Journal 8 - Past Events in a Character's Life

             Khaled Hosseini is an amazing author who creates works of literature that grasps the author and allows them to envision what his vision is. The Kite Runner is one of his recent books that shows the readers that his characters are affected by the past. One of the major instances that comes to mind is when Amir saw his best friend Hassan getting sexual assaulted by other boys. Amir had the opportunity to help Hassan and maybe he would never have been harmed if Amir intervened. This situation eats at Amir because he realizes that he should have stood up for his friend and conquered his fear, even though Amir was afraid of the boys he should have helped his friend.  This event in Amir’s history affects his life more than other events. He loses his friend Hassan because Hassan’s father decides to leave as a result of Amir’s actions.  The guilty of not helping a friend  eats away at him and he becomes a different person. He never wants to hang out with Hassan anymore because he is scared of what might occur. He usually stays in his room after this event occurs. Amir acts differently towards Hassan, after his party he puts his money and watch underneath Hassan’s so that his father would think he took it from Amir. Amir did not want Hassan to live with him anymore because he feels so guilty. So he devised a plan to get his dad to ask them to leave, but to Amir’s shock his father said he forgave Hassan . Hassan and his father felt it was best for both of them to leave so they do not have to get hurt from Amir anymore. Hassan was such a good friend, he took a beating and he lied for Amir. The past actions of Amir resulted in a loss of the best friend (and step brother) he ever had.  Amir’s and Hassan relationship was once at a point where they were inseparable and after these events it changed forever. After Hassan and his father left Amir never saw him again. After these events Amir changes his perspective on life, he changes because he never wants to hurt people together. Past events are very important to characters in this story, sometimes it can cause a character to change the person they are for the better.