The relationship between Amir and his father is a tragic paradox, which has yet to be broken. As Amir tries harder and harder to win Baba’s pride and love, their bond loosens more and more. At this point in the book, family obligation is the only thing holding them together. Amir’s plan, whether is succeeds or not, will ultimately distance the two of them further.
Looking back on some of their previous bonding attempts, we can see this paradox pushing them apart. When Amir took up soccer, hoping to impress his father, it only proved that he did not carry the natural athletic talent and interest that ran through his father’s veins. After Amir watched someone get trampled to death at the Buzkashi tournament, his sobbing revealed a sensitive side that was interpreted by Baba as weakness. These events, although intended to strengthen their relationship, did the exact opposite. Baba is looking for a mirror image of himself in his son. Amir tries to portray that mirror image, but his father can see that it isn’t actually there.
Amir’s new plan to win the tournament seems to be viable due to his kite flying skills, however, I don’t think he will get his desired outcome. The problems between Baba and Amir go deeper than Amir’s former failure as an athlete. They have never authentically connected on an emotional level, so in a way, they don’t really know each other. As I said before, Baba can’t see any of himself in Amir, and therefore doesn’t know how to connect with him. He expresses his frustration to his friend Rahim Khan, “‘He needs someone who… understands him, because God knows I don’t. But something about Amir troubles me in a way that I can’t express. It’s like…’ I could see him searching, reaching for the right words. He lowered his voice, but I heard him anyway. ‘If I hadn’t seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I’d never believe he’s my son’” (Hosseini 23).
The Homework on The Fire in My Father’s Hands
When I was a kid, about 5 to 8 years old, my hands would always get cold whenever the surrounding air is chilly. My dad would always tell me to rub them together, like you would in order to make fire. And so I did it. I rubbed and rubbed and rubbed. My fingers grind against each other from the tips of my little fingers to the base of my palm, but none of this worked. My hands still are cold, stone ...
That said, I do not believe that winning a tournament, will make all of the misunderstanding and disconnection magically disappear.
Another reason I doubt that Amir’s plan will unfold perfectly is that the author has foreshadowed a terrible event occurring around the exact time of the tournament. From the very first chapter will are alerted that something significant is going to happen around that time, “I thought of the life I had lived until the winter of 1975 came along and changed everything. And made me what I am today” (Hosseini 2).
Then, in chapter six the author tells you that something terrible is going to happen to Hassan around that exact time, “Soon, it was just a pink jagged line running up from his lip. By the following winter, it was only a faint scar. Which was ironic. Because that was the winter that Hassan stopped smiling” (Hosseini 47).
Given that Hassan is Amir’s kite runner, it makes perfect sense that the tournament would be where the cause of Hassan never smiling again occurs. If something bad happens to Hassan, it could very easily drive Baba and Amir farther apart because of Baba’s love for Hassan.
Given the previous patterns, character chemistry, and foreshadowing, I believe the plan Amir has conceived will fail. Even if he does win it will only be a temporary fix. It will take years of communication, patience, and pain to heal the wounds of Baba and Amir’s relationship. As a mesmerized and passionate reader, I hope they can do it.
Works Cited
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead, 2005.
