The life lessons of the kite runner, the story of two boys, Amir and Hassan, the Sultan of Kabul, is that the lessons of life will be repeated until we receive that lesson.

The story begins when Amir and Hassan are inseparable. Amir, the son of a wealthy merchant, believes that his father blames him for the death of his mother, who died in childbirth. Hassan along with his father, Ali, were servants of Amir and his father, Babba. Hassan showed incredible character, loyal, honest, loving and courageous. Hassan looks at Amir and professes that he would eat dirt if Amir asked him. Amir overhears a conversation between his father, Babba, and Rahim Khan, who is Babba’s business partner and his best friend in Kabul. Babba secretly confines to Rahim Khan her concerns about her son’s lack of courage and strength.

During the annual kite fighting contest in Kabul, Amir’s kite is the last kite to fly. Hassan runs off to pick up the last kite that Amir cut. When Hassan doesn’t return after a spell, Amir searches for Hassan to find him cornered by three local thugs who harassed Hassan and Amir earlier in the movie. The greatest of the thugs offered to forgive Hassan at a price, the price was the kite that Hassan vowed to run over and return to Amir. Hassan told the thugs that the kite was not his and in return, the thugs beat and raped him, as Amir watched, fearing to come to Hassan’s defense.

Amir’s shame for not standing up and fighting for Hassan inspired him to betray Hassan even more when Amir sought to have Hassan and his father forced from their home. Amir asked Babba if he would get new servants and Babba cursed Amir and told him that Ali has been a part of the family for over forty years and that his father raised him as a brother and that he will never speak of it again. Then, Amir framed Hassan, placing his watch and money under Hassan’s pillow. When Babba confronted Hassan and Ali, Hassan took responsibility and admitted to stealing the watch and money, further protecting Amir. Babba forgave Hassan, but Ali informed Babba that he and Hassan were leaving.

Rahim Khan calls Amir and asks him to come home to make things right again. Rahim Khan explained to Amir that Hassan died protecting his father’s house in Kabul, loyal until his death and that both Amir and Hassan were unaware that they were half brothers. Amir had relationships with Hassan’s mother, who gave birth to Hassan. Rahim Khan gave Amir a letter Hassan wrote to him telling him about his son and the good times they had as children. Amir decides to do things right and go to Kabul and take Hassan’s son Sohrab with him. When Amir finds Sohrab, he discovers that the boy had been taken away by his childhood nemesis, Assef, who raped Hassan. Sohrab was traumatized and raped by Assef, his father’s rapist, and he was forced to dress as a girl and dance for Amir. Amir confronts Assef and tells him that he is here to bring Sohrab back to America. Assef fights Amir and Sohrab defends Amir with his father’s sling that Amir gave Hassan for his birthday at the beginning of the film.

Amir returns to the United States with Sohrab, who is traumatized and withdrawn. When Amir’s father-in-law, General Taheri, asks Amir what to tell people why he has brought a Hazara (considered an inferior race) into his home. Amir confronted General Taheri and told him that his father had slept with his servant’s wife and that he was the Sohrab’s uncle and that the general will not refer to Sohrab as that Hazara child in his presence.

Amir’s courage and loyalty were put to the test multiple times during the movie, and he doesn’t live up to his father’s expectations or his own. He abandons and betrays his brother and best friend Hassan. However, true to life, Amir had the opportunity to redeem himself and become the man his father wanted him to be and the friend Hassan deserved. Amir saved Hassan’s son Sohrab from the Taliban, brought him to the United States, and raised him as his son. If ever there was a movie written to evoke emotions, it is this movie. The book has been controversial just like the movie. The kite runner shows us that in life, regardless of our shame, guilt or mistakes we have made in the past, we will be presented with new opportunities to make different decisions and opportunities for personal growth. Amir was given the opportunity to face his fears, confront his nemesis and father-in-law, and demonstrate his loyalty and courage.

Like in real life, the movie The Kite Runner, we often find ourselves making decisions based on our fears. For Amir, his fear was that his father would blame him for the death of his mother during his birth. This fear led Amir to resent his friend Hassan, who demonstrated loyalty and courage. The traits Amir’s father wanted him to learn. Like Amir, we find ourselves making life decisions based on our fears. We may choose to remain calm when someone we know is being treated unfairly. It could be a more personal choice, maybe we get stuck in an abusive relationship or a job that is a dead end, because our fears of change obscure our desire for change. We could find our self-esteem deficient due to shame or guilt from our past. The lesson from The Kite Runner is that when life presents us with new opportunities, we can make different decisions, we can face our fears, and we can grow as people. We can develop those characteristics and traits that we value and become the person we want to be.