The Kite Runner Analytical Essay

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Amir was brought up in a very well privileged upbringing in Afghanistan. Everything he needed and wanted was taken care of and he was very accustomed to that. Due to all this, he was very pampered and was sheltered from anything that might hurt him. The only thing that could be considered missing from his life and of which he felt deprived of, was an emotional connection with his father, Baba. Amir had a mentality that he lacked the emotional connection with his father because his father somehow blamed Amir for the death of his mother as she died giving birth to him. Due to these reasons Amir was always craving for Baba’s approval and love most of his life. With that in mind, Amir was also a very jealous child who envied anyone who received…show more content…
Looking at the novel by studying Amir’s social-cognition, a method of psychology, we can observe how the development of the war further hinders him from healing mentally. Following Hassan’s rape, where Amir failed to step in to rescue his friend, Amir begins to feel immense guilt for his actions. A few nights after the event, he states, “In the silence that followed, I understood the nature of my new curse: I was going to get away with it” (Hosseini 92). Amir wants to be punished for not coming to Hassan’s rescue, but he struggles in telling anyone about what has occurred. According to social-cognitive theory of psychology, guilt is an emotion that acts as a link to the need to seek forgiveness. The guilt that Amir feels begins to overpower him, and instead of confiding in an adult, he begins to avoid Hassan and sinks into somewhat of a depression. “[He] closed [him] self in [his] room” (Hosseini 92). Even after an elaborate birthday party, he tells, “I ripped open box after box of presents… [I] pitched them to the corner of the room” (Hosseini 107). Instead of enjoying his gifts, Amir feels that he doesn’t deserve the presents and avoids them as a way to punish
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