Why is Baba disappointed by Amir's decision to become a writer?What has Amir sacrificed for Baba?

Question

Why is Baba disappointed by Amir's decision to become a writer? During their argument about his career path, Amir thinks to himself: "I would stand my ground, I decided. I didn't want to sacrifice for Baba anymore. The last time I had done that, I had damned myself." What has Amir sacrificed for Baba? How has Amir "damned himself"?

Answer 1

Amir sacrificed himself to Baba by taking the kite and being selfish back then, letting Hassan get raped. This was Hassan's sacrifice to Amir, and Amir's sacrifice to Baba. This event basically damned Amir, because it haunted him for the rest of his life, knowing he didn't stand up for someone who had devoted his life to him, and had let him get raped. Baba believes that writing is not a "real" job, as success is not ensured, and the fact that you write 1 book and can live off it, while others have to work hard their entire lives and can barely live off it. He is the kind of person who would be proud if Amir was doing a "manly" job, and he believes writing isn't one - it is too creative etc... Quite hard to explain, but many people believe creative jobs like writing, singing and acting aren't real jobs. So basically, Baba wanted Amir to be more manly, but Amir decided not to because he had given up Hassan for Baba already and that decision had damned him. Hope this helped :]