An Analysis of Amir’s Characters in the Kite Runner

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1、An Analysis of Amirs Characters in the Kite RunnerAbstract: This thesis focuses on the characters of Amir in the novel named The Kite Runner written by an international bestselling American novelist, Khaled Hossenini. This thesis is aimed to find out the detailed characters of the leading roles and

2、analyze its characters formation causes, by the methods of comparison, exemplification and comprehension analysis through their behaviors and words in the novel. This thesis gets the conclusions：1) Judging from his guilt to Hassan and the saving to the son of Hassan, getting that Amir is a kind man

3、in the bottom of his heart. Also he is a selfish man from what he has done to Hassan. But at last, his saving to the son of Hassan illustrates his character of adamancy; 2) The formation causes of his character are related to his family, especially his father. Key words: characters；causes；analyze浅析在

4、追风筝的人中阿米尔性格摘 要: 本论文集中在于分析在追风筝的人中，主人公阿米尔的人物性格及其性格形成的原因，此书是有美国畅销书作家卡勒德.胡塞尼撰写。此篇论文目的在于通过比较，列举，理解的方法来分析主人公性格及性格形成的原因得出了一下两点结论：其一，从阿米尔对哈桑的愧疚以及后来不惜牺牲自己的生命来挽救哈桑的儿子可以看出从本质来说，阿米尔是一个心地善良的人，同时他也是个很自私的人，及其所能的捉弄哈桑。但是最后，我们看到了阿米尔的勇敢和坚强。冒着枪林弹雨从塔利班手中救出了哈桑的儿子。其二，关于阿米尔性格形成的因素很大成分取决于父亲对他的影响。 关键词：性格；原因；分析Contents1. Intr

5、oduction12. An Analysis of Amirs Characters22.1 His Kindness and the Causes of His Kindness22.2.His Selfishiness and the Causes of His Selfishness42.3. His Adanmancy and the Causes of His Selishness63. Conclusion7Bibliography8Acknowledgments98An Analysis of Amirs Characters in the Kite Runner 1. Int

6、roductionThe Kite Runner is the story of a young boy, Amir, struggling to establish a closer rapport with his father and coping with memories of a haunting childhood event. The novel is set in Afghanistan, from the fall of the monarchy until the collapse of the Taliban regime, and in the San Francis

7、co Bay Area, specifically in Fremont, California. Its many themes include ethnic tensions between the Hazara and the Pashtun in Afghanistan, and the immigrant experiences of Amir and his father in the United States. The novel was the number three best seller for 2005 in the United States, according

8、to Nielsen BookScan. 7 The Kite Runner was also produced as an audiobook read by the author. The Kite Runner has been adapted into a film of the same name released in December, 2007. Hosseini made a cameo appearance towards the end of the movie as a bystander when Amir buys a kite which he later fli

9、es with Sohrab.The author, Haled Hussein was born on March 4, 1965 in Kabul, Afghanistan. In 1970, Hosseini and his family moved to Iran where his father worked for the Embassy of Afghanistan in Tehran. In 1973, Hosseinis family returned to Kabul, and Hosseinis youngest brother was born in July of t

10、hat year.In 1976, Hosseinis father obtained a job in Paris, France and moved the family there. They were unable to return to Afghanistan because of the Saur Revolution in which the PDPA communist party seized power through a bloody coup in April 1978. Instead, in 1980 they sought political asylum in

11、 the United States and made their residence in San Jose, California.Hosseini graduated from Independence High School in San Jose in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University, where he earned a bachelors degree in biology in 1988. The following year, he entered the School of Medicine, University of

12、 California, San Diego, where he earned his M.D. in 1993. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in 1996. He practiced medicine until a year and a half after the release of The Kite Runner.Hosseini is currently a Goodwill Envoy for the United Na

13、tions High Commissioner for Refugees. He lives in Northern California with his wife, Roya, and their two children.When Khaled Hosseini was a child, he read a great deal of Persian poetry as well as Persian translations of novels ranging from Alice in Wonderland to Mickey Spillanes Mike Hammer series

14、. Hosseinis very fond memories of his childhood in peaceful pre-Soviet era Afghanistan, as well as his personal experiences with Afghanistans Hazara people led to the writing of his first novel, The Kite Runner. One Hazard man, named Hossein Khan, worked for the Hosseinis when they were living in Ir

15、an. When Khaled Hosseini was in third grade, he taught Khan to read and write. Although his relationship with Hossein Khan was brief and rather formal, Hosseinis fond memories of this relationship served as an inspiration for the relationship between Hassan and Amir in The Kite Runner.2. Analyze the

16、 Character of Amir 2.1. His kindness and the causes of his kindnessAmir, who is the main character of this novel named The Kite Runner. He was born in 1963, and his mother died giving birth. He is a Pashtun. As a child, Amir delighted himself with storytelling and was encouraged by Rahim Khan to bec

17、ome an author. At the age of eighteen, he and his father flee to America following the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan, where Amir pursues his dream of being a writer. This is about the brief introduction of his life experience. From the characters of Amir, he is a kind man in the story. His guilty t

18、o Hassan after making fun of him each time, his sympathy to the refugees in Afghanistan, his saving to the son of Hassan, and his care of him, etc. All those can explain that Amir is kind man in the story of the character analyzingHis guilty of Hassan can tell the truth that in fact he is a kind man

19、 from the bottom of his heart. In his childhood, each time when he humiliates Hassan, he feels much guilty. In the book, he always makes fun of Hassan by reading the stories, because Hassan is an illiterate boy. However, his inner heart condemns him that he should not bully an illiteracy who is alwa

20、ys honest to him. Then he feels very guilty after he humiliated him each time. Especially in the match of kite running, this match is Afghanistans deep history. The match can be dangerous as people run along after the kites gazing toward the sky, ignoring traffic and other obstacles. It has even bee

21、n banned in Pakistan where kite flying was once a major part of their spring festival, Basant, due to the glass and metal coatings some used to give the string extra cutting power. These doctored kite strings can also lead to serious cuts. For Amir, this is very important of him, because this is the

22、 only way to get his fathers appraisal. But some thing happened，influencing him all life long. This part is the brightened dot for this novel which makes an echo to the theme and makes great influence on Amir. In the kite running, Hassan should help Amir to pick up the last kite. Only by this can ex

23、plain that Amir is the winner in this match. But on the way of picking the kite, Hassan was raped by Assef. Knowing Hassan to be raped, when Amir witnesses such thing, he has much impulse to help him, but his cowardice does not allow him to do so. After that Amir is not any happier, he even wishes t

24、hat Hashanah can beat him so that he can feel much better. His fault can not have deserved punishment, which makes him even more ashamed (Hosseini, 2003, p30). Such thing affects Amir all life long. He feels quit guilty to him. But it seems that he has no chance to make up his fault. How much he wan

25、ts Hassan to condemn him, to beat him. His guilty to Hassan tortures him a lot. In fact it is his kindness tortures him. No kindness, no guilty.Furthermore, his kindness appears in his act of saving Sohrab，the son of Hassan， which is a very dangerous thing that may deprive him of his life. Over year

26、s, he has been haunted by his selfishness a lot. He owned Hassan, He can only shoulder this guilty alone. When Afghanistan is in turmoil, he and Baba escaped to the U.S.A. Once Amir has married and established a career, only two things prevent his complete happiness: his guilt and his inability to h

27、ave a child with Sprays. Sohrab, who acts as a substitute for Hassan to Amir, actually becomes a solution to both problems. Amir describes Sohrab as looking like a sacrificial lamb during his confrontation with Assef, but it is actually himself that Amir courageously sacrifices. In doing this, as Ha

28、ssan once did for him, Amir redeems himself, which is why he feels relief even as Assef beats him. Amir also comes to see Sohrab as a substitute for the child he and Soraya cannot have, and as a self-sacrificing father figure to Sohrab. Amir use his own way to dissolve his guilty which bothered him

29、for those years. God gives his opportunity to save the son of Hassan and also himself. He must do so, because his conscience requires him to do this(Hull,1980,70). His saving to Sohrab is also his saving to himself. He has the chance to make up his guilt to Hassan. It is more meaningful than beating

30、 him by Hassan. His kindness requires him to do something to Hassan no matter how dangerous it is. At last, Amirs kindness tells him to adopt this poor boy. He plans to take Sohrab back to America and possibly adopt him, but only to find its difficult to get through the US authorities. And Sohrab is

31、 very disappointed and attempts suicide (李玉霞, 2006, p.62). But luckily he is alive. Amir manages to take him to America and let him live with him and his wife. But Sohrab is emotionally damaged and refuse to speak and smile, even glance at Soraya. The last scene, Sohrabs frozen emotions are thawed b

32、y Amirs reminisces about his father Hassan while the kite flying. Amir shows of some of Hassans tricks and Sohrab begins to interact with Amir again. In the end Sohrab only shows a lopsided smile ,but Amir takes to it with all his heart as he runs the kite for Sohrab, saying. “For you, a thousand ti

33、mes over “Amir, a well-to-do Pashtun boy, and Hassan, a Hazara who is the son of Ali, Amirs fathers servant, spend their days in the then peaceful city of Kabul, kite fighting and roaming through the streets. Amirs father, a wealthy merchant, who Amir affectionately refers to as Baba, loves both boy

34、s, but seems critical of Amir for not being manly enough. However, he has a kinder father figure in the form of Rahim Khan, Babas friend, who understands Amir better, and supports his interest in writing. Amir tells us that his first word was Baba and Hassans Amir, suggesting that Amir looked up mos

35、t to Baba, while Hassan looked up to Amir. The character of Amirs kindness is firmly related to the conditions which he live in. it can be said that his characters are greatly influenced by his family. Amir was born in a rich family. But his mother was died by birth giving. In his childhood, father

36、is his only relative. His fathers words and behaviors have great effect on him secretly. His father is a kind man. He build the orphanage for those poor children, he always help the neighbors. All those benevolence influence Amirs character of goodwill.2.2. His selfishness and the causes of his self

37、ishnessIn this story, Amir is not only a kind man but also he is a selfish man. His guilty explains that his is a kind man. But what creates his guilty. It is his selfishness. He wants to get his fathers love and not allows anybody to share with him especially when father gives praise to Hassan. So

38、Amirs love for Hassan is selfish as he exploits him for his own purposes.For instance, in the kite flying tournament, Amir uses Hassan to run the kite for him. For the sports Amir is not as good as Hassan. But this is an important match to him, because this is the only way to prove that he is a bull

39、ied man as fathers expectation. In fact, he doesnt believe that he can get it without Hassans help (樊国宾, 2003, p.60). After winning the game, Amir owned all the success to himself. He wants to get his fathers appraise by ignoring the feeling and emotion of Hassan who is always honest to him and trus

40、t him as his only friend. But for Amir, he uses this little servant to help him to make his dream come true that is only his fathers affirmation. When Amir witnesses Hassan is raped by others guys. He doesnt help him, even though he has impulse to help him for many times but his self-protection and

41、his selfishness prevents him to save his servant who is tying to get his kite in order to make him success. There is a strongly contract from Amirs selfishness and Hassans selfish less.In addition, Amir drives Hassan and his father-Ali away by chaptering Hassan. In Afghanistan, the servant is in low

42、-class. The can not get the basic respect from others. But when they make some mistakes they will get more punishments than others. Such as steal, when the servants are found to seal the hosts prosperity. They will be driven away by the hosts and they may not have any chance to get job in that count

43、ry. In Amirs birthday, one of the guests gives him a watch which is very expensive and rare in that country. Amir hides that watch under Hassans pillow secretly and wrongly tells his father that his watch is lost. As a result Hassan is mistakenly treated as a thief. They have no reason to live here.

44、 Amir drives them away successfully. Why Amir do this? It is oriented from his self-protection of his emotion. When Hassan was raped, he didnt help him. How guilty he feels! How much he wishes Hassan beats him, points at him or other things like that. But Hassan treats him well as before. This let h

45、im more guilt. He can not shoulder this emotion. The only way is driving him away. When he doesnt see him any more, it will not let him feel guilty. He uses the mean way to let Hassan away in order to protect his emotion. This is Amir who is full of both kindness and selfishness.Amir is educated whe

46、reas Hassan isnt. Yet, Hassan is a true friend to Amir, because he holds no bad intentions or feelings for him (Hull, 1980, p.20). His love for Amir is selfless. He is loyal and honest. So why are they friends? Amir enjoys the control he has over Hassan, while Hassan has only pure intentions. If it

47、wasnt for Hassans purity, there would be no friendship. Hassan is unaware of Amirs jealousy and exploitive behaviour, and simply goes on being a friend to him. Moreover, although Amir enjoys having control, there is a part of him that is pure. He is only a child, and thus holds some innocence. This

48、is why at times he treats Hassan as a true friend, such as when he engraves their names on the pomegranate tree. He lies in the middle of the spectrum, between Hassans purity, and Assefs evil. Amir represents a realistic person, such as us, who is flawed.From the onset, Amir and Hassan do not share

49、a complete and balanced friendship, as Amir does not behave as a true friend to Hassan. He does not understand why Baba likes Hassan so much, considering he is only a Hazara servant. Also, Amir overhears Baba saying that Amir can not stand up for himself and that Hassan has to protect him. Therefore

50、, Amir feels obliged to prove himself to his father in order to gain his affections.2.3. His adamancy and the causes of his adamancyWhen in America, Amir receives a phone call from his fathers friend. This phone call evokes his memory of Hassan and Exposs the truth of the relationship about him and

51、Hassan. Only at that time does he know that Hassan was his half brother, did he know that Hassan and his wife died because of their protection for Amirs fathers house. So, all these force Amir to return to Peshawar, in Pakistan, and Kabul to find Hassans son, to start a journey of redemption. This n

52、eed great courage and adamancy. Today, danger is in each corner of Afghanistan. Nobody can ensure you would be killed by those Taliban members. But Amir still decided to go that Hell on earth.Afghanistan today was full of rain of bullets. The way of looking for the son of Hassan was so difficult. ,i

53、n Pakistan, and Kabul to look for Hassans son. In kabul ,Amir found Hassans son Sohrab in Assefs hand. In order to get Sohrab back,Amir and Assef has a good fighting in Assefs office. And Amir is saved by Sohrabs slingshot. Sohrab shoot out Assefs left eye, fulfilling the threat this father had made

54、 many years ago. Compared whth many years in Afghanistan, Amir even had no courage to dare at Assef, but now, in order to save this boy, he even came to Assefs house alone and fighted with him, even he was clear that he was debt to failed, or more seriously he would be killed by this old enemy. Duri

55、ng the fighting, he was hurt badly that is nearly dead, but he stick, for this poor boy, for him, a thousand times over.Amir is always living on the shadow of his fathers. Father is his only relative after the death of his mother. In his childhood, he admires his father a lot, but his father severel

56、y gives affirmation to his son, while he always praise Hassan, who is only a servant. He always compared Hassan with Amir. Those cause his character of inferiority. Father expect his son is good at football or other physical sports (Hosseini, 2003, p.100), but his son love reading and writing, which

57、 he thought is not a really “man”. He despise his sons coward when they fight with other boys, he can not bravely protect himself, always let Hassan put himself forward for him. In all, his son is not as good as the one he expected. He is much disappointed, which this negative emotion create amirs c

58、haracter of inferiority. How much he wish he can be a “brave” man, a man who is good at sports, but he cant satisfied his father. He cant fight with rogues, only let Hassan protect him. He cant save Hassan when he witted Hassan was raped by assef. Those thought tortured him a lot, then caused his ch

59、aracter of inferiority. His fathers attitude played a key role in his characters forming. If his father gives him more admiration, it would be another result.5. ConclusionThis thesis is key on analyzing on these two points that 1) the characters of Amir; 2) The forming causes of his characters. Afte

60、r finishing analyzing, this thesis gets the following conclusions that 1) Amir is a kind-hearted man in the bottom of his heart, but he has also some weak points of human characters, such as his coward, his jealous, his adamancy, his selfish, and his inferiority; 2) The reasons the affect his charac

61、ters, through all this thesis, finding out that it is all about his fathers affection. His fathers behaviors, words and his thought always affect his son. This family member is the key to analyzing the forming causes of his characters. Through this thesis, it is better help readers to understand thi

62、s work and the characters in this novel, especially the main character. At the same time, readers can also better understand the forming causes of Amirs characters. At last, it helps to know some thoughts and customs in Afghanistan. Because this is a new book, so there are some problems in collectin

63、g the resources. And some subjective ingredients may exist in the thesis.ReferencesKhaled, Hosseini. The Kite runners. New York: Riverhead Books.2003.Jung, F. C. Hull. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious ,1980.DiYanni, Robert.Literature: Reading, Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Other Essay. NewYork: McGraw-Hill. Inc, 1990. 444.樊国宾. 主体生成：50年成长小说研究. 北京：中国戏剧出版社,2003.卡勒德-胡塞尼. 李继宏译. 追风筝的人. 上海：上海人民出版社，2006.社会观察，2006(12)：62第8卷第1期李玉霞：论追风筝的人中的背叛与救赎