Amir and Hassan's friendship relates to several themes in The Kite Runner. The first is the way in which different ethnic minorities are treated in Afghanistan at the time. Hassan is from the Hazara ethnic minority, while Amir is from the Pashtun group. As Amir reads in a book in his father's study, the Pashtuns have long persecuted the Hazara. It turns out that both Amir and Hassan have the same father (Baba), but their different treatment in society shows the effects of ethnic prejudice on children and their fates.
Another theme related to the boys' friendship is that of redemption. Amir is jealous of his friend and treats him unfairly by trying to make Hassan seem guilty of theft (while Hassan is innocent). Though Amir is not able to redeem himself in Hassan's lifetime, Amir eventually saves and adopts Hassan's son, an act of redemption. The progression of their friendship, even after Hassan has died, allows Amir to eventually try to make amends to his friend.
Some of the major themes that relate to Amir and Hassan's friendship include innocence, sacrifice, and guilt. As innocent children, Amir and Hassan enjoy going to the movies, reading together, and playing in the pomegranate tree on Baba's property. Despite their different ethnicities, the boys live carefree lives and enjoy each other's company. Hassan is depicted as an innocent, morally-upright boy, who makes several sacrifices for Amir as a child. Hassan selflessly defends Amir from Assef by pointing a slingshot directly at Assef's eye, and he also promises Amir that he will return with their opponent's blue kite at the end of the kite-fighting tournament. However, Amir does not sacrifice anything for Hassan as a child and refuses to intervene as he watches Hassan being raped by Assef.
After Hassan is raped, both boys lose their childhood innocence, and guilt negatively affects their friendship. Amir is overwhelmed with guilt and can no longer be around Hassan after he witnesses his friend's assault. Their friendship is eventually destroyed because of Amir's guilt, and Hassan leaves Baba's estate with his father. As an adult, Amir travels back to Afghanistan and atones for his past sins by saving Hassan's son, Sohrab, from a difficult life in Taliban-controlled Kabul. Amir finally frees himself of guilt by sacrificing everything in order to save and adopt Sohrab. Although Amir never had a chance to repair his friendship with Hassan, he finds redemption by sacrificing his comfortable life in America to save Hassan's son.
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