Protagonist

I think that Hassan is the protagonist. Even though he is not the central character of the story, he plays a very heroic role. Hassan is always building up Amir by telling him how he will write amazing books when he is older and how great of a kite flyer he is. Even when Amir throws the fruit at Hassan, he refuses to hit him back. Hassan shows Amir what it means to be a best friend and not just a servent. When Hassan and Amir go off to the hill to play one day, they are followed by the three huge bullies of the neighborhood. They both know that they don't stand a chance against them. However, Hassan stands up for both of them. He pulls out his slingshot and points it right at the bully's head. They know that the bullies will get revenge on them eventually but Hassan is brave enough to put an end to it.