Internal Conflicts in The Kite Runner Essay

In Khaled Hosseini's novel "The Kite Runner", Hosseini's novel explores the many emtotions of jealousy, betrayal, guilt and loyalty. In the novel, the main character Amir battles many internal conflicts that stem from his jealousy and betrayal of his childhood friend and servant Hassan. In the novel, Hassan proves his loyalty through various obstacles that they encounter throughout the novel while Amir displays his disloyalty and jelousy towards Hassan's loyal nature. Though Hassan is but a simple servant from the Hazara class (the minority group of Afghanistan), he and his father hold a very special place in Amir's household and is treated significantly better than the servants of the other Afghanistan households. In the novel, Assef is brought into the story as a bully who bullies Amir. Being loyal and protective, Hassan threatens to shoot Assef with a slingshot which scares the bully away while vowing revenge against both Amir an Hassan. Not too long after, the kite running tournament is about to start. The objective of the tournament is to cut the other kites out of the skies and the last kite in the air is to be declared the winner. When the kites are cut out of the skies, they are to be collected by the victor. When the last kite in the sky was put out by Amir, Hassan runs to find the fallen kite telling Amir "for you a thousand times over."

When Amir goes to find Hassan, he sees Hassan in an alleyway being attacked and raped by Assef, the bully who vowed revenge. Amir being shocked and cowardly hides and later runs away in fear without going to Hassan's defense. Hassan returns with the last fallen kite, distraught and fatigued but does not discuss the incident. Amir, feeling guilty of his own cowardly behaviour and jealous of Hassan's loyalty tries to rid Hassan from his household to free himself of his own guilt. Amir tells his father Baba that perhaps they should find new servants only to anger his father. For the first time in Amir's life, Baba threatens to hit him out of anger and anguish.

On Amir's birthday, he recieves a watch and money. Amir, set out to rid Hassan from the household plants the birthday gifts under Hassan's mattress later on accusing him of being a theif. Hassan as always, takes the blame. Baba forgives Hassan but Hassan still leaves the household out of shame and guilt.

Fast forward years later, Baba is dying of cancer and Rahim, Baba's business partner and long-time friend advises Amir to forgive himself and come to amends with his guilt. Upon seeing Rahim, Amir learns that Hassan is his half brother and that he was married with a child by the name of Sohrab. Feeling anguished and depressed, he seeks to find Hassan only to learn from Rahim that he has died. Hassan died from a gunshot to the back of the head along with his wife when he tried to protect the house that Baba had left upon moving to the United States. Rahim advises Amir to take in Sohrab as a child. After picking up Sohrab, he takes Sohrab kite running and cuts another kite out of the sky with Hassan's "lift-and-dive" move. He offers to run the kite for Sohrab and shouts "for you a thousand times over."