Our lives, actions, emotions and expressions can all be attributed to to one component in everyone’s lives; their experiences. Past experiences have the ability to shape an individual's behaviour and thus the life choices that they choose to make. The novel The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, follows the life of Amir, a young boy living in Afghanistan with his father, Baba, and his servent, Hassan. After witnessing Hassan’s rape, Amir lives his life with this weight on his shoulders, ultimately leading to a change in his character. As the novel progresses, Amir’s personality is positively changed from an immature adolescent to a selfless and insightful man, due to witnessing Hassan’s rape, escaping to America, …show more content…
While discussing Amir’s behavior with Rahim Khan, Baba states that “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything” (Hosseini, 24). Baba reveals Amir’s cowardice. Amir was unable to defend himself from bullies, like Assef, which shows his lack of bravery. In the alleyway Amir thinks, “I had one last chance to make a decision.... In the end, I ran” (82). His decision to stand by and watch Assef rape Hassan showed both his immaturity and selfishness. Amir only considered his own safety in the ally in order to flee the possible punishments from Assef. In this scene, Amir thought only of himself and his own safety, and his childhood personality is what contributed to his immature behavior. To conclude, in his adolescent years, Amir displayed childish characteristics that dissipated as he developed into a young man due to his experiences with the real …show more content…
Upon first introduction to General Taheri, Baba explains that, “Amir is going to be a great writer...he has finished his first year in college and has earned A’s in all of his courses” (147) . Baba’s optimism demonstrates how he has noticed Amir’s newfound sense of responsibility. Amir focuses on his education, has a career in mind and works towards his goals. These new experiences shaped Amir’s personality and this shows how Amir left behind his childhood mannerisms trauma and started a new life for himself. Amir explains, “then I did what I hadn’t done in 15 years of marriage: I told my wife everything” (342). While deciding to adopt Sohrab, Amir confesses his past with Hassan to his wife, Soraya. The protagonist's honesty shows that he has gained a conscience, and becomes mature enough to finally admit his wrong doings as a child. In conclusion, after his move to America, Amir displayed many acts of responsibility after becoming altered by his experiences; allowing him to mature as an individual in the coming years of his