Kite Runner Essay 1

Instincts are Nature's way of revealing the true self to the world around us, and to ourselves. Because we have no control over our gut feeling, our actions as a result of them can make us out to be either heroes or cowards. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir's reaction to his best friend's violation reveals that he is both selfish and disloyal. By not intervening on the rape, Amir's instincts expose his flaws and traumatize him for the rest of his life.

Amir's actions in the alley show how selfish a person he is. After returning to the alley to confront Hassan, he admits that the first thing he did was look for the kite Hassan was protecting in order to "scan it for any rips"(78). Because the kite was a means for him to get along with his father, his action reveals that he cares more about his father's approval than about the health of his best friend. This selfish behavior is even worse because of the intimate relationship between Amir and Hassan. Furthermore, instead of comforting Hassan after what happened, Amir says, "I pretended I hadn't seen the dark stain in the seat of his pants. Or those tiny drops that fell from between his legs and stained the snow black."(78). In order to save himself from feeling further guilt, Amir simply ignores Hassan's pain, showing he only cares about himself. When Hassan needed him most, Amir turned a blind eye towards him.

Amir's response in the alley to the misdeed taking place also reveals how disloyal he is. Amir and Hassan both fed from the same breast and "there is a brotherhood between people who've fed from the same breast"(73). Knowing Hassan for his entire life, and spending every day with him makes Amir's actions in the alley seem almost criminal. Amir could have told Hassan to give the kite away and could have saved both Hassan physically and their relationship, but instead he chose to not interfere, showing how disloyal he is to his own brother. Also, Amir says that Hassan is "someone who always knew what you needed"(62). The intimate relationship between Hassan and Amir is destroyed over Amir's inability to act. Hassan, who was always loyal to Amir, believed that Amir was his friend. However, Amir's selfishness and betrayal make both of them question that relationship.