It may be hard to imagine a person dropping everything in his or her life, leaving behind many possessions, friends, and family, only to start again in a new country. Imagine a person coming to America with only the clothes on his or her back and whatever that person could carry. If one can overcome these hardships, like many immigrants to America had to experience, and make a name for his or herself, that is experiencing the American Dream. The American Dream, a stereotypical viewpoint of one being able to move to America with nothing and become successful. This success is achieved through a gradual process of an adoption of the American culture by drowning the past and receiving an education for the future.
Amir, from The Kite Runner, is no stranger to this viewpoint of America, with conscious acknowledgment of using the country as a way to forget his past sins and form a new life. He states “That summer of 1983, I graduated from high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarboard on the football field that day” (Hoesseini 131). The quote shows his knowledge of needing to pursue an education, even in his older age, and his will to pursue a career in creative writing. The cleansing also paves the way for Amir to transform his character and pursue his dreams of writing. Therefore, the concept of the American Dream is prevalent in The Kite Runner by giving Amir a way to drown his past, a way to connect with Baba, and a start to a new future. Amir is no stranger to carrying a secret burden to his heart.
In his case, he witnessed Hassan, his best friend (later revealed to be a brother) get raped over a kite. Had Amir attempted to defend Hassan or told someone that the rape had occurred, the conscious. .newfound life to forget of all that has occurred in Kabul. This new land of opportunity also brings Baba and Amir closer, for they need to look out for each other as a way to be successful and survive in the land of the free. Also, with a few books published under his belt and an adopted child to relieve his guilt, Amir is able to continue his future without a need for conflict both internal or external.
Amir reflects back to Baba and his immigration at the end of The Kite Runner; “‘He was, wasn’t he?’ I said, smiling, remembering how after we arrived in the U.S. Baba started grumbling about American flies. … ‘In this country, even flies are pressed for time,’ he’d groan. How I had laighed. I smiled at the memory now” (Hosseini 366).
Had Amir not immigrated to America, one would not see a cleansed and stable main character reminiscing about his father at the end.
