Evidence of Moral Ambiguity in The Kite Runner
Moral ambiguity is the quality of a character that makes the reader confused on the character's moral standing. Set as a flashback in 1970s Afghanistan, two boys struggle to find love, safety, and acceptance in times of war. The winter of 1975 leaves one of the boys with a haunting past and a search for redemption. Hosseini purposefully selected morally ambiguous characters to develop an intricate story, which keeps his readers engaged and questioning their own morals. In the novel, The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, Baba is a morally ambiguous character because of his hypocritical and courageous attributes.
Baba is viewed as a morally ambiguous character due to his contradictory actions and speech. Baba, Amir’s father, is a wealthy and respected businessman, who often makes his son feel less than. Baba’s tendency to be hypocritical is purely evil. In chapter three, Baba explains to Amir that theft is ultimately the worst sin and gives the example of “When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth,”…show more content… Like Baba, Amir is also a morally ambiguous character. Because of Amir’s selfish qualities, he lives a lonely life. However, his outstanding determination to make circumstances better can be looked at as a redeeming quality. Throughout The Kite Runner, Hosseini develops his morally ambiguous characters by putting them through intense situations. This allows the reader to see characterization occur through the characters’ actions, speech, and responses to situations. When reading The Kite Runner, one can reflect on the morally ambiguous characters, as well as, their own moral ambiguity. It is important to know one’s own moral standing because one can have a beneficial impact on today’s society by identifying the rights and circumstances one will stand up
