How does Amir and Baba's relationship change in The Kite Runner after moving to the States?

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Baba is different in the US than he is in Afghanistan. Baba is an important person in Afghanistan. He is wealthy. The home he and Amir share in Afghanistan is described as “Baba's mansion.” By comparison, in the US, he is an immigrant who cannot speak English very well. He and Amir live in a blue-collar neighborhood. Amir says:

Most of our neighbors in Fremont were bus drivers, policemen, gas station attendants, and unwed mothers collecting welfare, exactly the sort of blue-collar people who would soon suffocate under the pillow Reaganomics pressed to their faces. Baba was the lone Republican in our building.

Moreover, he is uncomfortable in the US and misses Afghanistan.

The Bay Area's smog stung his eyes, the traffic noise gave him headaches, and the pollen made him cough. The fruit was never sweet enough, the water never clean enough, and where were all the trees and open fields?

Importantly, Baba is not a wealthy landowner in the US as he is in Afghanistan. Back there, he owns a business and has a partner, Rahim Khan. In the US, however, he works at a gas station and does not have servants. This is in contrast to his life in Afghanistan, where he is the “master” and Ali works for him.

Because his status is different and the culture is different, Baba is not used to how things are done in the US. This is shown in the incident in a local convenience store when Baba has no cash. When the merchant asks Baba for an ID in order to accept his check, Baba is furious. The merchant knows him, and Baba does not understand why this is not sufficient for the merchant to take the check. Baba makes a scene, and the merchant tells Amir, “your father, he's crazy. Not welcome anymore."

Baba screams, “What kind of a country is this? No one trusts anybody!" For Baba, this is extremely different from Afghanistan. Amir writes:

in Kabul, we snapped a tree branch and used it as a credit card. Hassan and I would take the wooden stick to the bread maker. He'd carve notches on our stick with his knife, one notch for each loaf of naan.

After this incident, Amir tells the merchant and his wife that “"My father is still adjusting to life in America,” although it is unclear that he ever fully adjusts.

How does Amir and Baba's relationship change in The Kite Runner after moving to the States?

Baba was a marked man once the Russians completed their takeover of Aghanistan. As a wealthy businessman who loved all things American, Baba knew that he could not hide his political leanings from the communist government; however, he could not freely leave Afghanistan without arousing attention. So, with little notice, Baba and Amir sneaked out of Kabul "as if we were going out for a bite." They had little money, took few clothes, and left with only their most cherished possessions.

You couldn't trust anyone in Kabul anymore--for a fee or under threat, people told on each other...

Freedom had vanished, and anti-Russian speech could land you in jail or "staring at the muzzle end of a Kalashnikov." Property was seized, bank accounts frozen, students were taught to spy on their parents, and soldiers patrolled the sidewalks. So, Baba knew it was time to flee his country, setting his sights for a new life in America. 

How does Amir and Baba's relationship change in The Kite Runner after moving to the States?

For Amir, the move to America meant a fresh start--a new life. Left behind in Kabul was the guilt he felt concerning his mistreatment of Hassan, and the distance between Afghanistan and California did help to ease his conscience. Amir learned to speak English while attending school in Fremont, and his command of the new language far exceeded that of Baba, giving the son a rare edge over the father. Baba had been one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Kabul, but the move to California left him working in a gas station. Although he still commanded the respect of the fledgling Afghan community in the San Francisco Bay area, Baba was nonetheless reduced to lower-middle class status. Meanwhile, Amir was earning a college degree, and his continued success as a writer was assurance that he would surpass his own father on the American socio-economic ladder. Baba's fall from power did not stop him from providing for his son, however, and a more mature Amir recognized the hardships and sacrifices his father endured. In Afghanistan, Amir had long desired to become closer to his father; his motives there as a boy were often selfish and self-serving, but in California the two men literally grew closer. Instead of their spacious Kabul mansion in which the two could easily disappear and avoid one another, they shared a small apartment that rarely kept them apart. They developed a love of the flea market, giving Amir and Baba a common bond to share each Saturday. At the San Jose flea market, Baba was still a giant in the eyes of the other Afghan vendors who remembered him from Kabul. But in America, where all men are created equal, it was evident that the once vast differences between Baba and Amir had been greatly narrowed. Baba, although never completely happy with his role in American society, had become the proud and doting father that eluded him back home. Amir, meanwhile, had his father all to himself, and part of his own growth and maturation included the realization that his father had focused his life--and love--on the future of his son. The gaps which had once separated the two--age, power, education, and money--had disappeared, and their roles would later reverse when Amir found himself taking care of his father during Baba's last days with cancer.  

How does Amir and Baba's relationship change in The Kite Runner after moving to the States?

What we can clearly see happening is that, now that Baba and Amir are in America, it is Baba who becomes more dependent on Amir and is confused by the rules of society in America. Before, it was the other way round, with Baba clearly showing himself to be strong and confident in his home environment. However, now, he is made weaker and diminished as a character in this new world. Note what Amir tells us about him:

I glanced at him across the table, his nails chipped and black with engine oil, his knuckles scraped, the smells of the gas station--dust, sweat, and gasoline--on his clothes. Baba was like the widower who remarries but can't let go of his dead wife. He missed the sugarcane fields of Jalalabad and the gardens of Paghman. He missed people milling in and out of his house, missed walking down the bustling aisles of Shor Bazaar and greeting people who knew him and his father, knw his grandfather, people who shared ancestors with him, whose pasts intertwined with his.

Of course, for Amir, what he loves about America, and perhaps why he is so successful in his new home, is precisely the way that he is able to "bury memories" here and start again. It is this that makes him become more and more responsible for his father as Baba struggles to adjust to the new reality of life in America, and increasingly looks to his son for guidance and support to negoitate their way through their new environment.

How does Amir and Baba's relationship change in The Kite Runner after moving to the States?

There are many reasons for this. Let me give you three of them.

First, Amir realizes the extent of Baba's love, because Baba has left everything he knows and he now in America he has nothing but himself and his son in America. Amir also realizes that the move was primarily for him. Baba wanted to give him an excellent education and to keep him safe. In view of these sacrifices, Amir is able to get past his insecurities.

Second, when Amir tells Baba that he wants to be a writer, it is clear the Baba is not happy. However, Baba will support him and love him. This act shows a lot. Also Baba pays for the wedding, which cost him his life savings. Again it is this sacrifice that show Amir the love of Baba.

Third, there is also the fact that when people struggle, they need to rely on each other for support. With little in America, the two naturally get closer.

Explain the differing views of America between Amir and Baba in The Kite Runner.

This is a good question. Back home Baba was an important figure. More than that he had friends and things were familiar. People knew him, knew his family; he shared a common culture and ancestry with his neighbors. In a word, he had community and honor within it. In America, he was a nobody. Moreover, things and people were foreign. He felt alienated. 

For Amir, America was completely different. It was an opportunity for him to grow, explore, and most of all escape the painful memory of his life in Afghanistan. So for Amir it was a nice start, a new lease on life. For Baba America was the death of a past he loved. The context of the words you quote above is an eloquent observation of the different perspectives. 

I glanced at him across the table, his nails chipped and black with engine oil, his knuckles scraped, the smells of the gas station--dust, sweat, and gasoline--on his clothes. Baba was like the widower who remarries but can’t let go of his dead wife. He missed the sugarcane fields of Jalalabad and the gardens of Paghman. He missed people milling in and out of his house, missed walking down the bustling aisles of Shor Bazaar and greeting people who knew him and his father, knew his grandfather, people who shared ancestors with him, whose pasts intertwined with his. For me, America was a place to bury my memories.
For Baba, a place to mourn his.

Compare and contrast the characters Baba and Amir in The Kite Runner.

In The Kite Runner, Baba and Amir have dramatically different interests and personalities. Baba is portrayed as an aggressive, bold man who is intimidating and hypermasculine. Baba is also outspoken, successful, and insensitive. Baba laments that Amir is not athletic or tough like Hassan and views his son as effeminate.

Unlike his father, Amir prefers reading literature over playing sports and shies away from physical altercations. Amir relies on Hassan for protection and would never defend himself. In contrast, Baba is not afraid of altercations and even comes to a woman's defense by challenging an intoxicated Russian soldier. Baba is also a popular extrovert, while Amir is a timid introvert.

Despite their differences, Baba and Amir share several similarities. Baba and Amir are both privileged Pashtuns who are not religious fanatics and enjoy Western culture. Baba drives a Mustang, and Amir has an affinity for watching American movies with Hassan. Baba and Amir are also extremely close to Ali and Hassan, who work for them and live on their estate. Baba knew Ali as a child, and Amir and Hassan are best friends growing up. After Amir discovers that Hassan was his half-brother, he recognizes that he is more similar to Baba than he previously thought.

Both Baba and Amir betrayed their best friends and are guilty of lying. Baba had an affair with Sanaubar behind Ali's back and refused to claim Hassan as his biological son to avoid scrutiny. Likewise, Amir betrays Hassan by not coming to his defense while Assef is raping him and by lying about Hassan stealing his gifts. Despite their flaws, Baba and Amir are generous and atone for their sins by making extreme sacrifices. Baba leaves his successful business behind by immigrating to America to give Amir a second chance at life, while Amir jeopardizes everything to save and adopt Sohrab.

What are the similarities and differences between Amir and Baba in The Kite Runner?

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Hassan and Amir are best friends. While there are similarities between the two, there are also significant differences. Their personalities, faiths, social status, and even experiences are different. Amir is wealthy; Hassan is the son of Amir’s father’s servant.

Amir lives in “Baba's mansion,” and Hassan in “the mud shack where he had been born.” Their religions are different. Hassan is a Shi'a Muslim and an ethnic Hazara. Amir is a Sunni Muslim. Amir attains an education and becomes a writer. Hassan, as the son of a servant, is destined to be a servant himself.

Amir is able to leave Afghanistan with his father. Hassan must stay. Hassan is sweet, good-natured, and often brave: “Even in birth, Hassan was true to his nature: He was incapable of hurting anyone.” Moreover, “Hassan...never told on me.” He always took the punishment himself. By comparison, Amir runs when Hassan is attacked in an alley.

Yet, despite these differences, there are also many similarities between the boys. The reader’s introduction to them is the following:

Hassan and I used to climb the poplar trees in the driveway of my father's house and annoy our neighbors by reflecting sunlight into their homes...We would sit across from each other on a pair of high branches, our naked feet dangling, our trouser pockets filled with dried mulberries and walnuts. We...pelted each other with them, giggling, laughing.

They are like mirror images of one another. Moreover, both boys are motherless. Also, “Baba hired the same nursing woman who had fed me to nurse Hassan." The narrator writes, “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.“

When soldiers taunt Hassan about his mother, “I heard Hassan next to me, croaking. Tears were sliding down his cheeks. I reached across my seat, slung my arm around him, pulled him close. He rested his head on my shoulder.” They beg for songs. “What did she sing, Hassan and I always asked, though we already knew…We just wanted to hear Ali sing.”

The images of the two up in the tree and Amir comforting Hassan drive home their similarities. However, the biggest similarity between the boys is that they are actually brothers. Amir says, toward the end of the book, “my father slept with his servant's wife. She bore him a son named Hassan. Hassan is dead now. That boy sleeping on the couch is Hassan's son. He's my nephew."

What are the similarities and differences between Amir and Baba in The Kite Runner?

Although Amir spends most of his childhood trying to please his father, he can never live up to Baba's great expectations and larger-than-life personality. Baba is strong and fearless, having lived to tell the tale of fighting a bear. Amir is weak and cowardly; it is Hassan who stands up for Amir when the two boys are accosted by Assef and his young gang. Amir resorts to lies when he believes it will be to his advantage, while Baba strongly believes in a personal code of honesty:

"When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness."  (Chapter 3)

Baba loves the outdoors and is a great hunter; Amir prefers the solitude of writing in his bedroom. Baba loves the company of men and throwing parties; Amir prefers being by himself. Baba shows only love and compassion for Ali and Hassan, while Amir is ashamed of being seen in public with the Hazara, Hassan.

The father and son share some similarities. Amir becomes a champion kite flyer, just as Baba had been as a child. They both share a love of American life, though Baba's expectations ultimately fall short of Amir's. They both respect the old Afghan culture and practice it faithfully in California. They both share a new love of the flea market culture on weekends. And, both Baba and Amir marry teachers.

In The Kite Runner, are Baba and Amir more similar or more different? How? Why?

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, there are significant differences between Baba and Amir. Their personalities are extremely different and Amir worries that he is a disappointment to his father. When they flee Afghanistan, Amir writes, “My eyes returned to our suitcases. They made me sad for Baba. After everything he'd built, planned, fought for, fretted over, dreamed of, this was the summation of his life: one disappointing son and two suitcases.”

Baba is brave. On the trip out of Afghanistan, they encounter Russian soldiers, and Baba displays tremendous courage that borders on recklessness. Amir thinks to himself, “Do you have to always be the hero?” Conversely, Amir believes that he is a coward who betrayed Hassan when he was attacked. Amir writes that he had:

One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan—the way he'd stood up for me all those times in the past—and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run.

In the end, I ran.

He does not recognize that he was extremely young and this incident plagues him throughout his life. He compares himself unfavorably to Baba, who tells the Russian soldier:

"Tell him I'll take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place," Baba said. My mind flashed to that winter day six years ago. Me, peering around the corner in the alley. Kamal and Wali holding Hassan down ...

Some hero I had been, fretting about the kite. Sometimes, I too wondered if I was really Baba's son.

Yet, Amir does not fully recognize how proud Baba is of him. For instance, Baba tells a friend, "Amir is going to be a great writer ... He has finished his first year of college and earned A's in all of his courses.”

Moreover, there are also many similarities between them, including their liberal acceptance of people from all walks of life. Amir comes to recognize that his father was only human and, as such, was flawed like anyone else. After Baba’s death, Amir writes:

I was learning that Baba had been a thief. And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he'd stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honor.

Amir also writes that he is proud of Baba:

As it turned out, Baba and I were more alike than I'd ever known. We had both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for us ... Baba had nearly gotten himself shot by a singing, stoned Roussi officer—Baba had made me so mad that night, so scared, and, ultimately, so proud.

Also, at the end of the novel in a defiant act of bravery and loyalty to his dead half-brother and to his father that would have made Baba proud, Amir tells his wife's father:

... my father slept with his servant's wife. She bore him a son named Hassan. Hassan is dead now. That boy sleeping on the couch is Hassan's son. He's my nephew. ... And one more thing, General Sahib...You will never again refer to him as "Hazara boy" in my presence. He has a name and it's Sohrab.

In The Kite Runner, are Baba and Amir more similar or more different? How? Why?

Amir and his father Baba are alike in that they show a certain egocentricity and insensitivity to others. They both blunder around in life, acting out of impulse, which in turns hurts those around them.

They are even more alike than what one sees at first glance:

• They both are bound to regret for choices they have made in the past.
• They first set "conditions" before being really able to accept each other as they are.
• Under duress and financial precarity, they learn to be better people than they were before.
• Each tries in his own way to keep his secret but at the same time attempts to make up for past wrongs.

So I guess in this story, the old adage holds: 'Like father, like son.'

When Amir and Baba move to the US their relationship changes. What are the changes in their relationship?

Under the stress and precarity of immigration, Amir sees his father in a new light. He realizes his father's weaknesses and vulnerability, and the very absence of the aura of omnipotence brings father and son together in a new way.

Baba, too, changes for the better. He is more approachable, he spends more time with Amir, and when Amir takes an interest in Soraya, Baba goes the second mile to see that the courtship and ensuing marriage are done "properly," the Afghan way. Even when he is so weakened because of his cancer, he sees to it that all goes well for the new couple, even though he could have rejected Soraya because of her tainted past.

Adversity of cirumstance unites the two in a way that would probably have not happened otherwise.  Baba never breaks down to confide to Amir about Hassan also being his son, but he does everything else possible to make ammends for the errors of his youth, including his shortcomings as a father.

In The Kite Runner, how does Baba and Amir's relationship change when they move to the United States?

Amir and his father became much closer after fleeing Afghanistan. They had lived through terrible danger together and had survived to make a new life in a land that was equally foreign to both of them. Once a wealthy man, Baba had to work tirelessly in the new country, performing menial labor to eke out a living and make it possible for Amir to go to college. He was a very proud man, but he did so without pity or complaint. On weekends, Amir and Baba worked together at the flea market, selling whatever they could find, to make a few dollars more. Adversity drew them closer every day, as did joy. Baba understood and respected Amir's love for Soraya and helped him in his quest to win her hand. Their marriage was a source of great happinessfor Baba.

Their relationship changed, as well, because Amir was no longer a confused boy burning with guilt and resentment. He was a young man mature enough to appreciate the sacrifices his father made for him and to understand why he made them. When Baba became ill, Amir treated him with gentleness and concern. He loved his father and expressed it without hesitation. Amir had grown up. He recognized Baba lived with courage every day in fighting his illness, the same courage he had displayed in Afghanistan, risking his life to save a woman's honor. By the time Baba's life grew to a close, he and his son had developed the bond they had been unable to forge during Amir's childhood.

What challenges do Amir and Baba face when migrating to the US in The Kite Runner?

While both father and son experience difficulties in emigrating to the United States, there's no doubt that Baba has the worst of it. This is because life in America represents a huge loss of social prestige for Amir's father. Back in Afghanistan, he was a wealthy, well-respected member of the local community. But in America, he's a nobody, forced to work at a gas station to make ends meet.

This is a huge comedown for such a proud man as Baba, and under the circumstances, it's not altogether surprising that he should find it so difficult to adapt to life in his new country. His lowly status acts as a constant and painful reminder of just how much he lost when he and Amir were forced to leave Afghanistan.

As a much younger man, Amir finds it easier to adapt to life in the United States. But even so, there are still problems. For one thing, he's never quite able to bury those painful memories of the past involving Hassan that he had hoped to forget once he'd arrived in America.

Amir desperately wants to begin again, to start over in a new country. But the ghosts of the past won't let him, and they look set to haunt him for as long as he's unable to take decisive action to lay them to rest once and for all.

What are the contrasting views of America held by Amir and Baba in The Kite Runner?

Baba is not proud of Amir when the two still live in Kabul. Baba is a big man with strong opinions and convictions. He perceives Amir as weak--a boy who allows Hassan to fight his battles for him. When the two flee to California, they become much closer and the dissimilarities begin to change. For Amir, America is a modern country where many cultures live together in relative peace. It is a place for him to make a new start and create a life for himself--a place where he hopes to forget his past transgressions. For Baba, America turns out to be less than he expected. Once a powerful, respected man in his homeland, he resorts to working in a gas station and making extra money on weekends at a flea market. Baba's new start is not nearly as successful as Amir's, and he longs for his life of wealth and power in Afghanistan. Baba knows that California will benefit his son, however, and he is willing to endure what he considers a lesser life in order to see his son grow into a successful writer and husband.

When Amir and Baba moved to the states their relationship changes. Discuss the changes in their communication as father and son.

When Baba and Amir move to America, Amir begins to find his place, while Baba struggles.  Amir recalls that:

Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him an ulcer (125).

For once, Amir is the confident character, while his father feels out of place and longs for his homeland and all the recognition and power associated with Afghanistan.  Amir adapts quickly because America is an escape from his past, and he is almost able to put to rest his guilty conscience.  Because of this reversal of attitude in these two characters, Amir almost becomes the leader in the relationship.  He takes care of his father and makes his own decisions.  For example, Baba wants Amir to major in something practical such as medicine or law, but Amir stands his ground--even when he knows that it might disappoint Baba--and studies writing.

Their communication has changed because of the role reversal.  While Baba is still stubborn and speaks his mind, he actually listens to what Amir says.  He starts to ask Amir questions rather than issuing commands. At the end of Baba's life, Amir is very close to the relationship that he always longed for with Baba.

How does the relationship between Amir and Baba change when they move to the States?

First of all, I have to disagree with the labeling of Amir as "such a mean character."  I think his relationship with his father is very human.  Who has not struggled with a parent or parental figure in some way, especially when trying to please them or when simply trying to communicate with them?

I think that, yes, while Baba serves the author's purpose in one way while the setting is in Afghanistan, that, although this purpose changes, Baba continues to serve a purpose when the setting shifts to America.  The new purpose on the author's part, as I see it, is to show the changing relationship between father and son as they both age, especially as they both age in a new world, a world where the son is more "in control" because of language and because of an easier adaption to the new culture than his father.  As Amir states in the novel, America was a place to start fresh for him, where it was not nearly so good for his father.  This is not Amir's fault, however.  They had to escape, it was Baba's decision, and only in a new land, where they are perhaps on more equal footing, can they come to terms with their relationship.

Also, I would disagree that Amir "forgets Baba."  He mourns for his father, and, although Baba dies, the details Amir learns about Baba from Rahim Khan later in the novel still serve to move the novel forward and impact this father/son relationship.

 Back to the posted topic, I see the changes in Baba as both tragic and positive.  He comes around to loving his son . . . we see a more human Baba, capable of failings and imperfections.  And what's important is that Amir sees this new Baba as well.

In regards to the wedding, I do not think it was selfish of Amir to get married, or to accept a wedding from Baba.  It would be customary for such a wedding to take place in their culture, and as a highly respected leader of his peers, Baba is too proud a character to not throw this kind of wedding.  I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure the type of wedding Amir has would be the generally expected type of wedding.  Also, to me, there is no indication in the text that Baba resents having spent the money on the wedding or that it was "aristocratic."  I also don't think there is enough evidence to suggest that Baba "literally 'dies' for Amir."

How does Amir's relationship with Baba change before and after the tournament, and after leaving Afghanistan?

Amir's dysfunctional relationship with Baba never really materializes into the kind of intimate and easy camaraderie Amir desires. From his worshipful description of Baba in Chapter Three, we recognize how much the young Amir idolizes his father. However, Baba's inclinations towards his son wavers between disgust at Amir's inability to display any lasting impression of masculine fortitude and innate love for his progeny. In the beginning, his contempt towards Amir is evident, and he has a hard time showing any sort of affection or warmth for his son.

There is something missing in that boy.

But something about Amir troubles me in a way that I can't express...If I hadn't seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I'd never believe he's my son.

This leaves Amir insecure and troubled. He is further driven to jealousy towards Hassan when his young servant manages to secure Baba's attention without trying. In Chapter Five, Amir tells us that, one winter, Baba's birthday gift to Hassan is especially generous. Accordingly, Baba hires a plastic surgeon to surgically correct Hassan's harelip. In the previous chapter, we learn of the deep hurt Amir experiences when Baba refuses to acknowledge his son's achievement in having written an original short story.

The despairing Amir thinks that winning the kite tournament would be the only way to prove to Baba that he is worthy of his love and regard. Amir is proved right when he does win. Baba boasts about his son's prowess to his relatives and friends. However, Amir's joy is short-lived, when what was to have been a cherished outing with Baba alone, turns into a multi-family affair. Amir finds his great achievement tainted not just by Baba's superficial, new regard but also by Hassan's rape. Try as he might, he cannot overthrow his father's strange preoccupation with Hassan's welfare. When he innocently asks Baba if he would ever get new servants, Baba explodes in anger.

Forty years Ali's been with my family. Forty goddamn years. And you think I'm just going to throw him out?... You bring me shame...Hassan's not going anywhere...This is his home and we're his family. Don't you ever ask me that question again!

When the Soviets invade Afghanistan, Baba and Amir are forced to flee to Pakistan. There, they manage to secure visas to the United States. In America, Baba finds it hard to acclimate to the expectations of a new culture and of the greater immigrant society within that culture. His proud Afghan ways will not allow him to resort to using food stamps. Amir relates that Baba pulls twelve hour shifts working at a gas station. Meanwhile, the basic tenor of their relationship remains unchanged: Baba gives the orders, and Amir complies.

After Amir's high school graduation, Baba tells Amir that he is 'moftakhir' (proud). They go out to celebrate, and Baba eventually gifts Amir with a Grand Torino, so that he can use it for college. Amir is touched by his father's generosity, but the specter of Hassan's presence clouds their fragile companionship. Their uneasy camaraderie is further fractured when Amir refuses to bow to Baba's wishes for his son to train for what he considers a more substantial occupation than the writing profession. Again, we have this recapitulation of an earlier motif, where Baba equates masculinity with certain types of accomplishments and attributes.

Baba's stubborn machismo is further demonstrated when he refuses all the typical medical treatments for his cancer, from chemotherapy to palliative radiation. However, in the final scheme of things, his love for Amir is evident. Even in the advanced stage of his cancer, Baba gladly meets with General Taheri to broker the marriage between Amir and Soraya. For the couple's wedding, Amir tells us that Baba nearly emptied his life's savings account to pay for the ceremony. Baba dies a proud, strong man, incorrigible to the end.

What are three significant ways that Amir and Baba are alike in The Kite Runner?

1.  Both betray their friends (servants).  In his grief and anger over his own wife's death, Baba sleeps with his friend Ali's wife. Amir betrays Hassan (Ali's alleged son and Amir's friend) when he witnesses him begin raped by Assef (Chapter 7) and does nothing to stop it because he wants the fallen kite.

2. Rahim Khan serves as a sort of moral compass to both characters.  For Baba, Rahim Khan tries to gently encourage him to be more affectionate toward Amir.  He also subtly plays the father to Amir when Baba will not do so. For Amir, Rahim Khan summons Amir back to Pakistan, tells him the truth about Hassan, and then encourages him to do the right thing by rescusing Sohrab, Hassan's son.

3. Most significantly, both men spend most of their lives trying to redeem themselves for the past.  Baba's guilt over his betrayal of Ali and fathering Hassan causes him to have a stilted relationship with Amir for most of Amir's life.  Baba tries to redeem himself by buying Hassan expensive gifts, taking him on trips, and by being involved in charitable activities such as building the orphanage. Amir feels so overwhelmed by his guilt that he thinks he cannot father a child with Soraya (he sees their infertility as a sign of judgment for his past actions) and almost does not go to Afghanistan to get Sohrab.

How do Amir and Baba's experiences contrast when transitioning from Afghanistan to America in The Kite Runner?

Amir says Baba loved the idea of America but found that actually living in America was very stressful for him. Meanwhile, Amir adapts well to the new culture. He demonstrates this by graduating from high school, starting a successful relationship with Soraya, and starting a successful career.

Perhaps the best illustration to answer your question comes from chapter eleven. This is a perfect demonstration of the contrast between Baba and Amir's early experiences in the United States.

In a small convenience store owned by a Vietnamese couple, Baba has a complete meltdown and destroys some of the merchandise. The store owners threaten to call the police. Baba had lost his temper because the store owners asked for his identification when he payed with a personal check.

Amir explains to them (and the reader) that in Afghanistan, store owners trusted all of their regular customers. A customer could buy on credit and simply cut a notch in a stick to indicate how much would be paid at the end of the month. Baba took the request for his ID as an insult. He is not used to the American method of presenting ID when paying with a check, which was customary practice in the 1980s.

Amir has to explain to the store owners that Baba is still getting used to life in America. Amir quite often works as the intermediary between Baba and the rest of American culture. Amir's early experience in California was easier than Baba's. Baba had a harder time adjusting to the culture, as this chapter demonstrates.

Are the positive and negative traits of Baba and Amir in "The Kite Runner" similar?

One important way that Baba and Amir are alike is both keep an important secret that could have changed the lives of the people around them.  Baba hides the fact that Hassan is his son and that Hassan and Amir are half brothers.  He tells Amir several times that he "Shames" him.  Yet Baba is living his own life of shame.  Amir has the secret of knowing what happened to Hassan and his guilt of silence ruins his friendship with Hassan.  He is so guilty that he traps Hassan in a lie and this causes Hassan and his family to leave the employ of Baba.

Although Baba will stand up and fight for his beliefs, even to the death if necessary, Amir is a peaceful and non-violent person. Amir doesn't fight for anything, not even to save Hassan, but in the end he does fight to save Sohrab. 

Even with all their differences Baba and Amir share their belief in their cultural values.  Amir loves his father, and in his own way Baba loves his son.  Amir cares for his father when he is ill and goes to his father for his help in securing Soraya's hand in marriage.  The two, father and son, depend very heavily on their traditions and values.  In the end we see that Amir is more like Baba than even he realized.