sense of loyalty. Amir is always concerned with his own needs, while Hassan is eternally loyal to those who are important to him. Although Amir and Hassan are comparable

Student 2 through various aspects of their childhoods, they grow up to develop different sets of morals. Though Amir is of a higher social class, implying to many that he is the better person, in the end it is Hassan who consistently demonstrates superior inner strength.
Throughout the novel, these characters exercise their gifts for opposing purposes. Although Amir is better educated, he uses his knowledge to control and tease those around him. Conversely, Hassan has a passion for enriching and protecting the lives of others through the use of his talents. First of all, Amir preys on Hassan’s illiteracy. He explains, “My favourite part about reading to Hassan was when we came across a big word that he didn’t know. I’d tease him, expose his ignorance” (Hosseini 28). Instead of helping Hassan to learn and become more educated, he uses his gift of words as a way to bring into light an area of their relationship where he is more knowledgeable than Hassan, emphasizing his sense of superiority. He feeds Hassan a stream of false definitions and made up stories, never allowing the Hazara to become more educated than the Pashtun. In essence, Amir teases Hassan to reinforce their difference in the social class, consequently deepening his

Student 3 sense of inequality between them. On the contrary, Hassan always tries to help Amir by using his limited set of skills. For instance, when Assef threatens Amir, Hassan rushes to protect his best friend: “Assef raised his fist and came for me. There was a flurry of rapid movement behind me… I turned and came face to face with Hassan’s slingshot… Hassan held the slingshot pointed directly at Assef’s face” (41-42). This demonstration of Hassan’s unselfish bravery shows the contrast in the uses of their talents. Although Hassan could wield his slingshot abilities over those around him, he chooses instead to use his talent as a form of defense. His integrity does not allow him to be manipulative; Hassan only wields his slingshot to protect those he loves. In contrast, Amir highlights their differences when he misuses his knowledge to control
Hassan’s education. Amir understands and takes advantage of the influence he has on Hassan: “To him, the words on the page were a scramble of codes, indecipherable, mysterious. Words were secret doorways and I held all the keys” (30). Amir implies that only he can open the doors of literacy for Hassan, showing that he holds authority in the life of his servant. In addition, these metaphorical keys are

Student 4 guaranteed to Amir due to his social status, but instead of spreading this wealth of knowledge, he chooses to withhold it in order to reinforce the social hierarchy that gives him control over Hassan. In his later life,
Hassan vows to teach everything he knows to his son, Sohrab. Hassan writes in a letter to Amir “I have taught [Sohrab] to read and write so he does not grow up stupid like his father” (216-217). Even though his son will likely never need these skills, Hassan teaches Sohrab to be literate so that he can hopefully be more successful than the stereotypical, uneducated Hazara. Hassan also shows his son how to use a slingshot.
Equipped with knowledge and a weapon for defense, Sohrab is more likely to have a chance of survival in war-torn Afghanistan. Hassan’s passion for learning and his selfless character allow him to provide a better life for himself and his son. In short, although Amir has more literary knowledge than Hassan, he is unwilling to help those around him. It is Hassan who selflessly teaches and aids the people in his life with his special set of skills and basic education. Amir may be considered a better person socially because of his race, but Hassan shows that those who have the least to give are often the most generous.

Student 5
Furthermore, there are two contrasting lifestyles presented in the novel The Kite Runner . On the one hand, Amir has a self centered personality and a materialistic sense of wealth. On the other hand,
Hassan is a poor servant whose selflessness not only drives him to improve the lives of others, but also gives him an optimistic view of his own life. Amir’s desire for his father’s adoration is so strong that he seeks a similar relationship in any father figure. When Amir writes his first short story his father, Baba, shows no interest in reading it.
Fortunately, Rahim Khan very willingly reads Amir’s story and applauds his exceptional talent. Baba’s lack of interest in his son’s hobbies makes Amir think about how much better his life would be if
Rahim Khan were his father: “I sat on my bed and wished Rahim Khan had been my father” (32). Amir craves this kind of attention so much that he disregards his own familial ties. Even though Baba provides everything for his son, Amir is shameless in discarding his father when he does not fit his idea of ‘the perfect dad’. This desire for a new father is just one example of Amir’s selfish behaviour, even when he is considered a very fortunate person in Afghani society because of his

Student 6 father’s wealth. Although Hassan does not have the same extravagant lifestyle as Amir, he is more appreciative of his few possessions. Due to his race and religion, Hassan is a servant living in a shack behind his master’s mansion. Although these seem to be terrible living conditions,
Hassan says, “I like where I live… It’s my home” (58), after he realises
Amir is wondering how his best friend can be happy with his underprivileged life. This demonstrates how unselfish Hassan really is, specifically in relation to Amir. His concern for Amir’s feelings prompts
Hassan to answer a question that he does not even ask. He also understands the limitations that his social class places on his life, yet does his best to show gratitude for the simple things he possesses. These selfless actions demonstrate how loving Hassan is towards his gift of life. In contrast, Amir cares so greatly for his material things that they come to define him and his success in life. When Rahim Khan tells Amir how he can right the wrongs from his childhood, Amir jumps at the opportunity. However, when he learns of the dangers involved, he worries about leaving the success he has found in America: “I had a good life in California, pretty Victorian home with a peaked rook, a

Student 7 good marriage, a promising career, in-laws who loved me…” (222). The dangers of the task Rahim Khan asks him to complete become too great of a risk for Amir. His material possessions in America are a priority over the possibility to atone for a sin that has plagued him with guilt for decades, coupled with the opportunity to save a person’s life. This resistance to help someone who loved him so dearly at the risk of losing the life he has created shows Amir’s true selfishness. Moreover, when
Amir learns that Hassan is his half brother, he is still hesitant in accepting Rahim Khan’s dying wish. In this case, the earthly wealth that
Amir has acquired throughout his life trumps his devotion to both Rahim
Khan and Hassan. Conversely, Hassan outlines his success more with the quality of a person than their worldly wealth. He does not allow for the quantity of his possessions to affect his or his family’s integrity. His dreams for Sohrab include being “a good person, a free person and an important person” (218). Hassan’s wishes for his son show what he believes to be the ingredients for a successful life. His respect for a man’s principles is a stark contrast to Amir’s concern for physical belongings. Hassan believes that monetary wealth does not define a

Student 8 person’s true character. Amir’s behaviour throughout the novel demonstrates his greed and disregard for other people’s needs, whereas
Hassan is wholly altruistic in his approach at living a full life. These distinct behaviours can be interpreted as Hassan’s evolution as the more honourable person.
Finally, these main characters have conflicting senses of loyalty.
Amir shows that he is only loyal to himself, while Hassan is forever devoted to the people he calls family, in particular his illegitimate halfbrother. For example, Amir holds no loyalty to his closest friend when his own safety comes into question. When Assef threatens Amir for treating Hassan as an equal, he tries to convince himself that his friend is nothing more than a lowly Hazara: “ But he’s not my friend! ... He’s my servant!
” (41). Due to the risk of Assef attacking Amir, he prepares himself to abandon Hassan. Furthermore, Amir’s sense of self worth due to the Afghani social hierarchy present in The Kite Runner causes him to value his own well being over that of his lower class best friend. He believes his own life and happiness are more important than his closest ally’s, demonstrating his selfish nature. This also foreshadows when he

Student 9 abandons his friend later in the novel, when Assef sexually assaults
Hassan. This shows Amir’s lack of loyalty to anyone but himself. On the contrary, Hassan’s unbreakable devotion causes him to do anything for his family, with special attention to Amir. When Amir remembers his own child hood, he recalls how “Hassan never denied me anything” (4).
On the one hand, Hassan’s infinite generosity stems from his social class. His Hazara gene pool has made him loyal due to his only available employment being a servant boy in a rich person’s mansion. However,
Hassan is also benevolent by nature. Even when Hassan is disrespected, he is always by Amir’s side whenever he needs him. These situations not only show Hassan’s devotion, but also his ability to forgive. Both of these traits demonstrate his impressive integrity. Unfortunately, Amir does not share this same sense of obligation to reciprocate. Amir ends up forever changing the course of Hassan’s life as a result of his selfishness.
When Hassan successfully runs the kite for Amir, he also runs in to trouble with Assef. This causes Amir to choose between saving his best friend and finally being accepted by his father. He justifies choosing
Baba over Hassan by saying, “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay,

Student 10 the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba… He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?”
(77). The most important thing to Amir during his childhood is winning the love of his father. He believes this is only possible by becoming the kite-fighting champion at the annual competition. Amir is more concerned about his father’s opinion than protecting the life of his best friend. This causes Amir to ignore Hassan during his time of need.
Moreover, although Amir could save him, he chooses to run away, which demonstrates his shameless ability to sacrifice anything in order to get what he desires. After all of this, Hassan still makes sacrifices for the benefit of his best friend. After devoting his existence to serving
Amir, Hassan uses his last breath to defend Amir’s childhood home.
When Amir hears about his half-brother’s death, he imagines the incident, describing how “Hassan slumps to the asphalt, his life of unrequited loyalty drifting from him like the wind blown kites he used to chase” (219). Hassan’s loyalty to Amir is fundamental to his way of life.
His love of learning, his selflessness and ultimately his final years are all a product of his role as servant to Amir. Although Hassan is not of a high social status, he proves to be more loyal to those he loves than his

Student 11 rich and privileged friend. It is evident that Amir is unsympathetic to anyone’s needs but his own, while Hassan is continuously faithful to the people who have played a significant part in his life.
In the end, although they were raised under the same roof, Amir and Hassan ultimately grow up to have very different principles and moral values. The novel The Kite Runner demonstrates that a person’s place in a social hierarchy does not limit their strength of character. The primary evidence revolves around Amir’s abuse of privilege by teasing those less fortunate than he and, in contrast, how Hassan is eager to share and utilise his limited knowledge to help those around him.
Supporting this theory is Amir’s inherent materialistic and superficial desires, while Hassan values his ethics and meagre earthly possessions as his measure of life’s success. Finally, Hassan’s eternal fidelity in the novel shows Amir’s lack of loyalty to anyone but himself. Although those at the top of the social hierarchy may have more privilege, their position is not a main factor in the strength of their integrity. In essence, neither one’s social status nor wealth defines the kind of person they

Student 12 become. Inner strength is defined by how one chooses to imply the most basic human values of love, friendship and respect.