Power of One

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Impact of One
All human relationships are complex. This remark applies to the relationships between partners and siblings, certainly, but it is also important for the parent-child relationship. Parents often serve as supporters and guardians of their children, and there is no more important bond than this one. Children tend to rely on their guardians, and are deeply influenced by them. In Kite Runner, through the relationship between a father, Baba, a wealthy and powerful Pashtun in Kabul and his son, Amir, Khaled Hosseini displays the consequences of the lack of an empathetic paternal figure in a single-parent household. Hosseini uses conflict, tension, hardship, and love to create father-son dynamics and convey that the lack of a supportive fatherly figure, combined with neglect, not only affects children when they grow up, but also causes them to become isolated as they lose their values, resulting in bad decisions that are made in an attempt to win their fathers’ hearts.
Hosseini demonstrates that the lack of an empathetic guardian can cause a child to be neglected and lose confidence. Baba neglects Amir because he is not the kind of son he wants him to be, and Amir tries to do everything he can to win Baba’s acceptance. Baba talks to Rahim Khan, his business partner, about the confusion he has about Amir, “He’s always buried in those books or shuffling around the house like he’s lost in some dream…I wasn’t like that” (Hosseini 21). Baba sounds frustrated, almost angry at his son’s interests. This reveals that Baba cannot understand why his son’s interests are different from his own. He does not see why his son is not a reflection of him and wonders how the boy will be able to carry on the name and prestige of the family bus...

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...uring. When this bond is weak, there may be a number of negative outcomes. Hosseini successfully depicts how a weak father-son relationship causes a great impact on a child’s life. Not only do children who are affected in this way experience isolation make bad decisions, and lose their values, but they also continue to have difficulties when they grow up. When the parent-child bond is strong, a child is confident, makes moral decisions, and is positively impacted. Those who have a strong relationship with their parents are more likely to be successful and happy in life. Many people learn life lessons through relationships whether they are pleasant or not. Humanity has the powerful ability to impact the lives of others through relationships. One cannot always predict the outcome of one’s influence so one must strive to use it responsibly. This is the power of one.

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