The Kite Runner

Currently, we are reading/watching the novels "The Kite Runner," and "A Thousand Splendid Suns". Both films talk about the relationships between children and their parents. "The Kite Runner" discusses the relationship between fathers and sons and "A Thousand Spledid Suns" talks about the relationships between mothers and daugthers. All the while, both novels also intergrate the culture of Afghanistan and the government during this time. I think it is interesting that we have been reading stories that give us insight into how other cultures work and live and it really has given me a new understanding of these cultures. "The Kite Runner" focuses on a young boy named Amir, and his relationship with his father and with his childhood friend Hassan. Amir is a timid boy, who can be seen as weak and delicate, like the way that one might describe a young girl. His father hates this because his father is a strong business man and wants his son to follow in his footsteps and be a strong-willed, competive young man. However, whenever Amir finds himself in a situtation like older boys coming up to him and threatening him or picking on him he remains quiet and doesn't stick up for himself doesn't try to fight the boys or scare them off. In contrast, Hassan always has Amir's back, and is always protecting the both of them and sticking up for Amir in these situations. For example after him and Amir won the kite race, Hassan when to go catch the kite as a souvoneir for Amir. A group of older boys corner him and attack him in a corner and threaten him in order to try to get him to hand over the kite, but he refuses out of loyalty to Amir. Consequentially, The olders boys rape young Hassan, which impacts him harshly, but he never says a word about it to Amir. However, Amir witnessed the whole thing but acted like he never did and from that day on he started treating Hassan like an enemy. Up until this point I had thought they were friends.