THE POWER OF LOVE
Life is beautiful but not always easy since it contains problems and challenges that are placed in order for us to face them with courage. We are usually caught up in these situations through ambition or may not understand the value of what we’re given. Humans were made for a purpose and to experience the most powerful feeling in this world. The best of creatures in absolute terms is our Prophet Muhammad (SAWS), who set a perfect example of showing love and affection toward every other creation in this world. The Kite Runner is a complicated maze from beginning to end, therefore showing multiple examples of various types of love. This ideology has a starting point to it for everyone and in The Kite Runner this began from the interaction between Amir and Baba. This is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.
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1 The first phase of love would be the on the basis of the parent to child relationship and this is the purest example of love where one must be the observable attention for another. Characters in The Kite Runner revolve around this belief of paternal love and they all have expectations of their surroundings. Amir is the sole character who experiences this phase of love at its peak. He has a very mystifying relationship with Baba where he feels the love is not complete. Amir believes that his father rarely shows affection toward him and that Hassan is being replaced for Amir at times. Amir experienced this with Baba when "Go on, now," he'd say. "This is grown-ups' time. Why don't you go read one of those books of yours?" He'd close the door, leave me to wonder why it was always grown-ups' time with him. I'd sit by the door, knees drawn to my chest. Sometimes I sat there for an hour, sometimes two, listening to their laughter, their chatter”(2.6). It's clear to us how affection develops in The Kite Runner. Amir's affection for Baba isn't returned and this challenges him to betray Hassan. He has this desire to win Baba’s love and he wants to prove Baba that he was not the cause for his mother’s death. Amir was innocent and he lost his mother the day he was born. On the other hand Baba has difficulty interacting with Amir. He feels guilty of showing love toward Amir when he wants to treat Hassan equally like his son. For instance, during Hassan’s birthday Baba payed for his lip surgery and this made Amir jealous because Baba is showing more devotion toward Hassan. Amir also believes that Hassan is just the servant’s son, whereas Hassan shouldn’t be getting the love as if he is Baba’s only son. Baba understands the way of spreading love since he experienced it before. He is well aware of who should receive his affection and the limits of showing it. The Prophet’s love for children was not kept only to his children and grandchildren. The range of his mercy and affection was spread to all children, and he showed the same interest to his Companion’s children. The following hadith narrated by Usamah ibn Zaid shows this aspect of the Prophet’s personality; Allah’s Messenger used to put me on one of his thighs and put Al-Hasan ibn `Ali on his other thigh, and then embrace us and say, “O Allah! Please be merciful to them, as I am merciful to them.” (Bukhari). Khaled Hosseini expresses this act through Baba as he shows love to other children and not just Amir. This level of understanding did not come to Amir yet since he is learning and he feels that the happiness of Baba for him is greater than any other person.
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2 Hassan is Amir’s companion and at this point he is the only support for Amir since Baba’s connection is not clear to him. This would be the second phase of love where the parental love is not built or shown correctly to children. But there is also a love-hate relationship between Amir and Hassan as it shows the nature of brotherly love which includes jealously and insecurity. They were more than just friends as Ali reminded them that there was a brotherhood between people who had been nurtured by the same mother, this was a kinship that would never fall apart. “Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words” (2.34-37). The bonding between Amir and Hassan is at the early stages and we find out that they both have the same father. This is where the author shows how they might be half-brothers or blood brothers and how it might change Amir's relationship with Hassan. In Islam it is clearly said by the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that "None of you will truly believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself." We could see that Hassan has this strong admiration for Amir and his love for him is selfless. There are many times in The Kite Runner where Hassan stands up for Amir and he truly follows what the Prophet once said. Hassan even stood up for the smallest situations at times where "Yes, Father," Hassan would mumble, looking down at his feet. But he never told on me. Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbor's dog, was always my idea” (2.2-3). This passage takes part early in the novel and we realize quite a bit about Amir and Hassan’s relationship. We understand that Hassan wants to protect and defend Amir. This later foreshadows that Hassan refuses to tell Amir when he has to take the blame for stealing the cash and the watch. There is an equal relationship between Baba and Ali just as Amir and Hassan’s kinship. Amir witnessed that “In none of his stories did Baba ever refer to Ali as his friend” (4.2-3). There is some sort of leadership quality between these relationships. Baba and Amir have this powerful role in each friendship. As a result Baba betrays Ali just like how Amir betrays Hassan. Amir even said "Baba and I were more alike than I'd ever known. We had both betrayed the people who would 3
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have given their lives for us" (18.7). Even though the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had a greater role in this world and was sent down by Allah (SWT) as the final messenger. He did not carry this shallow quality and he never betrayed any of his companions. As we progress through the novel we discover the final phase of love through Amir and Soraya. Love could also be conquered at its highest peak. This is the type of love that is romantic and it changes Amir into a new person, a better person. We all find someone in this life that we could relate with and help each other in difficulties. This is a turning point for Amir as he finds Soraya and she has the role of a catalyst in Amir’s life. Through her own difficulties she manages to support Amir just as how the wives of the Prophet supported him. Amir valued this opportunity in his life and he never treated Soraya like Hassan. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that “The value of Aisha (RA) among women was the same value of thareed (bread soaked in soup) compared to other foods.” (Muslim). At this point in America Baba passed away and this is a major breakdown for Amir as he lost his true companion and Baba was the only person who brought him to America to start his new life. Amir and Soraya are the standing support for each other and most importantly they are the definition of happiness for each other as they do not need anyone else.
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4 “People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.” – Elizabeth Gilbert. Amir experiences all the types of love starting through his childhood as he got Baba’s love. To get there he had to betray his only best friend. From there he moved on to ending his journey through the love of Soraya. The common aspect about all the phases of love could be the achievement for winning someone’s heart and whether it may be going through a nightmare or taking the easy road to contentment. We learn that Amir did not manage to spread his love equally throughout his life but he eventually finds his mirror Soraya as they forget the past and fill each other’s happiness to a new beginning.

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