Second Reaction

The next few chapters in the book dive further into the relationship between Amir and Hassan.  We finally start to see Amir break away from Hassan a bit, due to the cultural and physical differences between Amir and Hassan.  Hassan is the son of his servant, and as Amir grows older, he realizes that there are repercussions from being close friends with Hassan.  Not only are there cultural differences that separate Hassan and Amir, the jealousy that Amir has for Hassan plays into their relationship as well.  Amir’s father treats Hassan as if he is a son, and Amir wishes his father would treat him more affectionately.  This causes Amir to occasionally lash out against Hassan, who has done nothing wrong, rather than talking to his father.  Despite these problems, the two are inseparable, and are always together no matter what others say to them.  The author has another conflict that is foreshadowed throughout the entire novel.  The winter of 1975 is set as this horrible point in time, which runs perfectly with Assef’s increasingly hostile acts.  There are no hints to how Assef will hurt Amir and Hassan, but there is no doubt that something will happen.  The title is finally explained for the first time in this section.  We learn that the kite runner is a duty that some boys have during the large kite tournaments that are famous in Afghanistan.  Hassan is the best kite runner that Amir knows, and this is another point of jealousy that Amir has for Hassan.  Amir I so desperate to prove to his father that he is not a screw-up, that every little thing that Hassan is better at bothers Amir, when it should actually make Amir happy and proud for Hassan, who clearly isn’t as bright or well educated as Amir.  It is Baba’s love for physical attributes over mental attributes that causes Amir to get jealous and over worried over things that in the end don’t really matter.  If Baba didn’t desire so obviously a son who was the best at sports and being physically dominant, then Amir wouldn't desire to change himself.  Amir is cerebral, and is not physically dominant.  He will never be the best athlete, or the strongest kid on the block.  I think Amir will always feel badly about himself until he chooses to accept himself for who he is, and not who his father wants him to be.