Some people believe that it is possible to bury the past and never return to it, however it is only when you seek atonement for your mistakes that your past will be able to be forgotten and left to rest in peace. This is a detailed reference to The Kite Runner, a novel by Khalid Hosseini that revolves around Amir's life and a critical interpretation by Ananya Mishra. When Amir was a child, he and his Hazara partner Hassan were inseparable. After seeing something horrible happen to Hassan, Amir had run away from his problems. He fled Afghanistan to start a new life in America and leave his past behind. But the guilt could not leave Amir and always crept into him. Amir is a character shaped by his past. When the moment comes for Amir to atone for his sins by saving Hassan's son Shorab, he takes it in the hope that it will help him bury his past once and for all. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A relationship between a father and son can be fragile, especially when the mother is not in the picture. Amir's father, known as Baba, seems to be quite harsh towards Amir. Amir's mother died giving birth to him and he thinks Baba blames him for her death. Amir is also the product of trauma due to the loss of his mother and feels responsible for her death. “I had killed his beloved wife… the least I could have done was have the decency to become a little more like him,” Baba wanted Amir to grow up to be more like him, but Amir turned someone more interested to books and writing. Baba fears that Amir will grow up unable to protect and defend himself after seeing him get pushed around by other children on the playground and do nothing about it. Amir always tried to please Baba, make him proud and seek his approval. The only way he could have seen it happen was to win the kite running competition. After winning the competition, Hassan went to retrieve the kite. After finding Hassan and witnessing his unwavering loyalty to Amir, Amir witnesses Hassan being raped for holding the kite. “I had one last chance to make a decision. One last chance to decide who I would be… In the end, I ran,” Amir had the opportunity to step in and save Hassan and instead chose to run. Run again. The winning kite was the way to win Baba's heart, and this was the price to pay. This haunted Amir for the rest of his life and was one of the main reasons he returned to Afghanistan to seek atonement. In the critical interpretation Ananya states: “His sense of insecurity comes from the fact that he is not the kind of son his father wants… His father is unable to accept his sensitive nature and his inability to react.” “It is Amir's cowardice that his father worries about when he confides to Rahim Khan that it is willpower that Amir lacks.” There are some friendships that run deeper than stereotypes and social differences, but even those sometimes can't be ignored. As a child Amir maintained his powers by demoting Hassan. Amir's relationship with Hassan has always had the point of superiority and Amir has always had the desire to be and always feel like he has to be better than Hassan. Amir was at war with himself; he wanted to accept Hassan as a friend, but to do so would have meant crossing class lines. "While I ate and complained about homework, Hassan made my bed, polished my shoes, ironed my clothes for the day, prepared books and pencils", this.