In Class AP Essay #4

In the novel The Kite Runner it is clear that the main character is profoundly affected by the traits of another character.  Amir, the main character of the novel constantly seeks the love of his father while his best friend, Hassan, seemingly receives love from Amir's father without doing anything special.  It is within the first chapters that an event occurs that changes the perspectives of all the characters in the novel.

Hassan is a perfect example of a trusted and loved character that actually becomes a foil to a main character.  Amir and Hassan are incredibly close however it seems to never hide the jealousy that Amir constantly holds for Hassan.  Amir's father is always distant in the life of Amir yet when the times that he is around Hassan he becomes very emotionally attached to him.  Yet the reader does not understand why Hassan is considered a foil of Amir until latter in the novel when it is relieved that Hassan is actually half-brothers with Amir.  This is the unique factor which makes Hassan such a powerful foil of Amir.  Although the author does not give Hassan specific traits to exemplify his foil abilities as a character, it is by this single event that Hassan has made such an impact in the life of Amir.

One of the most devastating events occurs when Hassan is rapped brutally by other kids.  Amir finds Hassan being rapped yet does nothing but watch.  This event once again develops the character of Hassan as a very distinct foil.  However this scene not only illuminates the character of Hassan an an even greater foil but it illuminates the theme of the novel as well.  After Hassan is banished for things he did not do, Amir spends the majority of the rest of his life on the road to redemption to recover the friend that he so dearly lost.  Due to this singular event the author illustrates that in order to live a full life free of regrets one must stay true to the love shared in a friendship.

Through both dramatic events the foil character of Hassan is revealed.  By experiencing both events Amir acknowledges the fact that the love created through friendship can never be broken.