"The Kite Runner": Jealousy: The Destruction of Relationships

          “Why do we feel jealousy?” (Fisher 4). This is a question Amir, a young Pashtun boy living in Kabul, should have considered before ruining his relationships with the ones he loves most. In The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, Amir and his wealthy father, Baba, live in luxury alongside their Hazara servants: Ali and his beloved son, Hassan. Baba does not understand Amir and rarely speaks to him out of disappointment; this results in a strained father-son relationship. Despite being separated by social class, Amir and Hassan spend most of their days together, sharing adventures such as going to the movies and fighting kites. Nevertheless, Amir refuses to refer to Hassan, a lower class Hazara, as his friend due to the social embarrassment that would follow. When the Soviet invasion enters Kabul, Amir and his father escape to the United States, leaving Ali and Hassan to suffer. The constant jealousy Amir feels towards Baba and Hassan contributes to the overall destruction of his family relationships, thus causing him to abandon Hassan. Regardless of the unconditional love Hassan feels for Amir, jealousy reigns over – damaging the one true friendship he ever had, the father-son bond he never truly had, and the relationship Baba and Hassan could have had.

          From the moment Amir and Hassan were born, they possessed a brotherhood unlike no other. Ali strongly believes that those who once fed from the same breasts form an inseparable bond, but this fact does not prevent the jealousy Amir feels toward his so-called friend, Hassan. “I see how they push him around, take his toys from him, give him a shove here, a whack there. And, you know, he never fights back,” (Hosseini 24). Throughout the novel, Amir is tormented by a group of older boys that make fun of his introverted personality. Due to Amir’s inability to stand up for himself, Hassan heroically steps in to fend off the bullies. Despite his loyal act, Amir envies Hassan, wishing he had enough confidence to defend himself. In turn, resulting in a greater acceptance from Baba. “I read him poems and stories, sometimes riddles – though I stopped reading those when I saw he was far better at solving them than I was,” (Hosseini 30). This act demonstrates Amir’s jealousy towards Hassan, an illiterate Hazara boy more intelligent than him. Due to this unsettling realization, Amir constantly teases Hassan by teaching him the wrong definitions of words. However, Amir’s jealousy does not only pertain to Hassan, but to Baba as well.

          The acceptance Amir has yearned for his entire life from Baba is greatly affected by the apparent jealousy within their father-son relationship.

I remembered all the times he didn’t come home until after dark, all the times I ate dinner alone. I’d ask Ali where Baba was, when he was coming home, though I knew full well he was at the construction site, overlooking this, supervising that. Didn’t that take patience? I already hated all the kids he was building the orphanage for; sometimes I wished they’d all died along with their parents. (Hosseini 19) 

While Baba is building an orphanage, it is clearly evident that Amir is awfully jealous that his father is spending so much time with parentless children and not his own son. “Amir can’t even stand the fact that his father is working to do something for somebody else, let alone building a home for children who have no parents,” (Stewart 6). Out of jealousy, Amir wishes terrible fates upon the individuals keeping Baba away from him. “I kept stealing glances at Baba sitting with Rahim Khan on the roof, wondered what he was thinking. Was he cheering for me? Or did a part of him enjoy watching me fail?” (Hosseini 67). Amir constantly questions his relationship with Baba in hopes of finally feeling accepted by him. All Amir wants is to make his father proud, but his envious thoughts keep telling him otherwise. For instance, when he wonders if Baba is betraying him by chanting with the opposition voices during the kite fighting competition. Nonetheless, the damage that has been done to Amir and Baba’s relationship is not solely their fault.

          The destruction of Amir and his father’s relationship could not be complete without the involvement of Hassan. Baba bonds with the Hazara boy more than his own son, causing Amir to feel a pain of jealousy. “…Hassan made his skip eight times. The most I managed was five. Baba was there, watching, and he patted Hassan on the back. Even put his arm around his shoulder,” (Hosseini 15). This statement expresses Amir’s constant belief that Hassan is a better son to Baba than he is. The jealousy he directs toward Hassan is apparent as Amir wishes he could skip as many stones as Hassan, but unfortunately cannot. “I wished I too had some kind of scar that would beget Baba’s sympathy. It wasn’t fair,” (Hosseini 50). For Hassan’s birthday, Baba summons him a plastic surgeon to fix his cleft lip. The fact that Amir wishes a deformity upon himself similar to Hassan’s, in hopes of gaining acceptance from his father, reinforces his envy. Amir shows no happiness for Hassan’s life-changing surgery, unable to admit he is “crippled with jealousy,” (Beaton 2).

          The constant theme of jealousy apparent throughout Khaled Hosseini’s, The Kite Runner, contributes to the ultimate destruction of Amir’s relationship with Baba and Hassan. This jealousy dominates over the unconditional love Hassan feels for Amir, damaging their brotherhood. In turn, destroying the father-son bond he never truly had and the relationship Baba and Hassan could have had. Amir constantly envies Hassan and wishes he could be more like him, despite the brotherly kinship they share with one another. Baba’s acceptance is a need Amir has strongly desired his entire life, but is greatly affected by the jealousy evident within their father-son relationship. This destruction could not be complete without the association of a young Hazara boy, Hassan. One wonders if Amir ever escapes his world full of hatred and jealousy to repair the broken ties throughout his life.