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Annotated bibliography on mental illness in literature
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From generation to generation, the constant struggle for males to live up to the expectations of their fathers often affects the choices made and actions taken by the sons. Perhaps, the overbearing testosterone levels claim responsibility for the apparent need for sons to impress their fathers, but not all boys consider the realistic consequences of their decisions. In Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner, young Amir's admiration for his father Baba, coupled with the constant tension in their relationship obscures his mind from making clear decisions as he strives to obtain his father's love and approval.
Amir and his father share a very strained relationship. The saying, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” inaccurately relates Amir to Baba. Amir demonstrates different interests than his father; Amir enjoys being “buried in those books” or spending his time writing a short story rather than following in his father’s footsteps in becoming a soccer star (23). Because of their diverse personality traits and interests, Baba feels nearly no emotional connection to his son and hardly cares to build a relationship with Amir leaving his son with a feeling of emptiness and detachment. Every young boy needs a fatherly role model, and Baba denies Amir of the opportunity by neglecting to include him in his life. Without a mother or an involved father, Amir suffers in his childhood to cope with events and situations in his life.
A young boy needs the acceptance of his father at an early age in order to live a healthy lifestyle; without it, he will spend the rest of his lifetime yearning to be the ideal son in the perspective of his father and doing everything in his power to achieve the ultimate goal at all costs. As Amir strives ...
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...he Kite Runner, he struggles to earn the approbation of his father. In his conquest, the goal often obscures his ability to form proper choices and take the right course of action in response to external factors. Amir’s envy for Hassan and admiration for Baba detriment his idea of self-acceptance and accordingly effectuate his motivation to remove the loyal servant from his life; in doing so, he neglects to see the negative effects on the people closest to him. The need for sons to feel approval from their fathers plays a crucial role in determining the true nature of men. Amir’s wish to be the supreme son in his father’s eyes steers him to win over Baba at all costs, even if it means he must betray the person who would do anything “for [him], a thousand times over” (67).
Works Cited
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Riverhead: New York, 2003. Print.
The relationship between a father and son stems from an unspoken competition in many countries. Whether it is a physical or mental rivalry the superior role slowly transcends on to the son as he grows into a man. In Brad Manning’s short story “Arm Wrestling With My Father,” and Itabari Njeri’s “When Morpheus Held Him,” both contain admiring sons and impassive fathers. Despite both stories similarities in unspoken emotions they differ in the aspect of their physical relationships. This unrequited bond between a father and son in these stories portray various types of love.
The chapter “A Fathers Influence” is constructed with several techniques including selection of detail, choice of language, characterization, structure and writers point of view to reveal Blackburn’s values of social acceptance, parenting, family love, and a father’s influence. Consequently revealing her attitude that a child’s upbringing and there parents influence alter the characterization of a child significantly.
Clearly, Amir hears how his father compares the two, and unlike Hassan who manages to meet Baba’s expectations, Amir grows bitter towards Hassan. He is unable to fight off his envy which later causes him to sacrifice his best friend’s innocence: “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (82), and this is all because he realizes “his shame is complicated by his own realization that in part he doesn’t help his friend precisely because he is jealous of him” (Corbett, 2006). From here, Amir develops strong feelings of guilt that induces him to perform even more destructive acts, such as having Hassan and his father evicted from the house. Amir not only loses a close friend, but now he has to continue to live with remorse as he dwells on these memories.
Amir’s development from being “a boy who won’t stand up for himself,” to a man that stands up for the morally responsible thing to do (22, Hosseini). When Amir was a child, he tried to escape from his sins in the past by hiding them with lies. However, this only made it worse for Amir, causing him to be an insomniac for much of his life and putting himself through constant torment. Only when Amir became a man, like Baba wanted him to be, was Amir able to face the truth of what he done and put himself on the path of redemption. Even when Amir was suffering a violent beating from Assef, Amir was able to laugh because he knew he was doing what he should have for Hassan years ago. Amir’s development from a child, who lies in order to cower from their own mistakes, into a man, someone who is not only able to admit his sins, but atone for them, is essential to communicating the theme of redemption being the only way to settle with your
Fathers have a remarkable influence on their children. Every son looks up to their dad, and dreams of becoming a man just like them. In the novel Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Ali and Baba play a tremendous role in their sons lives: Hassan and Amir. Both boys strive to become the man their father is, and would go to any measures just to mirror their fathers. All children need a father figure in their lives, and even though Ali and Baba raised their children differently, they were both loved unconditionally.
It is difficult to face anything in the world when you cannot even face your own reality. In his book The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini uses kites to bring out the major themes of the novel in order to create a truly captivating story of a young boy’s quest to redeem his past mistakes. Amir is the narrator and protagonist of the story and throughout the entire novel, he faces enormous guilt following the horrible incident that happened to his closest friend, Hassan. This incident grows on Amir and fuels his quest for redemption, struggling to do whatever it takes to make up for his mistakes. In Hosseini’s novel, kites highlight aspects of Afghanistan’s ethnic caste system and emphasizes the story’s major themes of guilt, redemption and freedom.
The other source of tension in Amir’s life is his relationship with Baba, his hard-driving and demanding father. Desperate to win his father’s affection and respect, Amir turns to the sport of kite flying, and at the age of 12, with the assistance of Hassan, he wins the annual tournament in Kabul. Amir’s victory soon is tarnished when he witnesses a vicious assault against his friend, who raced through the streets of Kabul to retrieve the last kite, Amir had sliced from the sky, and fails to come to his aid. Amir’s cowardness is compounded by a later act of betrayal that causes Ali and Hassan to leave their home, and he now faces the nightmare, bearing the burden of his poor choices for the rest of his life.
Firstly, one’s identity is largely influenced by the dynamics of one’s relationship with their father throughout their childhood. These dynamics are often established through the various experiences that one shares with a father while growing up. In The Glass Castle and The Kite Runner, Jeannette and Amir have very different relationships with their fathers as children. However the experiences they share with these men undou...
The boy comprehends the severity of the situations he is faced with, such as lack of food or water, and treats his father with the same respect and equality that the man gives him. He insists on sharing his portions with his father when they are uneven, and he remains cautious at all times, even when his father is not. The boy’s fire is fueled by his love for his father, which is shown by the boy’s priority on caring for his father’s wellbeing, just as the man does for him. This love and responsibility, manifesting in the form of self-sacrifice and compassion, lies in direct juxtaposition to the rest of the world, where selfishness and indifference reigns
The characters of Kite Runner are all craving power in their own individual way, and all express it in different ways. The most delicate power balance is between our narrator, Amir, and his complex relationship with father. Baba takes advantage over his power over Amir. He remains aloof, showing Amir that he is not to Baba’s standards. This act fills Amir with indignation. There is nothing Amir wants more than his father’s approval. Baba realizes that he is wreaking havoc on his impressionable son’s life. This fuels him. This adds to the unscrupulous Baba’s already large ego by making him feel even more powerful. Amir reacts vehemently again and again to try to obtain Baba’s love, but fails each time.
The longing for parental acceptance is often what leads to childhood downfall. At some point a child strives to make their parent proud. When a lack of attention is displayed in a parent child relationship there is a lack of communication and support. In The Kite Runner this type of relationship is shown through Baba and Amir's interactions. Throughout The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Amir and Baba’s relationship takes many turns. Their relationship affects the plot through many situations such as when Baba acts uninterested in Amir's life, When Baba fails to treat Amir the same as Hassan, and when Baba takes his guilt and anger out on Amir.
...rough his actions to save Sohrab, Amir became the man his father had always wanted him to be. Although Baba never lived up to the persona he created for himself, Amir did, and that is why his attempts to achieve atonement were more successful than his father’s. While Baba was unable to seek more than personal redemption, Amir found atonement with himself, Hassan, and God. Amir also found the courage his father lacked to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve redemption. Amir’s ability to transform into a strong character was a result of what he learned from his father’s strengths and weaknesses. While Baba was unable to achieve true redemption, he was a true role model that provided his son, Amir, with the necessary skills to achieve atonement for both of them.
Amir begins his life as a meek boy who desperately clambered to earn his father's’ affection. He was a cowardly, selfish, short minded boy who would even stab his childhood friend in the back for a slim chance at bonding with his dad. He was outshone by his best friend, who would stand between the bullies and Amir, and fight Amir’s battles for him. His father noticed this, and told Rahim Khan “A
The boy appears to play the role of the responsible adult more so than the father does. The boy has typical signs of a child from today’s broken family relationships; he does not want to disappoint either parent. The boy s...
Ones early year life experiences play a significant role as to how relationships are formed among children and their parents. In the case of J. Baldwin's “Notes of a Native Son” and O. Pamuc's “My Father's suitcase” stories, the focus is based on a father and son relationship. Moreover, it is the development of such relationships that has an enormous influence on how a child is raised and the way they see the world that they live in. In both stories the authors reflect upon experiences they had after their fathers’ death. Even though, there are both differences and similarities in these stories, it is obvious to discover differences in a father and son relationship. However, it is interesting to find that similarities exist among these stories.