Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice”-Kettering. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, father-son relationships exemplify the ups and downs of life and how constant decisions impact one’s life. Amir longs to share a loving bond with his distant father, Baba; a distance caused by the secrets Baba has kept from Amir. Baba feels obliged to show Hassan great attention because he has kept secret that Hassan is his son, a fact that Amir is unaware of. The favoritism shown causes Amir to turn his back on his longtime friend and betray a companion that has always been loyal. Baba’s relationship with his sons causes betrayal and jealousy between friend due to the divided attention.
Growing…
For instance, when teaching Amir life lessons, Baba says “There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft… When you kill a man, you steal a life… There is no act more wretched than stealing!” (41). Baba was being hypocritical by preaching this moral to Amir. Baba was guilty of committing the sin he viewed more shameful – theft. In addition, Baba always seemed to reject the idea of his relation to Amir: “If I had not seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I’d not believe he’s my son” (26). Baba’s denial was made very apparent, especially to Amir. But was it his underlying guilt or Amir’s character causing this refusal. Consequently, Amir reacted poorly to Baba’s distance: “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (85). Amir was so hurt by the favoritism Baba showed that he betrayed his lifelong friend. Baba is aware of Amir’s flaws and those are flaws that tarnish his chance of becoming a real man.
Baba’s secrecy is the ultimate divide between Amir and him having a close fatherly son bond. Amir never gets closure of why this relationship was so torn until it is too late. Amir’s act of betrayal was eased by the hate he held towards Hassan. As he grew older Amir learned not to be jealous of Hassan but to be sharing with…
