Amir goes through quite a bit of change in the span of his
life that the novel covers; however, he lives the majority of this life as a coward.
Only towards the end of the novel does he truly redeem himself by finding the
self-confidence he so adamantly believed he could never
attain.
We see Amir in the beginning of the story as a
scared boy who runs from conflict and cannot seem to live up to the expectations of his
more powerful father - "Baba", his father, even states, "There is something missing in
that boy." Further, Amir tries to avoid Assef and his friends and does not help his
"friend" Hassan in his time of need when he is attacked - he even goes as far as framing
Hassan after the event in a pathetic attempt to rid himself of his own guilt. Later in
the story as Baba is dying, Amir fears being alone rather than being concerned for his
father's welfare.
As the story progresses, however, Amir is
forced to face his darkest fears and emerges as a stronger, more confident adult. One
way this is developed is when he must return to his beloved homeland and sees what it
has become. Also, he eventually encounters Assef as he searches for Sohrab: this fight
with Assef somehow helps Amir overcome some of the guilt of his past
choices.
Now that Amir has gained some confidence in
himself, he is able to stand up to others, such as General Taheri. Amir also
understands the value of friendship and unconditional love, becoming more of a selfless
individual at the end of the novel.
No comments:
Post a Comment