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Character development introduction
Thesis on moral ambiguity
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Through the person of Amir, The Kite Runner’s protagonist written by Khaled Hosseini, the author brings to life a character flawed with indecisiveness. Not only does he battle against opposing forces with the greatest one of them being his own consciousness, but he also stumbles through the course of his early life causing a guilt that will follow him into adulthood. Amir’s conflicting actions, cause one to question his honor, his morals and ponder on the ambiguity of the characteristics that form him into the morally bemusing character that he is. This contrasting nature allows him to fall victim and take action of his own selfish desires, actions that would later on call for redeemal. During his early childhood, Amir grew up with privileges, …show more content…
despite it all what he truly longed for was his father’s love and affection.
Through this want of love, he held the kite from the kite running tournament as the token for which he would win Baba over. As a result of which he held the kite in high regards and was willing to obtain at any cost. Being unable to act and stand up against the horrid scene going on before his eyes, Amir sacrificed the most innocent person in order to suffice his own selfish desires. Only after it happened did he realize the look Hassan had in his eyes, “was a look [he] had seen before. It was the look of the lamb”. Through the symbolism of the lamb and its icon of sacrifice and purity, Amir realized his impotence had caused the sacrifice of he who had not fault. He realized it and nonetheless went onto carrying out an act that would benefit no one but himself, an act that would only hurt yet again he who had no fault. Knowingly, and no longer out of fear, did Amir betray the boy who stood up for him so many times, a boy who was his brother. His actions were not so much out of cruelty, but more of fear, frozen with fear such that the mere thought of breathing for fear of being heard is terrifying. Upon being able to once again movie, Amir ran, hoping the kite Hassan ran for him was intact so that maybe through it e might receive a small portion of
Baba’s love and gentleness. Having to face Hassan’s constant presence and being reminded that he did not so much as move in order to prevent Hassan from being hurt, he finds that the one way to rid himself of those toxic feelings of guilt is to have one of them go. Evidently, it was not going to be Amir and thus “took a couple of the envelopes of cash from the pile of gifts and [his] watch, and tiptoed out” accusing Hassan of theft in a desperate attempt to drive him away. Blinded by fear and guilt, Amir remains unable to live up to basic morals. His first action might have been forgiven for his fear is understandable to an extent, however, his second action was one of cruelty moved by selfishness. He clearly knew what he was doing and nonetheless went on with his greed-moved action. He sacrificed not just a servant, but one who had the same blood running through his veins in order to reach a love he so much craved.
Actions made in a moment of pain, anger or simple immaturity can take anyone to make mistakes that can change their lives completely. Everyone has something in the past that is shameful, embarrassing and regrettable that is kept present daily. Whether this event happened during childhood, adolescence or early adulthood, this event could haunt and have shaped that person’s life into what he or she is today. In a similar way, in the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is shaped by a tragic and eventful past that has shaped Amir’s, Baba’s, and Hassan’s life. The four literary elements that will be used in this essay that Hosseini strategically uses in this book are: irony, simile, Metaphor, and personification.
The way our friends treat us in the face of adversity and in social situations is more revealing of a person’s character than the way they treats us when alone. In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, ethnic tensions, nationality, and betrayal become the catalyst that drives and fuels Amir, Assef, and other characters to embark on their particular acts of cruelty. Serving as a way to illustrate the loss of rectitude and humanity, cruelty reveals how easily people can lose their morals in critical circumstances. Through Amir, Assef, and the Taliban’s actions, cruelty displays the truth of a person’s character, uncovering the origin of their cruelty. Amir’s cruelty spurs from his external environment and need for love from his father, choosing
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, follows the maturation of Amir, a boy from Afghanistan, as he discovers what it means to stand up for what he believes in. His quest to redeem himself after betraying his friend and brother, Hassan, makes up the heart of the novel. For most of the book, Amir attempts to deal with his guilt by avoiding it and refusing to own up to his mistakes. Because of his past, Amir is incapable of moving forward. His entire life is shaped by his disloyalty to Hassan and his desire to please his father over helping his friends. Throughout the novel, his attempts to atone for his sins end in failure, as neither physical punishment nor rescuing Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from Assef prove to be enough for Amir to redeem himself. Only when he decides to take Sohrab to the United States and provide his nephew with a chance at happiness and prosperity that was denied to his half-brother does Amir take the necessary steps toward atonement and redemption. Khaled Hosseini uses a series of symbols to reinforce the message that atoning for one’s sins means making up for past mistakes, rather than simply relying on forgiveness from either the person one betrays or from a higher power.
The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, shows how lying and deceit is a counterproductive route when trying to live with a dreadful past, exhibited through the actions of Amir. Amir’s decision to withhold the truth and blatantly lie in several situations due to jealousy and his desire for Baba to be proud of him amounts to further pain and misery for himself and those he deceives. Because of Amir’s deceit towards Baba and Hassan, his guilt from his past manifests itself into deeply-rooted torment, not allowing him to live his life in peace. The guilt from Amir’s past is only alleviated when he redeems his sins by taking in Sohrab, contributing to the theme that the only way “to be good again” is through redemption, not shunning the past.
Flying kites was a source of Amir 's happiness as a child as well as a way to attain his father’s approval. In Kabul, Afghanistan, a kite flying tournament was held annually. Young boys laced their string with glass and attempted to cut the strings of other kite flyers. That last on standing was deemed the champion and the idol of all the younger children. Before Amir competed in his kite tournament, Baba said, “I think maybe you 'll win the tournament this year. What do you think?” (Hosseini, 50) Amir took this opportunity and told himself that, “I was going to win, and I was going to run that last kite. Then I’d bring it home and show it to Baba. Show him once and for all his son was worthy. Then maybe my life as a ghost in this house would finally be over.” (Hosseini, 50) Amir wanted the approval and affection of his father badly enough that he was willing to allow Hassan to get raped in order to attain it. After this kits became the symbol of Amir 's betrayal to Hassan. The kite ultimately becomes the way that Amir connects with Sohrab, mirroring how Amir connected with Baba when he was a
At the beginning of The Kite Runner, young Amir wins a kite fighting tournament. He feels like he has finally redeemed himself for his father. However, Amir’s happy day turns dark, when an hour later, he witnesses Hassan, his best friend, raped in an alley. He had “one final opportunity to decide who [he] was going to be. (77) Instead of standing up for his friend and...
Going through all these different motifs, it taught Amir many different lessons, good and bad. But in the end, Amir finally is able to let go of his guilt and make his awful choice to not help Hassan in his time of need, have somewhat of a better outcome. In the novel The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini’s repeated the use of rape, sickness, and sacrifice to represent many different things throughout the novel.
Though some may rise from the shame they acquire in their lives, many become trapped in its vicious cycle. Written by Khlaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner describes the struggles of Amir, his father Baba, and his nephew Sohrab as they each fall victim to this shameful desolation. One repercussion of Baba hiding his sinful adultery from Amir is that Amir betrays Hassan for his father’s stringent approval. Sohrab’s dirty childhood also traumatizes him through his transition to America. Consequently, shame is a destructive force in The Kite Runner. Throughout the course of the novel, Baba’s shameful affair, Amir’s selfish betrayal, and Sohrab’s graphic childhood destroy their lives.
The story The Kite Runner is centered around learning “to be good again.” Both the movie and the book share the idea that the sins of the past must be paid for or atoned for in the present. In the book, Amir can be seen as a troubled young boy who is struggling with a tremendous amount of guilt. It is easy to blame Amir’s actions on his guilt and his father’s lack of love for him.
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.
War establishes many controversial issues and problems within society and can often expose an individual to many economic and sociopolitical hardships; thus creating an altercation in the way they view life. Amir, from the novel The Kite Runner and the novel’s author Khaled Hosseini, both saw the harsh treatment toward the people of Afghanistan through a series of wars, invasions, and the active power of a Pashtun movement known as the Taliban. Amir, much like Hosseini, lived a luxurious and wealthy life in Kabul. He is well educated and immerses himself in reading and writing. After transitioning from a life in Afghanistan to a life in the United States, both Hosseini and Amir faced obstacles in order to assimilate to American society. In The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, the protagonist Amir parallels the experiences and hardships that Hosseini endured in his own lifetime.
In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the author follows the development of protagonist Amir through a life filled with sorrow, regret, and violence. Amir encounters numerous obstacles on his path to adulthood, facing a new test at every twist and turn. Amir embarks on the long journey known as life as a cowardly, weak young man with a twisted set of ideals, slowly but surely evolving into a man worthy of the name. Amir is one of the lucky few who can go through such a shattered life and come out the other side a better man, a man who stands up for himself and those who cannot, willing to put his life on the line for the people he loves.
Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner focuses on Amir, a Pashtun and Sunni Muslim boy who lives in Kabul. Amir has a privileged upbringing as a Pashtun; his father Baba is wealthy by Afghan standards, and as a result, Amir grows up spoiled and selfish. Hassan on the other hand is the loyal and good-natured Hazara and Shi’a Muslim servant of Amir, who is extremely underprivileged and lives in poor conditions. Amir is haunted by the guilt of witnessing the rape of Hassan by Assef and his friends during a kite running tournament and not telling anyone, as well as trying to get rid of Hassan by framing him for stealing his birthday gifts. By the end of the text, Amir has definitely reached redemption for the sins he had committed against Hassan
In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the hidden connection between Amir’s dreams and his conscious actions correlate in regards to how he psychologically experiences his guilt. This will be demonstrated by focusing on one of Amir’s dreams from the novel known as ‘the snowstorm’ in order to analyze the guilt that Amir carries with him throughout most of his life. Analyzing Amir’s dream will help to develop a better understanding of how his guilt is affecting him in a psychological manner. Connecting Amir’s dream to how he reacts to his guilt will exemplify the progress that he makes to compensate for his prior mistakes that lead to his guilt. Amir obtains a lurking guilt that follows him throughout his
Since he was born, Amir has taken the blame for his mother’s death during childbirth and believes that his father resents him for it. As a child, Amir is extremely critical of himself and his appearance in front of others. He constantly lowers his own self worth, and can only feel worthy of status when he spends time with Hassan, his servant. When the town prepares for its annual kite fighting competition, Amir sees this as his chance to earn his father’s affection. Amir wins, and goes with Hassan to retrieve his winning kite, but they run into a confrontation where Amir ultimately leaves him in an alleyway to be raped, in order to gain an affectionate relationship with father, or Baba in Pashtun. Amir justifies his actions and believes that “nothing [is] free in this world… [that] maybe Hassan [is] the price [Amir has] to pay, the lamb [he has] to slay, to win Baba” (Hosseini 77). Amir questions if Hassan is a “fair price”, acting as if Hassan is an object to be bartered. Amir cannot both stand up for his friend Hassan and have a relationship with his father, as if he can only choose one side. Even at the young age of twelve, Amir is fully cognizant that he sacrifices Hassan, who has been loyal to him since his first words, for the sake of his own well being. Amir is selfish in this moment to believe that Hassan, an innocent lamb who has been sacrificed, is subordinate and not as worthy of Baba’s love. Hassan, his loyalty still preserved, goes to hand the winning kite to Amir, who flees the scene out of cowardice. The blue kite is the first thing Amir sees when Hassan hands over the kite. Hassan’s chapan coat is covered in “mud [which] smudges down the front and his shirt [is] ripped just below the collar…[he sways] on his feet like he [is] going to collapse, [but] he [steadies] himself” (78) and gives