The people that one considers as friends may be their worst enemies

Imagine living with guilt that one has not even placed upon oneself. In Hosseini's The
Kite Runner, Amir lives his entire life with guilt which Hassan is the cause for. Amir feels as if
he has betrayed Hassan when Hassan had only done what a Hazara should not do which resulted
in multiple other problems that hurt Amir even more. The following analysis of Hosseini's The
Kite Runner attempt to examine how Amir's guilt is entirely Hassan's fault which is shown
through the use of a simile, symbolism, and a metaphor.
Firstly, the literary device evident is a simile. Hassan had stood up to Assef who was a
higher social class than hi. Since he had done so, Assef sought revenge on Hassan. During the
kite tournament, Hassan had run by himself to get the kite for Ami. Because he had been alone,
Assef had decided to attack him. Amir had gone looking for Hassan and had witnessed the attack
on Hassan but had not reacted because he fears Assef and because he wanted the kite.
Afterwards, Amir had said to Hassan after the attack: "'Where were you? I looked for you,' I said.
Speaking those words felt like chewing rock" (Hosseini 83). The words Amir spoke felt as if they
were too hard to speak after he had witnessed the assault on Hassan. When one imagines
chewing rock, they would think it is impossible to do. Which shows how difficult it was for Amir
to speak to Hassan. This displays how it was Hassan's fault because if he had not stood up to
Assef, he would not have caused Amir a guilty feeling. If when Assef had threatened them,
Hassan had kept quiet, then Assef would have not set out to attack Hassan. Also, soon after the
assault on Hassan, Amir and Baba had somewhat become more affectionate with each other.
However, every time Baba would bring Hassan's name up, Amir would think: "Why did Baba
have to spoil it like that?" (86). Amir did not appreciate it when Baba spoke of spoke Hassan
because it made him feel guilty. Since he had witnessed Hassan's rape and done anything to help

him, he feels bad. Amir's is Hassan's fault because if he had never stood up to Assef, he would
have never been assaulted and Amir would have not witnessed it and would not have felt guilty
for not helping. Therefore, the guilt Amir feels is Hassan's fault which is shown through a simile
but can also be shown through symbolism.
Secondly, symbolism is used to show the guilt Hassan had placed upon Amir. Baba and
Amir had planned a trip together but went with other family members and Rahim Khan. Amir
was not pleased with the fact that it was not just Baba and him. Somewhere along the trip, Baba
had brought up the topic of the kite tournament. Baba was explain how Amir had won and: "then
they were all clapping, yelping their praises, telling how proud I had made them all...'Please pull
over, Baba,' I said. 'What?' 'Getting sick,' I muttered" (89). The kite tournament caused Amir to
remember the events that took place soon after the tournament. He felt guilty for receiving praise
he did not work for. Since he felt so guilty, it caused him to feel sick. It shows how the guilt was
tormenting him. This proves as Hassan's fault because it all goes back to Hassan standing up to
Assef. If he had not stood up, then he would have gotten the kite and given it to Amir without
any problems and Amir would have enjoyed the trip with Baba. Symbolism is also used when
everyone from the trip is asleep and Amir tells no one that he witnessed Hassan's rape. He then
recalls Hassan's dream before the kite tournament. He remembers how Hassan had said there was
no monster on the day of the tournament as well. Then he had thought: "It had grabbed Hassan
by the ankles, dragged him to the murky bottom. I was that monster" (91). Amir felt as if it was
his fault from the beginning that Hassan got raped but now he remembers that Hassan's had
encouraged him before his assault. He feels even worse because he did not help Hassan. This
proves as Hassan's fault because he had been so encouraging to Amir and yet he had given Amir
so much guilt and pain. Hassan had made Amir feel bad for not standing up for himself and then

he acted like he had nothing to do with the problem. Altogether, Hassan is to blame to for Amir's
guilt which is shown through symbolism but can also be displayed through a metaphor.
Thirdly, a metaphor proves how Hassan is to blame for Amir's guilt. Amir had returned to
Pakistan to visit Rahim Khan. He is unaware of why he had to return. Soon Rahim Khan tells
Amir about what has happened since he left and brings up Hassan's name. Amir then thinks to
himself: "When was the last time I spoke his name? Those thorny barbs of guilt bore into me
once more, as if speaking his name had broken a spell, set them free to torment me anew" (213).
Amir had tried to put away his past and everything in it, including Hassan. He wanted nothing to
do with it and him. Amir was not prepared to hear Hassan's name again and the guilt he felt all
those years ago, come back to him when he did not want them. This is Hassan's fault because he
had brought the assault on to himself and had made Amir feel bad for not helping him. Then he
had left like he had been the victim in it all. And that caused Amir to feel the guilt he does
because he felt as if he had made a mistake when in reality is was because of Hassan's
thoughtless actions. If he had thought about the consequences of him standing up to Assef at that
time, he would have not been attacked and Amir would have not been feeling the guilt from all
those years ago. Hassan also does not seem to learn from his actions about standing up to those
you are socially lower than. Rahim Khan tells Amir how Hassan had been living with him and
when he had left, Hassan was taking care of the house. Soon Taliban officers came by to tell
Hassan to leave until the real owner came back and: "'Hassan protested again. So they took him
to the street---'...'No. God, no.''---and shot him in the back of the head'"(231). Once again, Hassan
stood up to someone who he should not have. If he had just left, he would not have gotten
himself killed, and he could have moved back when Rahim Khan returned. Instead, because he
had forgotten his place in society, he lost his life. Amir feels guilty when he hears about Hassan's

death because he never got an opportunity to relieve his guilt inside of him. This is all Hassan's
fault because he had not thought about the situation and had foolishly lost his life. He could have
lived and could have given Amir the chance to finally get rid of his guilt. However, since Hassan
had lost his life for such a trivial thing, Amir still feels guilty and it is even worse because Amir
had not saved Hassan when he was getting attacked by Assef and he could not save him when he
was got killed either. Although, Hassan could not have been saved in either situations because he
had brought them on himself and they would have happed even if Amir had done something
about it. Given these points, it is revealed that Hassan is to blame for Amir's guilt.
In the end, it is evident that Hassan is to blame for all of Amir's guilt through the use of a
simile, symbolism and a metaphor. Hassan had cause unwanted guilt for Amir even though Amir
had not done anything. As a result of the guilt Hassan placed on Amir, it also ruined Baba's and
Amir's relationship more than before. Even after he left and had passed on, he still haunted Amir
because of his guilt. All in all, friends may not always be who one thinks they are and Hassan
maybe getting back at Amir for not helping by letting him live with the guilt.

Works Cited
Hosseini, Khaled. "The Kite Runner." Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner . Los Angeles :
Riverhead Books, 2003. 1-391.