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Ian Niggles
Mrs. McKinley
Honors English 2
March 5, 2014
Maturation Throughout The Kite Runner
Maturity is achieved when a person accepts life as full of tension. Joshua L. Liebman.
Joshua Liebmans idea of maturity is intelligent, because as the book and real life show, events
in your life will mold you. This also directly corresponds with Amirs life in the book. In The
Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, the theme that all experiences in life will shape who you are
and cause you to mature are portrayed throughout the entire novel by Amirs life.
In the beginning of the novel, Amir tells the reader that his life was shaped by a past
event in his life. This quote says, I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid
overcast day in the winter of 1975 (1). This quote directly relates to the idea that peoples lives
are shaped by past experiences. This event must have been very powerful in order to shape his
entire life. Also, by the ominous setting description, the reader can infer that the affair was
dreadful. He goes on to tell the reader exactly what this event is.
Slightly into the novel, you find out exactly what happened to Amir to make him the
person he is as an adult. Amir tells the reader, In the end, I ran (77). This event was definitely
one of the most powerful parts of the story. Right before this quote, Assef, a bully in Kabul,
rapes Hassan, Amirs best friend. During this tragedy, Amir runs away, after watching the
incident. This is evidence that Amir was very immature on that day, when he was around 10
years old, and that he didnt have the mindset to do the right thing or help his best friend. This
immaturity later fades though, as he grows closer to manhood.
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A few chapters later in the novel, Amirs life has changed very much since that day in
1975. His family has died off, and he is finally married to the woman of his dreams. That
womans name is Soraya. As he is talking to her one day from Pakistan, she tells him about a
tragedy in her life, and Amir tells the reader, I envied her. Her secret was out. Spoken. Dealt
with (165). This quote shows how Amir is still somewhat immature, even as an adult, that he
has only told a handful of people about the incident involving Hassan and Assef. He envies
Soraya because she doesnt have to worry anymore about who knows of her secrets. She told
Amir, and her secret was out, and Amir still cant muster the courage to tell anyone else about
his tragedy. Again, as the story goes on, Amir continues to become more mature as a human
being.
Much later, as Amir is in Pakistan, trying to rescue his late half-brother Hassans son, he
is confronted by a shady figure of the past. This figure was Assef. As Assef allows Amir to take
Sohrab, Hassans son, he wont let him go free unless Amir gives him the chance for Assef to
redeem himself. Before the judgment begins, Amir tells us, All right I wasnt about to beg,
that would have only sweetened the moment for him (286). This quote shows a sense of
maturity, as he allows another human being to redeem himself, and avenge the wrong doing. And
he is also standing up for Hassan and Sohrab in a way by allowing Assef to punish him. As this
novel is read, the reader can really sense the change of maturity in Amir.
Near the end of the novel, Amir has Sohrab, and he calls his wife, Soraya from Pakistan.
As they are on the phone, Amir says, I told my wife everything. Everything (325). By
everything, Amir means he told Soraya about what had happened when he was with Hassan on
the frigid day of 1975. This shows a real sign of maturity in Amir, as he has finally dealt with his
problem after many years. He let go of the past, and told his loved one everything about his life.
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All of that takes a mature human being to conduct that kind of action. Finally as this book is
coming to an end, you can see Amir growing in maturity.
In the final chapter of The Kite Runner, Amir is back in America, with his wife, and his
newly adopted son, Sohrab. There is a kite fighting tournament in San Francisco, and Amir takes
Sohrab to the tournament to teach him how to fight kites. As he cuts the final kite line, and wins
the tournament, Amir asks Sohrab if he wanted him to run the kite for him. Sohrab agrees, and
Amir says, For you, a thousand times over (371). This is a recurring quote in the novel, as
Hassan said it to Amir one day at the kite tournament in 1975. This shows Amir reliving his
childhood, but at the same time, peaking at his maturation level, as he shows his loyalty to
Hassan through his son. This is the final occurrence of maturation in the novel, as the book ends
as well.
In The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, the theme that all experiences in life will shape
who you are and cause you to mature are portrayed throughout the entire novel by Amirs life.
These quotes throughout the novel have really displayed the maturation of Amir in his life. As he
went from deserting Hassan and ignoring him, to telling his wife everything, and finally to
showing loyalty and responsibility to Hassan through his son, the reader can clearly depict the
changes that Amir has gone through.






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Works Cited
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead Books, 2003. Print.