Betrayal In The Kite Runner

Being betrayed causes a person to feel abandoned by the person who shattered their trust and can drastically affect relationships. In the short story On a Rainy river, Tim betrays his country by fleeing, leaving his family and friends behind with no explanation and himself in the decision to do what he morally felt wrong doing, running from a war he did not want to be a part of. As for the Kite Runner Amir was constantly betraying the ones he cared about for his own selfish reasons. But his betrayal of Hassan when they were young was life changing. After seeing his best friend being beaten and raped, he made the choice to run and not help him, not only did he leave his friend behind he hid what had happened from his father because he was finally getting the attention he was seeking for so long. The guilt one feels from betraying someone they care about can be over whelming and in this case Amir was selfish once again in his act to have Hassan kicked out of their home because he could not face him after what he had done. “I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it.” Not only did he betray his friend when he did nothing to help him at the lowest point of his life, but he continued to betray him by accusing him of being a thief to rid him of his house hold. As Amir grew older he realized

Blaise Velinor Ms. Dunlop ENG4U1f Monday, April 8, 2024 The Kite Runner Collage: Betrayal Throughout The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, betrayal is a recurring theme that changes the characters’ relationships and actions. The images of Amir peaking around the corner, Hassan smearing pomegranates on his forehead, and the money under the mattress displayed in my collage, all connect to a major instance of betrayal that is significant throughout the novel. As Amir peaks around the corner, he witnesses the sexual assault of his most loyal friend Hassan. Instead of supporting Hassan, Amir throws pomegranates at him, to see if he would defend himself, or retaliate.

In “The Kite Runner,” Amir and Baba both betray the servants most loyal to them. Hassan and Ali both do everything in their power to please their masters and remain loyal to them. Hassan and Ali differ from their masters in numerous ways but both pairs have similar differences. The master servant relationship between Baba, Ali and Amir, Hassan both differ in the characters’ attitudes, relationships, loyalty and courage.

In the book the Kite Runner there are many examples of betrayal and here are two of them. First Amir betrays Hassan by watching and doing nothing when Hassan is abused by Assef“I ran because i was a coward”(pg82).“But before you sacrifice yourself for him think of this would he do the same for you”(pg77). Secondly Amir is betrayed by Rahim Khan when he learns that Hassan is his half brother“How could you hide this from me from him”(pg235).“i’m 38 years old and i’ve just found out whole life is one big lie”(pg235).

Nobody can believe that the innocent activity of kite flying could ever lead to betrayal and eventually redemption yet, in the novel The Kite Runner, Hosseini manages to mend one man’s path through betrayal and ultimately to his redemption. Throughout this novel you will see many acts of betrayal between enemies, loved ones and strangers.

Throughout the book “The Kite Runner” written by Khaled Hosseini we see how Amir interacts with Hassan. Amir the son of a wealthy businessman and Hassan the son of a servant that works for Amir’s family. They are usually great friends and kind of like brothers because they have grown up together but even with relationships like this one, betrayal still exist. Amir betrayed Hassan because he let him get raped and never told adults about what happened to Hassan even when directly asked. Even with these reasons, people still disagree that Amir betrayed Hassan because Amir was just a child he couldn’t have helped Hassan and that he was just protecting Hassan’s dignity by not telling adults.

Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is an award-winning novel and considered one of today’s most popular, contemporary classics. The story is one of familiar themes such as loyalty, forgiveness, betrayal, love, and redemption. It follows the tale of Amir and how he must atone for his sins and find a way to “be good again” (Hosseini 2). The quintessential message of this book relies on the idea of second chances. Themes of redemption, betrayal, loyalty, and forgiveness are not only shown without doubt through this book, but are also common among many literary works and religions. Hosseini is successful in showing the significance of these themes throughout the novel.

All the books in my group had the theme of betrayal in common. In A Thousand Splendid Suns betrayal was demonstrated when, Jalil lying about seeing Mariam, Rasheed being set up, Mariam being betrayed by her husband constantly. In The Kite Runner betrayal was demonstrated when, Amir not protecting Hassan from Assef, Baba not telling Amir that he fathered Hassan, amir running away for the second time. In To Kill A Mockingbird betrayal was demonstrated when, the lawyer deciding to take on his case, Dill running away from home, Tom Robinson getting put on trial, In Things Fall Apart betrayal was demonstrated when, Okonkwo beat his second wife, Okonkwo feeling betrayed towards his god, and his own son joining the white missionaries. In Oliver Twist

Honesty and respect are among many qualities that deep relationships carry, especially loyalty. In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, he uses two young boys to convey his theme, “loyalty is not freely given, it is learned.” This theme is portrayed as Hosseini uses examples of devotion from his character, Hassan, to teach Amir what defines loyalty. While these two boys grow up together and form a friendship, a life-changing event splits them apart, only to take Amir twenty-six years to discover the truth of their past, their fathers, and their lives.

In the Kite Runner, deception is one of the main plot points that improve the story and characters. Deception is used to progress the book so that Amir, the main character, travels back to Afghanistan after being in America and is where the most memorable things happen in the book. In the book the deception make the main plot points of the story, is the driving force for why everything is happening, and is what made Kite Runner good.

As the reader progresses through the story they will see how a strong friendship like Amir and Hassan’s can be easily broken by betrayal.

Betrayal is a selfish action where one puts themselves before others which can result in painful difficulties amongst individuals. Most individuals choose their actions based on the situation and what the best possible outcome is for themselves. These selfish decisions of betrayal can cause lasting negative effects, damaging relationships and trust. Throughout the book, The Kite Runner, author Khaled Hosseini portrays the theme of betrayal in various ways through the actions of Amir, Baba, and Assef.

While Amir is lying in the dark, with nothing but his own thoughts, he feels that his guilt is taking over his life. He realizes that he is going to get away with his betrayal and yet he feels terrible. He decides that the only way he is going to live with his remorse is to ignore Hassan, blot him out, so he does not have to think about his sin. Amir’s guilt is so great that he cannot bear to have Hassan under the same roof, so he commits another sin. He lies to his father and accuses Hassan of stealing. “…I took a couple of the envelopes of cash from the pile of gifts and my watch, and tiptoed out…I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it…I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long

The Kite Runner, a story about two young children living in Afghanistan who go through their lives on different paths and manage to connect to each other later in life. There are two main themes in the book The Kite Runner. Throughout the book The Kite Runner, the themes of betrayal, forgiveness and immigration are portrayed.

Being betrayed is a tough concept to grasp, but it is even harder to deal with when it is your best friend. At first glance, Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, may appear to be a story about an innocent kite fighting tournament, but it is actually a heart wrenching tale of two best friends and their doomed friendship. Hosseini’s depiction of Amir’s betrayal of Hassan and their journey through their struggles, has readers intrigued until the end.