Alex's 2nd Reaction to The Kite Runner

     Throughout the next reading of “The Kite Runner” the relationship between Amir and Hassan deepens. The stark differences between them are highlighted in certain scenes. Hassan seems fearless, courageous and loyal, whereas Amir seems very unsure of himself. Hassan’s uninhibited characteristics are what gains Baba’s affection. Baba clearly favors children who are like Hassan and has a natural dislike for his biological son. Baba’s cold heartedness towards his son has made Amir speculate about being responsible for the death of his mother, which lays a heap of guilt of his shoulders. 

     The scene between the two friends and the bullies stood out to me the most. The scene further emphasizes how different Amir and Hassan are. Amir’s first reaction to when the bully threatened to use violence was to “throw Hassan under the bus” and say “But he’s not my friend! He’s my servant”. That highlights that the social classes in Afghanistan are so divided that not even living together could break the blatant divide that exists between them. Amir’s character flaw is that his heart is stone cold and he is a coward. He is not able to stand up for someone who ranks below him and it is probably because he envies him. On the other hand, Hassan is loyal even under threat. Hassan retained integrity even under pressure. I feel that his story alludes to the Old Testament story between David and Goliath. The slingshot is symbolic of a small weapon used against a power that seems huge and unconquerable. In this case, Hassan was able to win because he had great skill and courage. The big bully’s were no match. 

     Hassan has been gifted to be the kite runner on many levels. Not only is he skilled when it comes to the actual Afghan traditional kite competition, but he is also skillful in possessing an intuition, “an inner compass”, that helps him gain Baba’s affection and maneuver instinctively through his strength of character. I admire Hassan’s character and I would also like to find out why lost his smile and why he stopped kite running. It is hard to imagine something that would “break” Hassan because he has demonstrated great courage against many odds.