Abby Cody

[Abby Cody]

What judgment would you make about Baba's relationship with Hassan compared to Amir?

[ashley.s...@gmail.com]

The judgement I made was that Amir was treated as the runt of the 2. Baba took out his own insecurites on Amir while Hassan was the athletic one who got all the love from Baba. Amir did all he could to get the attention that went straight to Hassan effect not only Amir and Hassan but Amirs relationship skills with other people like how he became a coward to anyone who threatened him. Putting himself over others to impress his father, even over Hassan his own brother. 

[Enjanae Taylor]

Baba was very conflicted between Amir and Hassan. Hassan was the result of the affair he had with his best friends wife, and as if that wasn't hard enough, he was a Hazara which was socially unacceptable in their community. Amir appeared to be the perfect son, but Baba rarely connected with him and at one point even said that he wished he was more like himself or even Hassan. He always gave more affection to Hassan, which made Amir very bitter and confused. He didn't understand why he didn't get the same kind of attention and love from his own father, especially when everyone else was telling him that Hassan was just the help or a Hazara boy that didn't matter. He didn't know at the time that Baba was trying to deal with the guilt of betraying Ali, and having a son he couldn't even own up too. This is why he was so heart broken when Ali and Hassan left.

[Kirbie Linthicum]

While both Amir and Hassan are Baba's children, Baba's relationship with Hassan was closer than with Amir while in Kabul. Before the journey to America, Baba was not very proud of Amir because he did not share the same values or meet the standards for men in Kabul. Unlike Hassan, Amir never stood up for himself and was interested in reading and writing rather than sports. Baba's close relationship with Hassan is shown by the conversation he shares with Rahim Khan about how he would not have recognized Amir as his own kid if he did not see him come out of his mother, in addition he talks about how Hassan is closer to his son than Amir. Baba is shown to have a closer attachment to Hassan as he displays his pride in him publicly through hugs or pats on the back despite Hassan being a Hazara.

Baba only begins to build a closer relationship with Amir after Hassan leaves and when they are on the journey to America up until his death. Losing his part of his family caused Baba to realize the importance of Amir as the only son (and family) left. While in America only then does Baba become proud of Amir for going to school to be a writer due to the more open perspectives that would allow Amir to succeed. Baba begins to value Amir slightly by default as if Hassan were never to leave and they stayed in Pakistan, the relationship with Amir may have been non-existent.

[mayraherna...@gmail.com]

Baba's relationship with Amir is very different from Hassan's. Baba is not there for Amir, because he doesn't understand why Amir isn't exactly like him. Baba is actually angry at times that his son, Amir isn't a reflection of himself, because he wants Amir to carry on his name, his machismo, and his business. Baba is very emotionally distant from his son, because he feels there is no real connection between the two of them. Amir's early years are very tough on him, because he lost his mother during his own birth, blames himself for his mother's death, and of course lacks a relationship with his father. And it's a struggle for Amir to please or satisfy his own father, because simply cause Baba doesn't acknowledge that much. 

On the other hand, Baba's relationship with Hassan is much more different that Amir's, because Baba is very loving towards Hassan, and attributes that love to Baba's own giving nature. He gives him way more attention towards, because Baba is actually Hassan's father. 

Amir does not find out until years later after the others have died. He realizes that the harsh love shown by Baba towards him was designed to strengthen him and make him sympathetic towards Hassan and his people, since they are all more closely related than he ever knew.  He also realizes that the love Baba shows to Hassan is from a true father towards a son, although Baba is never able to truly tell Hassan how much he means to him.