The Kite Runner

Characters

Sohrab

Save

Characters Sohrab

Throughout the end of The Kite Runner, Sohrab acts as an extension of Hassan. In addition to their “breathtaking” physical similarities, both characters are born and raised in the same hut, both are sexually abused by the same man, both kite-run with Amir, and both carry a slingshot. Hassan threatens to take out Assef’s eye with his slingshot, and nearly a quarter-century later, Sohrab makes good on the threat. In fact, the parallels between Hassan and Sohrab are so numerous that the reader could treat the two as one character, which is important and necessary for Amir’s narrative arc. Amir cannot make amends with Hassan because he is dead, but by rescuing Sohrab, Amir attempts to atone for his betrayal of Hassan. However, Sohrab diverges from his father in that the dark aftermath of his sexual abuse is described. Believing that he is “dirty and full of sin,” Sohrab flinches at Amir’s touch and retreats into himself, “fists buried in his armpits.” He attempts suicide when he believes Amir will abandon him, an act that ultimately acts as a catalyst for a renewal of Amir’s faith as he begs Allah to save Sohrab in the hospital.