Baba and America - the novel explains the statement Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him an ulcer by depicting Baba as a person who was more dependent on Afghanistan and its culture than he first believed.
‘Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him an ulcer.’ How does the novel explain these two contrary statements?
Throughout ‘The Kite runner’ Baba’s character is portrayed as that of a man used to having the respect of others and someone who has strong beliefs and ideals that do not always coincide with those around him. After setting up an orphanage in town, something that gains him yet more respect, he tells Amir to ‘Piss on the beards on those self-righteous monkeys’. Baba is referring to the Islamic teachers in Amir’s school and we can see that Baba is very much his own man, not somebody who likes the idea of there being something greater than him.
As a reader, we see Baba’s character through Amir’s eyes and his strong opinions prove him to be somebody who follows his own morals, meaning that he is not a sheep within the Afghanistan culture and does not easily succumb to pressure of those around him. This character portrayal means that readers see Baba as almost a revolutionary in some sense; although he is affluent and well-respected he is not scared to share opinions which more often than not are not in agreement with people who have a similar status in society to him. This portrayal is important in the novel because it allows us to believe the first part of Amir’s statement in chapter 11, that ‘Baba loved the idea of America.’ As the novel progresses through Amir’s childhood we can see the appeal of American society on a character like Baba, a society not grounded by religion and ignorance, a culture of freedom. Baba loves the idea of not being restrained by the culture around him but as the novel proves, actually living in America is extremely difficult for him.
