Like Father, Like Son

“Ali and Baba grew up together as childhood playmates – at least until polio crippled Ali's leg – just like Hassan and I grew up a generation later” (Hosseini, 19)

Above: Amir and Baba; Hassan and Ali

Ali and Baba’s relationship is quite similar to Hassan and Amir’s relationship. Their relationships parallel each other, as Baba never specifically refer to Ali as a friend, likewise how Amir never referred to Hassan as a friend. Because Baba and Amir were Pashtuns, whilst Ali and Hassan were Hazaras, Baba was the owner of Ali, and grew up together. Their relationship carried onto the next generation, where Amir is now the owner of Hassan. The only noticeable difference between the relationships is the fact that Amir does not stay faithful to Hassan, to the point that he blames him for stealing his possessions.