The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

1157 Words3 Pages

Both Amir and Holden grow and change over the course of their journeys in The Kite Runner and The Catcher in the Rye, but whereas the courage and inner peace that Amir gains enable him to come to peace with his past, Holden’s slow growing, understanding of people and maturity do not specifically result in any colossal changes in his life ; unlike Hosseini, who suggests heroism is something you gain through redeeming yourself and having peace with the past, Salinger suggests that heroism is not about the end point where you finally accomplish greatness, but along the journey where you ameliorate yourself.
In the beginning Amir is a coward who cant defend himself and through out the book this begins to change and finally he fully changes in the end of the book. Amir never was the type of boy to fight or stand up for himself. For example, Amir over hears Baba say to Rahim Khan, “You know what happens when the neighborhood boys tease him? Hassan steps in and fend them off…Im telling you Rahim, there is something missing in that boy” (Hosseini, 23). Baba is complaining to Rahim and he doesn't understand why Amir lacks the courage to stand up for himself. He puzzles that Hassan is the one to step in and defend Amir. He also is very confused over the fact that a hazara is more courageous than his son. Baba knows that Amir is not violent and he wishes that he would just stand up for himself. Amir overhears this and is very troubled that Baba doesn’t approve of him. To Amir this is a realization that he is a coward and his father notices it. Later in the book, Amir sees Hassan being raped and he is contemplation jumping in and being courageous because he says, “I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide ...

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...doesn’t like anything. This makes him an unlikely hero since most heroes are about pleasing people and of the people. This can also be used to show how he has changed a minuscule amount. In the beginning he didn’t like anything, but by the end of his journey he began to sort of miss people. This again shows how Salinger perceives heroism as small changes that occur over a journey.
Amir and Holden both grow during The Catcher in The Rye and The Kite Runner. Amirs growing courage leads to success whereas Holden sluggish growing understanding of people ad maturity don’t really lead to a very big outcome. While Hosseini in The Kite Runner is trying to show that heroism has a very clear cut idea and lets you have peace with your past. Salinger suggests that a heroism sin’t about the ending and how you change, But along the journey where the changes are made.

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