The Kite Runner: Violence, Guilt, and No Happy Ending Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is an honest yet disturbing, work of historical fiction told from the point of view of the protagonist, Amir. He describes his childhood living in Afghanistan with Hassan, a Hazara boy, who worked as a servant to Amir and his father, Baba.
A main conflict of the story is the fact that Amir allows Assef, the antagonist, to do horrible things to Hassan with no attempt to intervene. This scene is very intense and upsetting. Although it could be considered as a representation of “real-world” situations that sadly occur in the Middle Eastern area, the situation is purely troubling. Amir commits an act of dreadful betrayal. Hassan and his father part their ways with Amir and Baba, who go to America to live in California. They live a typical American life, making a good amount of money and living in a safe area, but Amir’s thoughts are filled with guilt and remorse. Amir’s guilt lasts ridiculously long. He says, “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years”(1). This quote from Amir represents that although he tried to forget his painful past, he could not. He did not have the will power to simply drop what occurred between him and Hassan from his thoughts. The fact that he has not resolved his guilt eventually leads him to return to Afghanistan, which is governed by the Taliban. While in Afghanistan, Amir commits an unreasonable act of bravery that, in my opinion, would not occur in the real world. Overall, finishing the book leaves the question of whether or not it should be considered to have a “happy” ending. Although many important situations are resolved, there are also