Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner shows us a variety of themes represented throughout the story, especially the theme of betrayal. The theme of betrayal revolves around Amir and his best “friend” Hassan. We see Amir turn against Hassan as his own fears, guilt, and desires to gain his father's acceptance get the better of him. Because of Amir's selfishness, we see the story unfold in a negative way as it affects both Amir and Hassan emotionally and physically. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Leading up to the events of Hassan's rape, we see that Hassan is nothing but loyal to Amir and defends him when times get tough. For example, Hassan's loyalty is truly demonstrated by the first confrontation with Assef and his gang. Assef is a well-known local bully who torments children and even adults; When Amir and Hassan meet Assef, Amir is immediately threatened and almost attacked, but Hassan intervenes and saves Amir with his slingshot. Despite being a Hazara, Hassan knows what he must do to save his best friend, even if it means putting his own life in danger. This confrontation shows us Hassan's willingness to step up and show his loyalty, but in the process he also exposes Amir. As I stated before, Amir's fears and guilt get the better of him; Amir was afraid of Assef and the repercussions that would come if he defended Hassan. Out of fear, Amir is unable to act alone and relies on Hassan's assistance which ultimately makes Hassan a future target for Assef and this is made known when Assef stated, "Your Hazara made a big mistake today , Amir". After the fight with Assef, Amir is faced with guilt not only for not standing up to Assef but also for not supporting Hassan. Amir's guilt comes from almost betraying Hassan. Assef's statement "How can you call him your 'friend'?" is a very important point in the book as it makes Amir question the difference between right and wrong. Out of mere defense Amir almost blurts out “But he's not my friend! He is my servant!” Amir's reasoning and thinking about Hassan is one of the first acts of betrayal in the book, and is a crucial point for both Hassan and Amir. During the event of Hassan's rape, Amir had to make a big decision, between what is right and what is right. it's wrong. Amir knew that the right decision was to help "return the favor" and prevent Assef from hurting Hassan even if it meant endangering his own life, but out of jealousy and a desire to please his father Amir chose the kite instead of Hassan who was in Amir's house. keep in mind the “key to Baba's heart”. Amir's decision not to defend Hassan is due to the fact that throughout the book we see Amir always trying to impress Baba but never succeeding. An example of this is when Amir goes to show Baba the story he has written, Baba shows "little more than feigned interest" in the story and walks away. So when it came time for the Kite Tournament, it was Amir's chance to finally impress Baba and Hassan knew that it meant so much to Amir and supported him all the way. After Hassan's rape, Amir is overcome with guilt. He knows that leaving Hassan in the alley was the wrong thing to do, but his selfishness and desire to gain his father's approval were more important than Hassan's well-being. Amir's idea to betray Hassan was because “Nothing is free in this world. . Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to sacrifice, to conquer Baba", 9(3), 71-78.