The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is an extraordinary coming-of-age novel that describes and reveals the thoughts and actions of Amir, a thoughtful adult in the United States, and his memories of his affluent childhood in the United States. unstable political context of Afghanistan. The novel showcases the simplistic yet powerful ability of guilt to influence decisions and cause the conflict that arises between Amir's childhood friend and his half-brother, Hassan; Amir's father, Baba; and, above all, himself. Class Difference The quest to become "good again" makes Amir reflect on atoning for his sins and transforming himself into the person he chooses to be. Social class difference causes discrimination and conflict between individuals and even close friends in Afghanistan. In this novel, the protagonist, Amir, and his father, Baba, are both members of the Pashtun Sunni Muslims. Most Afghan Pashtuns considered themselves superior to the “dirty Kasseef Hazaras” (40). The Hazaras were Shia Muslims and historically persecuted and oppressed by the Pashtuns. Hassan, Amir's half-brother and childhood playmate, is a Hazara with typical Mongoloid features. Her face is "like a China doll carved from hardwood" and she has a "broad, flat nose...and a harelip, just to the left of the midline" (3). Unfortunately, the life of a Hazara was difficult and subject to physical and mental abuse, as seen in the incessant bullying of Hassan and Ali, at the hands of neighborhood boys Wali, Kamal and their leader Assef. Known for “his famous stainless steel brass knuckles” (38), Assef ridiculed Hassan and Ali by calling them “kunis” and “flat noses” (39). Physical abuse is predominantly seen with the brutal rape of Hassan and a large Hazara mass...... middle of paper... and the final opponent. Hassan, the best kite runner in the neighborhood, promises Amir in the most beautiful words of the novel, “for you a thousand times” (67) that he will return with the kite. For Amir, the kite symbolizes the acceptance and pride he desperately wants from his father. This desperate desire for his father's affection drives Amir to allow Hassan to be raped by Assef, with the conclusion that "he was only a Hazara", expendable, and "the price [he] had to pay, the lamb [who] had to kill, to conquer Baba” (77). This very lack of action due to his cowardice and selfishness sticks hard to Amir and changes his entire world, for the worse. Although “there is a way to be good again” (2 ), the path of redemption for Amir is difficult and is related to the serious damage he caused directly to Hassan and indirectly to Baba and himself..