Tuesday 12 April 2016

The Kite Runner

The father/son relationship between Amir and Baba and Hassan and Ali differs in many ways. Baba is distant, tough, and rarely shows Amir any affection. Ali is caring, kind, and gentle. "Hassan's father, Ali, used to catch us and get mad, or as mad as someone as gentle as Ali could ever get" (Hosseini 4). Everyone in Kabul respects Baba and knows that he is a rich and powerful man, but Ali is a Hazara and Shi'ite therefore being teased and taunted by Pashtuns his whole life. Amir admires his father and always tries to live up to his expectations, while Ali accepts Hassan the way he is and doesn't try and change him or tell him to act a certain way. Baba believes that to be defined as a "man", Amir must do what he does. He must talk about politics and soccer, and have a strong demeanor. When Amir was young, Baba built an orphanage, and Amir wanted to know why he cared about those children but he didn't even pay much attention to his own son. He wished death upon those children, because they got his fathers affection, while Amir had to act a certain way to please Baba.

1 comment:

  1. I like how you highlighted the difference in how Baba and Ali are treated by the general population. Do you think this plays a role in how each man views and treats his son?

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