LRB #2: Foils Continued and A Short Analysis of Hassan

In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the two main characters are a perfect example of foils. As I said in my last LRB, Amir and Hassan are complete opposites in both personality and actions. This is proven again between pages 80 and 109 of the book. The personalities of the two boys are put on display once again when Amir and Hassan grow distant after the incident in the alley and Amir ultimately decides to frame Hassan for thievery to get him kicked out of his life. Amir is shown to be a conniving, deceitful little boy that frames his best friend for a crime he didn’t commit just so he wouldn’t have to feel bad about what he witness and ran away from. Hassan, being the loyal and obedient friend he is, goes along with everything Amir says, condemning himself and his father to uprooting from their home and going elsewhere.

After Hassan says that he stole the money and the watch from Amir, Amir has a revelation. I flinched, like I’d been slapped. My heart sank and I almost blurted out the truth. Then I understood: This was Hassan’s final sacrifice for me. If he’s said no, Baba would have believed him because we all knew Hassan never lied. And if Baba believed him, then I’d be accused; I would have to explain and I would be revealed for what I really was. This quote is the most important so far at showcasing both Hassan and Amir’s true natures. Despite the pain Amir has put Hassan through, he is sacrificing himself one last time to end the struggle his friend is dealing with. Even in the end he remains loyal and obedient to the boy he considers his best friend. Meanwhile, Amir is revealed to be a liar and to have caused a lot of pain for his ‘best friend’, the one person who stuck around for him despite his callous attitude and how caught up he is in seeking his father’s approval. Hassan even disregards the fact that Amir is slaying him like a lamb to get on Baba’s good side. These two characters are exact opposites, and the stealing scene highlights that better than anything else in the book has. 

Moving along, the character of Hassan really intrigues me now. Despite the fact that he is teased by other kids simply because of what class of Afghanistan he comes from, he chooses to remain a humble person, fully accepting of his life and what it entails. And despite the fact that his only real friend bosses him around like a slave, he remains completely and utterly loyal to him, submissive to a fault and willing to do whatever it takes to make his friend happy. Take for example the kite running scene that leads to the alley scene. Hassan didn’t have to run the kite for Amir; he simply wanted to make his friend happy by getting the kite for him. He put Amir’s feelings ahead of his own, which shows that he is selfless as well. Hassan is overall a kind hearted, obedient, wonderful friend that knows what to do for his friends and even steps out of the way if it’s necessary and in some aspects I would like to be more like him.