Amir- Amir is the center of the story. He is also the narrator of this novel. He is boy who lives in Afghanistan and is fathered by his wealthy father. He spends most of his time as a kid with his friend Hassan. Amir eventually leaves Afghanistan and comes back as an adult and faces new challenges. Amir never learns to assert himself against anyone else because Hassan always defends him. This all plays a role in the winter of 1975.
Hassan- Hassan is Amirs friend and lives with his non-biological father. They are servants for Amirs dad. Hassan experiences a traumatizing occurrence in an ally in the winter of 1975. Hassan eventually gets married and after a while him and his wife are shot by the Taliban over an "argument" about the house. Hassan remains the same throughout the book: loyal, forgiving, and good-natured. Hassan never lied and was also respectful. |
Baba- Baba is Amirs dad. He is very wealthy and he wishes Amir would be more like him. When Amir is a boy, Babas major concern for him was trying to get Amir to stand up for himself. Baba was always about putting others before himself. He even built an orphanage. When Amir and Baba flee Kabul, Baba eventually gets cancer. He denies radiation treatment. Baba eventually dies and Amir is devastated.
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Rahim Khan- Rahman Khan is Babas closest friend and he knows everything there is to know about Baba. For Amir, Rahim serves like a father figure for him and he was always there for Amir when Baba was not. Rahim is the one who calls Amir back to Kabul and ends up leaving at the end and does not want anybody to look for him. Amir follows Rahim last order and does not pursue him.
Assef- Assef is the story's antagonist. He is the man who rapes Hassan in the ally. Assef represents all the wrong ideas some people have in Afghanistan and the mindset they have. He enjoys inflicting pain on those under him and those he considers "powerless". He encounters Amir again in the end of the book, he ends up not being able to kill Amir due to Sohrab shooting him in the eye with a slingshot.
Hassan and Amir- Hassan and Amir have a bond that no matter what happens it will always be there. Hassan and Amirs relationship is tested on the winter of 1975 when Hassan gets raped and Amir watches and then runs. Hassan was quite ever since this day. Amir had the guilt and he couldn't deal with it. Eventually Amir and his dad move to America but Amir comes back and eventually finds out Hassan was murdered by the Taliban. But Sohrab, Hassan's only son, is still alive. Amirs love for Hassan sends him out to rescue Sohrab and shows the amount of respect he had for him.
Baba and Amir- The only two things Baba really ever wanted from Amir were to be able to defend himself, and to be more like his father. Baba and Amir have an emotional gap in there relationship even that Baba is his dad. Rahman filled that gap for Amir when Baba did not want to talk. Baba did not support Amirs decision in journalism. Baba is angry that AMir is not more like him and he does not understand why he doesn't have the same interests. When Amir finds out Hassan is his half brother, he has a lot of anger towards Baba. At this point though Baba as dead.