by their tribal status in the society and Amir’s appraisal as someone living in a higher status regarding the situation among the Pashtun and the Hazara Hosseini
24.
4.1.3 The Relationship between Amir and Hassan as Friends
Amir and Hassan have been physically close since they are born. They have been living in the same town and place but merely under different roof.
Hassan is born in a hut located inside Amir’s house in 1964 Hosseini 5-6. Amir himself is born one year before. Because of this, they could find some similarities
such as hobbies which make them seem very close more than just a friend. Murphy says that character as seen by others is one way to understand characters’
personality 161 -173 and also his self-background information. “Then he would remind us that there was a brotherhood between people
who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break… Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on
the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words.” Hosseini 10
Kagan says that interactive experiences with other children facilitate
cooperate play later on quoted in Mussen et al 189. Amir and Hassan have been like brothers. They love to play together and do several things together. Amir
says that they are kids who learn to crawl together. Chasing each other between tangles of trees in Baba’s yard, playing hide and seek, cops and robbers, cowboys
and Indians, insect torture, chasing Kochi and others are sorts of things that Amir and Hassan like to do in a long summer day Hosseini 24.
Amir is so generous to Hassan in the beginning that he asks Hassan to watch Western movie namely Rio Bravo and The Magnificent Seven until thirteen
times Hosseini 25. It seems that Amir is satisfied with Hassan’s existence near him. He feels that Hassan accompanies him to do a thing which he likes, including
reading story books and novels. Once Amir reads a story for Hassan, Amir is giggling because Hassan is very obliviously impressed. He likes the story and says
that it is the best story that Amir has read for him in a long time Hosseini 28. He feels happy when Hassan is around because everytime they play they like to share
several communal joys like reading story and also curving names on a tree’s trunk. Mussen states that it is play that brings children together and provides a
setting for the formation and maintenance of social relationships, including friendships et al 426. This kind of friendship which is formed by pleasure of
communal things is categorized as friendship based on pleasure Becker 388. Amir, therefore, bases his friendship on the pleasure which is not a stable
foundation. In addition, Amir is not more than a boy that can only hide when
somebody comes to strike him. He has less courage than what Hassan has. Hassan is the only one who always defenses Amir whenever both of them get problems
with other neighborhood children. In short, Amir is not as brave as Hassan. He cannot show his boyish character that is brave and individual. This is relevant to
Thompson who claims the only child is frequently described in negatives terms such as maladjusted, self-centered and self-willed, attention-seeking, and
dependent on others, temperamental and anxious, generally unhappy and unlikeable, and yet somewhat more autonomous than a child with siblings.
Mussen 498.
On the other side, Hassan is a servant in Baba’s house. In Amir’s eyes, there is nothing to change the fact that they are different because of their origin
and religion Hosseini 24. Hassan is a Hazara, which is one of the obstacles preventing Amir to befriend with Hassan wholeheartedly. In the middle of the
story, Amir does his last disloyalty to Hassan by planting some money and his new watch because if Baba knows the truth, Amir will lose his big chance to gain
Baba’s pride on him for Amir has brought the blue kite home. On the other hand, it is the last Hassan’s scarification for Amir because Hassan wants Amir to be safe
from the truth that Hassan is the one who runs for a blue kite after a kite competition. Hassan still befriends Amir even though Amir has betrayed him
because it is Amir’s pure friend acceptation and love that Hassan has ever been longing for.
In fact, Hassan only has Amir that generously wants to befriend with him. Amir, however, finds joy whenever Hassan is with him. Furthermore, the feeling
that he only has one friend drives Hassan to keep his friendship with Amir. This must make Hassan really long for Amir’s invitation to ask him to go to play, read
a story and others which they usually do. Hassan offers all of his hospitality and help because for him because Amir is the only friend to play with daily Hosseini
24-25. Since he has only one friend he will not hurt his friend and do almost anything to make Amir happy to be with him. Hassan needs Amir and will always
consider Amir as his best friend as what is written in his letter to Amir when Amir comes back again to Afghanistan. Hassan calls himself a faithful old friend of
Amir who always waits for him Hosseini 202. Hassan’s trust shows how he
believes that Amir will not do something bad on him and let him fall in life Hosseini 51. It is clear that Hassan has based his friendship with Amir on
something good. Hassan loves Amir for what he is and not only for any incidental value. This kind of friendship is categorized as friendship based on goodness
Becker 388. Their relationship as friends will not be broken if only Amir does not get
jealous to Hassan. Based on what Thompson has explained, Amir as Baba’s only child tends to be an attention-seeking boy. A big question that must come to
Amir’s mind is that why it is that Baba gives his big portion of attention and pride to Hassan Hosseini 13. It turns Amir to be someone who hates Hassan. Amir,
then, breaks the third characteristic that Paul Peterson has stated and those are service and loyalty. A friend will do some helpful action when he sees his friend
falling. The helping action can even be a little thing like being ready to listen to our friend when they need us. A helping action will show how far we can
understand our friend on what he needs. The loyalty here means that we always stick around someone our friend no matter how bad people tell about him. If he is
even really an annoying person, then what we are to do is to help him to change for the better. As an addition, Beebe 439 states that friends are the sources of
help and comfort in times of stress. Completely different from some theories of a true friend above, Amir has become so severely mean to Hassan. That is the
beginning of Amir’s long grief life without Hassan, the one he has ever loved most as a friend, and sometimes more as a brother.
4.2 Factors Influencing Amir to be Disloyal to Hassan
