Q4 Outside Reading Week 3 Post B

This is a letter to the fictional protagonist of The Kite Runner.

Dear Amir,

I want you to know that you are not a bad person. That is important. Sometimes life can be unbelievably difficult and no matter what your conscience may say, it's not all your fault. Take it from me, I know it's true. There are times when you just want to give up and start over, but you can't. You really can't. Because no matter how many times you move, how many times you runaway, it'll follow you, whatever you're running away from. My advice is to confront it--when you're ready of course.

I know pleasing Baba is hard. That is something that you can't control. That is not your fault. Any of it. He's a man of high standards and if he can't love his own son for who he is, then there's nothing you can do about it Amir. Nothing. You have to just keep going. Trying to make Baba proud only gets you into trouble, you know that. It makes you act selfish for irrational reasons. It makes you hurt your friends, the people you love. Stop. You have to stop. It's like an addiction, the relationship that you have. It's not healthy and the only way to fix an unhealthy relationship is to end it. True, you can't just leave Baba, but you need to stop caring, to stop worrying. We all need to be loved and appreciated, so instead of trying to impress someone who is determined not to be impressed by you, go to someone who loves you for the way they are, like Rahim Kahn or Hassan. Don't push them away.

As for Hassan, I know you blame yourself for what happened. But you need to stop. You need to realize that there is evil in this world that no one can confront, at least not on their own. I mean look at the World Wars of the 20th Century. Millions of people died to make the world a better place for the rest. That's what makes someone a hero, but you're a boy. At your age, there are things that the most intelligent people in the world never knew. I know Hassan is your friend and you probably should have done something to stop Assef, but blaming yourself won't help make anything better. Hiding from Hassan doesn't work either. Getting them fired or making them resign is just running away from your problems. Sooner or later they'll catch up to you and sooner or later you'll have to face them. It's better if you get it done sooner. That way, you won't have to live with the guilt for as long because you know you've payed your punishment.

The world isn't always a fair place. You'll soon learn that with the occupation of the Soviet Communists and Taliban in your country. That's yet to come. But as of right now you need to know that life works in weird ways. It balances things out. You will get your chance to repay your friend. You will get your chance to redeem yourself. You will get your chance to do the right thing. Just be patient.

Good luck,
Amy