consequences

            For me, The Kite Runner is a story about consequences. Whether it was Baba’s affair with Ali’s wife and thus producing a child together, Amir not standing up for Hassan, Amir pretending he hated Hassan, etc. Khaled Hosseini portrays beautifully how actions – even when sometimes seemingly small – always have consequences. Often, these are lifelong consequences and affect the everyday lives of many. The Kite Runner is a sad book and is this way because these intense consequences are many times the result of betrayal.

 

            The main character and protagonist in the story is Amir. Amir lives with his father, Baba, and their servants Ali and his son Hassan. Both Amir and Hassan were left motherless because Amir’s mother died in childbirth and Hassan’s mother ran off with the gypsies. For many years, Amir and Baba did not have a good relationship. Baba did not think he had many things in common with Amir as Amir was shy, very into writing stories, studying, researching and learning about history and Baba was more into soccer, being outgoing, and standing up for oneself. Amir frequently felt that Baba would rather have Hassan as a son than him because he would buy Hassan extravagant birthday presents, when all three of them were in a store together Baba would buy them equal gifts, and Baba spent a lot of time with Hassan. Little did Amir know that one of the main reasons Baba acted this way is because Hassan actually was his son. Because Baba had slept with Ali (his friend since childhood)’s wife, they now had a son together. This was only revealed later in the book, so even though everyone involved did not know what the action was that caused the consequence, everyone’s lives were changed dramatically because of this.

 

            Ever since Amir and Hassan were little there was a kinship between them because the same woman, Sakina, nursed them both. They were best friends and basically brothers. Ever since Amir could remember he was in control of their friendship. Amir’s first word was, “Baba!” as opposed to Hassan’s first word, “Amir!” When they would play in the streets and sometimes get bullied it was always Hassan standing up for both himself and Amir. One day the bullying got extremely vicious though and Hassan was gruesomely taken advantage of. However, instead of repaying Hassan for all the times he had stood up for Amir and saved him from the bullies, Amir just stood there did nothing. Afterwards, he treated Hassan so poorly that Hassan left the house with his father. Amir’s decision would haunt him and his father as well as Hassan and his family forever.

 

            In the end, Hassan and his wife end up being killed by the Taliban, leaving behind their young son, Sohrab. Upon hearing this news and the news that Hassan was also his half-brother Amir is overwhelmed by emotion. He discovers that poor decision of not standing up and looking out for Hassan when they were little had more of an impact than he originally thought. Therefore, he wants to repent for his sins and not feel guilty anymore so he goes to extremes with the Taliban in order to get Sohrab back and take care of him.

 

            This book really got me thinking about how almost every action has consequences. And whether we realize it or not these consequences affect how we handle situations and they also affect what our next decision will be. As a person of impulse I often forget how my actions have consequences because I just “live for the moment” (as my dad always says). I love being a person of impulse though…I like not knowing what is going to happen next. But maybe sometimes it is better to at least be aware of possible consequences or else something seemingly harmless may ruin someone’s life. This book also showed me though that even when a bad decision is made there is usually hope…just like when Amir decided to take care of Sohrab. (672)