How Is the Relationship Between Hassan and Amir Presented at the Beginning of the Novel?

How is the relationship between Hassan and Amir presented at the beginning of the novel?

At the beginning of this novel, straight away we are made to believe that Hassan and Amir have a very close relationship by the way Amir describes his friend as if it were only yesterday they had seen each other. We find out later that this is definitely not the case which again suggests the close friendship between the two boys. The novel is written in a first person narrative, this is very helpful when you are reading this novel because you feel connected with Amir as he explains the beginning of his shadowed past.

Both boys’ lives run parallel to each other at the beginning of this novel, for example both boys were born in the same place with only a year difference. They fed from the same breast and even learnt to crawl together. Also Amir and Hassan had no mothers. Hassan’s mother left him and his father, Ali, five days after he was born to join a travelling, singing and dancing group. Amir’s mother however died at birth, obviously leaving Amir’s father devastated, which leads me on to my next point, both boys look up to their fathers, but for very different reasons. Hassan looks up to his father because he is kind, loving and very religious, setting a good example for Hassan. Amir’s father was one of Afghanistan’s top business men; a fine example of what Amir should aspire to be. However we find out that Amir has no intention of being like his father was as a child or as a businessman, he wants to write and this is where we see sort of a crack in Hassan and Amir’s friendship. “What always happens when the neighbourhood boys tease him? Hassan steps in and fends them off…” Amir overheard his father and Rahim Khan talking about him, and how Hassan is more like what Baba (Amir’s father) wants Amir to be. This maybe suggests that Amir could be slightly jealous of the relationship Hassan and Baba have because Amir wants to make his father proud too, because he feels his...