2. The strong underlying force of this novel is the relationship between Amir and Hassan. Discuss their friendship. Why is Amir afraid to be Hassan’s true friend? Why does Amir constantly test Hassan’s loyalty? Why does he resent Hassan? After the kite running tournament, why does Amir no longer want to be Hassan’s friend?
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Amir is afraid to be Hassan’s true friend because of their different status and he is jealous of Hassan because he sees how much Baba cares for him.
Amir resents Hassan’s loyalty and selflessness. Amir also feels resposible for what happened to Hassan in the alley and he finds Amir’s continued loyalty to him difficult to take.
Amir does not like Baba paying so much attention to Hassan as he wants Baba all to himself. Also Amir is of a lower class and Amir keeps him below.
Amir resents Hassan because Baba favors him, and Amir is jealous of his fathers affections. Amir is afraid to be Hassans true friend because doing so would expose him to the discrimination that Hazaras such as Hassan face. Amir does not want to be Hassans friend after the incident in the alleyway because he feels unworthy of Hassan, because Hassan sacrificed himself so that Amir could have the kite, and Amir allowed him.
Amir is jealous of Hassan because of the way that Baba cares and looks after him so much. Also Amir doesn’t want to be true friends with Hassan because of his lower status than Amir and is embarrassed about it. When Assef and his friends question Amir about the friendship between Hassan and Amir, Amir doesn’t answer Assef as he doesn’t want people to tease him about it.
Amir is afraid to be Hassans friend because he he knows that they are two different racial groups and therefore different in society.
Amir constantly tests Hassans loyalty because he is jealous of Hassans loyalty and therefore wants him to slip up. He resents Hassan because of the love that Baba gives him and how he never forgets Hassans birthday.
The reason Amir does not want to be Hassans friend after the Kite fighting tournament is that he feels bad that he watched Hassans incident and did not help in anyway.
Amir is afraid to be Hassan’s true friend because of the extreme loyalty that Hassan has for Amir and the way that Baba also shows affecttion towards Hassan. Amir contanrly tests Hassans loyalty to see if he can make him leave, to see if Hassan is as loyal as he seems. And when it dosen’t happen Amir gets more fustrated. Amir no longer wants to be Hassans friend because he see can’t deal with the guilt of knowing what happened to him and not doing anything about it. Amir also has the chance to get the affection from Baba that he thinks he is deprived off and therefore tries to keep Baba to himself.
Amir is jealous of Hassan because of the way that Baba cares and looks after him so much. Also Amir doesn’t want to be true friends with Hassan because of his lower status than Amir and is embarrassed about it. When Assef and his friends question Amir about the friendship between Hassan and Amir, Amir doesn’t answer Assef as he doesn’t want people to tease him about it. After the incident down the alleyway Amir doesn’t want to face Hassan again because he stood there and watched it happen and didn’t try and stop it happening.
Amir is afraid to let Hassan be an actual friend because he resents his relationship with his father, Baba. He is jealous of the attention that Hassan receives from Baba and not until the end of the novel, we find out why. Amir also realises the difference between their social status.
Amir doesn’t want to be Hassan’s friend after the kite tournament as he feels responsible for what happened in the alleyway and afterwards wishes Hassan wasn’t so pure as he wouldn’t fight back when Amir tests his loyalty under the pomengrate tree.
Amir is afraid to be Hassan’s friend because of their status differences. Amir is jealous of Hassan’s natural courage and the place he holds in his father’s heart. He no longer wants to be Hassan’s friend after the tournament because he feels that he is responsible for Hassan rape as he stood back and did nothing to stop it.
Amir likes to play with Hassan but he is aware of what other people will think if they see him being friendly and playful so he only shows his friendship to Hassan when they are alone because he is a Hazara and he is a Pashtun. Amir tests Hassans loyalty to see how Hassan feels about Amir but Hassan never challenges Amir which shows how Amir is lacking in qualities. Hassan is more close to Baba which makes Amir jealous as that is what he is looking for.After Hassans incident Amir doesn’t want to be around Hassan because he isn’t worthy and he betrayed Hassan when Hassan wouldn’t betray or fail him.
Amir is friends with Hassan but he doesent openly admit it. He is very close to Hassan but will never openly say so to anyone outside of his house. He constantly tests hassans loyalty Because hassan is just so loyal to him all the time he finds it interesting and sometimes funny to test hassans loyalty. This is one reseaon that he doesent like hassan (his loyalty) another would be because Hassan has a special place in babbas heart and he is more cdouragous and brave than amir is.He no longer wants to be friends with him after he witnessed hassans incident (bum rape)because he didnt do anything to prevent it he feels rtesponsible and he is. He could have forsaken the kite for hassans friendship but he was too cowardly and regrets this decision for the rest of his life.
Amir is afraid to say that Hassan is his friend of even think of him as a friend because of their different status in society. and because he is a coward he is afraid of what others would think if he said that Hassan was his friend.
Amir is friends with Hassan but he doesent openly admit it. He is very close to Hassan but will never openly say so to anyone outside of his house. He constantly tests hassans loyalty Because hassan is just so loyal to him all the time he finds it interesting and sometimes funny to test hassans loyalty. This is one reseaon that he doesent like hassan (his loyalty) another would be because Hassan has a special place in babbas heart and he is more cdouragous and brave than amir is.He no longer wants to be friends with him after he witnessed hassans incident because he didnt do anything to prevent it he feels rtesponsible and he is. He could have forsaken the kite for hassans friendship but he was too cowardly and regrets this decision for the rest of his life.
Amir is afraid to be Hassans true friend because Hassan is a Hazara and Amir is scared to be seen as friends with one of them and to be laughed at and bullyied because of it. Amir resents Hassan because Hassan seems to get Babas praise and Baba seems prouder of Hassan than his son Amir. He also resents Hassan because Hassan has many of the qualities that Amir wishes he had, E.G: Hassan is brave and loyal, he is also honest. Amir appears to us as cowardly and lies to get what is best for him. He wishes he was more like Hassan. After the tournament Amir no longer wants to be hassans friend because he cannot stand the guilt that he has after Hassan has being raped and he let it happened. He thinks Hassan will be better off out of Amirs life
Amir is afraid to call Hassan a true friend because of the difference in status. he denies their friendship to Assef and says hes my servant. he is jealous that baba is very fond of him.
Amir is afraid to be Hassan’s true friend because of their different status and he is jealous of Hassan because he sees how much Baba cares for him.
Amir resents Hassan’s loyalty and selflessness. Amir also feels resposible for what happened to Hassan in the alley and he finds Amir’s continued loyalty to him difficult to take.
Amir does not like Baba paying so much attention to Hassan as he wants Baba all to himself. Also Amir is of a lower class and Amir keeps him below.
Amir resents Hassan because Baba favors him, and Amir is jealous of his fathers affections. Amir is afraid to be Hassans true friend because doing so would expose him to the discrimination that Hazaras such as Hassan face. Amir does not want to be Hassans friend after the incident in the alleyway because he feels unworthy of Hassan, because Hassan sacrificed himself so that Amir could have the kite, and Amir allowed him.
Amir is afraid to be Hassan’s true friend because of the extreme loyalty that Hassan has for Amir and the way that Baba also shows affecttion towards Hassan. Amir contanrly tests Hassans loyalty to see if he can make him leave, to see if Hassan is as loyal as he seems. And when it dosen’t happen Amir gets more fustrated. Amir no longer wants to be Hassans friend because he see can’t deal with the guilt of knowing what happened to him and not doing anything about it. Amir also has the chance to get the affection from Baba that he thinks he is deprived off and therefore tries to keep Baba to himself.
Amir is afraid to be Hassan’s friend because of their status differences. Amir is jealous of Hassan’s natural courage and the place he holds in his father’s heart. He no longer wants to be Hassan’s friend after the tournament because he feels that he is responsible for Hassan rape as he stood back and did nothing to stop it.
Amir is afraid to be friends Hassan, because he is his servant. Hassan is of lower class, and he wants to be accepted by others who would disagree with their friendship. So he purposely distances himself from Hassan, especially when others are around.
Amir resents Hassan for his loyalty towards him, probably because he feels guilty. Amir knows that he has nowhere near the same loyalty that Hassan has for him, his loyalty makes him feel bad. But also he resents him for his athletic abilities, and the way Baba seems to care for him, or take pity on him. Amir is jealous of the way Baba pays him attention.
Amir no longer wants to be friends with Hassan, after he witnessed the older boys rape him. He sees what they do, but still does nothing to help, he becomes scared and ends up running. Amir feels like he should have done something to stop them, and it was his fault. So he continues to try and run, and avoids Hassan due to his fear. He is afraid, and thinks that Hassan knows Amir was there. Amir wants the guilt to go away, and tries to make it happen by avoiding Hassan.
Amir is afraid to be Hassans friend because Hassan is so loyal to him and Amir is a coward and is nowhere near as loyal. He probably doesn’t want to be Hassans friend after the incident because either he feels like he isn’t loyal enough to Hassan or because he is disgusted. I dunno. He is not as loyal as Hassan at all. When Amir was faced against Assef, Hassan helped him but when it was the other way around Amir did nothing. He did more than nothing. He told on Hassan. All Hassan was doing was helping Amir trying to run his kite like he would always do. Amir is also not wanting to be his friend as he doesn’t want to be dissed for hanging out with some1 of a lower class. Hes also Jealous of Hassan because Baba treats Hassan really well and Hassan is kinda tough but Amir is a is a wuss.
Amir resents Hassan because he spent his whole childhood trying to get his dads affection yet Hassan seems to get this no matter what he does, He resents Hassan because of his loyalty and selflessness and how no matter what Amir does Hassan will accept it believing the best in Amir no matter what. He resents Hassan after the tournament because although he suspects that Hassan knows that he knows, Hassan still shows his utter devotion to Amir by not doing anything back to him. Apart from the fact that Hassan is a lower class than Amir i believe that Amir looks up to Hassan though he would never admit it, this leads him to mock Hassan and to constantly test his loyalty to assure himself that he is still above Hassan and more worthy of Babas affections than Hassan.
Hassan and Amir had a close friendship when they were not in the presence of other Pashtuns. Amir, being a Pashtun felt almost ashamed to be such good friends with a Hazara. It was not a social norm and was not accepted in Afghanistan. Many times he almost found himself saying that Hassan was nothing more than a servant to him.
Hassan had an unwavering loyalty to Amir and this makes Amir feel unworthy of his friendship. Amir knows that Hassan’s loyalty has caused something awful to happen to him and Amir just stood back and watched. Amir could never show the loyalty that Hassan had shown to him.
Amir was always seeking approval from his father and resented the way Baba seemed closer to Hassan. This is what drove him to not intervene in the incident in the alleyway. He wanted the kite so his father would be proud of him, something that he so desperately wanted.
After this event Amir could hardly look at Hassan, he felt so guilty. He could no longer be friends with Hassan.
Amir is scared to commit to Hassan because of their social status, and the expectation that he should discriminate against him because he is Hazara.
He is also jealous of Baba’s attention to Hassan, he wishes that for himself but never really gets it.
Amir doesn’t want to be Hassans friend. He is worried that Baba likes Hassan more, and therefore is always testing Hassans loyalty and teasing him to make himself feel above Hassan, also to prove himself to Baba.
Amir is afraid to be Hassan’s true friend because of the difference in their status. Hassan is a Hazara and Amir is a Pashtun. This is not socially acceptable for them to be friends and Amir feels embarrased by it because other Pashtuns look down on it. Amir constantly tests Hassan’s loyalty because he feels so guilty for what he let happen to Hassan and when Hassan is so kind to him it makes him feel even more guilty. Amir resents Hassan because he constantly wants Baba’s affection and for Baba to be proud of him. When Baba congratulates Hassan, Amir is jealous because it wants it to be him that Baba is proud of as Hassan is just their servant.
Amir only cared about getting the kite back to his father so he could finally win him over. This is why Amir doesn’t help Hassan in the alleyway. He doesn’t want this complication to mess up the friendship that he and Baba might have. He resents Hassan because his father cares more about him than Amir and doesn’t need to win a kite tournament for his approval. He feels ashamed that he couldn’t be loyal like Hassan and stand up for his “friend”. He constantly tries to find a fault in Hassans loyalty just so he can be better that him.
Their friendship is at times a very one-sided affair, with Hassan showing the loyalty and courage for both of them. I think that Amir is afraid to be Hassans true friend because he is so ashamed of himself and his cowardly ways. Also the fact he cannot live up to Babas expectations means that he feels that if he reveals his true self to Hassan then he too will think that Amir is a failure. Of course we know the truth is that Hassan would accept him however he was because he was so loyal, and I’m sure Amir knew this too but the strength of his self doubt caused him to always hold back from being real ‘friends’ with Hassan.
Amir constantly tests Hassans loyalty not because he does’t trust him, but because he can. He seems to think that to have this kind of unwavering loyalty is impossible, because he has never seen that kind of compassion from his own father, the very person who is meant to be closest to him.
I don’t think he resents Hassan as such, he simply resents the way in which Hassan is treated as an equal to him when in fact, because he is a Hazara, he should be treated much worse.
Amir no longer wants to be Hassans friend after the kite running tournament because even he knows that he does not deserve to be friends with someone who has so much loyalty to him and whom he shows no loyalty or courage when in danger. Amir wants Hassan to go away so that he can try and fool himself into believing that he is not as terrible and cowardly a person as he is. He wants to believe that he not capable of letting happen what he let happen.
Thanks Bron, a clear and well supported answer that shows deep understanding of the text. Did you drink ‘Powerthirst’ before you wrote this?
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