“For you, a thousand times over.” Like true love, true friendship is hard to find. In the novel, The Kite Runner, the friendships portrayed are complex but sometimes endearing. There are many reasons why friendships are strained. Betrayal is one of them, and it is a major motif in the novel. Fortunately, forgiveness is an option in this story.
First, the friendship between Amir and Hassan is very touching, however, it is complex. As children, they were close and had shared so much of their youth together. To Hassan, Amir was his world, he would do anything for him, even sacrifice himself. However, for Amir, he was too young to realize how important of a role Hassan played in his life. But, Amir wanted pride, he wanted praise, he wanted care. Above all, he wanted the attention from his Baba, while his Baba paid his attention to Hassan. Amir was jealous of this relationship, but he was not tough enough to stand out on his own, to fight, to live without Hassan’s protection; Amir was sad, but more specifically, angry at his own cowardice. Then, Hassan was hurt, partly because of Amir, but he had never blamed Amir for that, not even when Amir had turned his back on him. Therefore, the kite flying in the sky did not just symbolize winning, but also Amir’s eventual betrayal of his “best friend” Hassan. This friendship was complex, despite the betrayal, because even as a grown man, Hassan still loved Amir for every moment they had shared in their childhood.
Besides Hassan, Rahim Kahn was also a good friend as well as a good teacher to Amir. He gave Amir the courage to continue writing, because he knew that every kid is different. Rahim’s unfaltering encouragement towards Amir made up for what Baba was not giving to Amir. To Amir, Baba was more like a revered god, while Rahim Kahn took on the role of a father and friend. Yes, Amir held respect for his dad, he was proud of his father, but he wanted more of his love than anything. Furthermore, Amir knew he wasn’t the kind of son his father had in mind, but he still did everything he could to draw his attention. This paved the way for a strong bond with Rahim in his early life and beyond.
Ultimately, there was betrayal also in this novel. But, there was a way to be redeemed, forgiveness came eventually for the characters, and this novel exemplifies these themes well. Forgiveness for Amir, specifically, came not from Hassan but from himself. For many years in the United States for Amir, his internal guilty as he grew older mounted until he received a phone call from Rahim Kahn.
Once Amir left for Afghanistan, he was on a journey of redemption for not only himself but for Baba, who had died at that point. Amir finally learns that Hassan was his brother and fights to adopt Hassan’s son, his nephew, essentially saving the boy’s life just as Hassan had saved his so long ago. This was Amir’s primary offering to basically fix what his father Baba had destroyed. To do this, he confronts his demons and his enemy Assef from his childhood. He almost lost his life but this event had to occur for Amir to finally rectify all that was done so many years before.  Amir later says, “That was a long time ago, but it's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realise I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.” In his quest to right the wrongs, find forgiveness for his past sins, and to redeem his friendships, Amir finds peace in repaying his best friend by saving and caring for Hassan’s son. In the last chapter of the book, too, Amir once again flew the kite, and this time, it becomes a symbol of his peace in knowing he’d sacrificed for Hassan.
This novel is a touching story of love and friendship but also one of betrayal and forgiveness. It reveals the evolvement of the character Amir and the ultimate peace he finds due to his fractured childhood relationships. Friendship is a major motif in this plot and one which is not easily attainable. One requirement we can actually be sure of is that to prove one’s loyalty to a friendship that is meaningful is to sacrifice. Friendships are also tested by betrayal but in the end strength is gained once rectification takes over.