Family vs. Reputation

“Blood is a powerful thing, bachem, never forget that.” In this quotation, General Tahiri tells Amir that family ties are powerful, and that adopting leads to judgement from society. Familial blood is a powerful thing, however, its power differs for many characters in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. Some characters feel this power, and it drives them, while others ignore this power, while still others know this power yet don’t do enough to protect their family. Differing perspectives on familial ties and the power of blood, illustrated by Hassan’s loyalty, Baba’s lies,  and Amir’s personality change, show that the power of society outweighs the power of family. 

Hassan shows the true power of family throughout the novel. His loyalty and love to Amir never wavers, despite Amir not reciprocating the friendship. Hassan sees Amir like a brother, and would do anything for him, even lie to Baba and take the fall for Amir’s actions, which he knows will cause him to leave. Since Hassan is a Hazara, society does not care about him, so he cherishes his loved ones more than anything else. This is not only shown by his loyalty to Amir as a child, but also when he is found as an adult. Despite Amir completely destroying their friendship by framing him, Hassan’s loyalty stays strong, as he has seemingly told his wife and son nothing but good things about Amir and his old life. When Hassan realizes someone from his old family has died, he goes back to his old home immediately out of respect for Baba. Despite not knowing he is related to both Baba and Amir, he treats them like his family, and he puts his family first due to the fact that he is so low in society. Society has the opposite effect on other characters, leading to lies and atonement. 

Baba’s lies show the devastating effect that society has, for he puts his reputation over his family. After having an affair with his best friend’s wife and having a child, he spends the rest of his life trying to make up for his mistakes. He knows if he comes out and says that Hassan is his child, he’ll be shunned and society will put him down, so he does everything he can to make up for it, causing him to distance himself from Amir. By lying to his kids and society, he protects his image. Despite his desire for his image, the power of family takes over at times, like when he realizes that he will lose his illegitimate son when he and Ali leave and cries for the first time in front of Amir. Society holds him back from his family, and in his atonement, he helps nearly everyone he meets. Society may be completely controlling over some characters, but others get hit with the power of family, causing them to completely change their mindset. 

Amir was an incredibly weak character in the beginning of the novel. He never fought for those who cared about him, like when he witnessed the actions in the alley and did nothing about them, and instead was drawn to his father, begging for attention yet never receiving it. As he grows older, he continues to be weak, yet begins to help his father, as he finally gains the bond he wanted with him. He doesn’t do anything courageous until he goes to Pakistan and realizes that Hassan is his brother, in which he decides to charge into Afghanistan with hardly a plan in an attempt to rescue his nephew. If Rahim Khan hadn’t told Amir about Hassan being his brother, he would have likely never gone to Afghanistan, and Sohrab would continue to be abused. After he gets Sohrab, he continues to fight for the boy, trying to get him to America, even after he was nearly beaten to death, and once he gets to America, he treats Sohrab like his son, despite only meeting the kid. Amir is one of the only characters who continues to believe in Sohrab after he goes quiet, as even his wife Soraya gives up on the boy, just like her father said. Society sees Amir having a Hazara childas strange and foreign, yet Amir does not care, as the boy is family.  This flip in Amir’s character illustrates the power of family taking over, as well as reputation, for he did not want to let down Rahim Khan, and he wanted to make up for what he lacked in his youth. The Kite Runner shows very different perspectives on family and reputation. Some may say that it is a book about reputation, for Baba lies to his children to protect his reputation, and Amir is only looking after Sohrab to feel better about what happened in the alley. On the other hand, Amir’s flip in perspectives from a weak man to a courageous man and Hassan’s unfaltering love show that the power of love and family overpowers reputation and society. This same split is seen in the world today, as some people would rather be rich and powerful than care about others, while others see that these factors are not as important as love and family. Whether someone sees the novel as reputation or family, it rings true to the world today.