Archetypes In The Kite Runner

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In the novel, The Kite Runner, Hosseini writes about all the inevitable struggles an Afghan encountered throughout his life. It is a Bildungsroman published in 2003. Hosseini’s purpose in using the different character archetypes is to make the characters relatable in an unfamiliar story. Two characters that show this are Amir and Sohrab. They both fit their archetype well and help each other’s character development. One character that readers may relate to is Amir. After he recognizes his actions have consequences, Amir reflects about the moment and himself, “I loved him in that moment, loved him more than I’d ever loved anyone, and I wanted to tell them all that I was the snake in the grass, the monster in the lake. I wasn’t worthy of this sacrifice; I was a liar, a cheat, and a thief. And I would have told, except that a part of me was glad” (Hosseini 105). This illustrates how Amir knows he is nowhere close to being a hero by calling himself a caitiff, which shows that …show more content…

In the story, Sohrab feels bad about a bad person he hurt. Not knowing how much of a horrible person Assef is, he says to Amir, “‘I miss Father, and Mother too.but sometimes I’m glad they’re not.they’re not here anymore.because-’ he said, gasping and hitching between sobs, ‘because I don’t want them to see me.I’m so dirty’” (Hosseini 319). This quote shows that even though Assef is a terrible person and deserves it, he truly believes he is also a terrible person. Sohrab’s actions and words fit into the innocent child archetype. Sohrab is a relatable character to readers because although he is one of the sweetest kids, he experiences many awful events in his life. He is likely not the most relatable by his experiences, but readers can still be connected to the story by his personality. They might feel bad for Sohrab after everything he’s gone through. However, they will feel happy for him after Amir saves him from the Taliban after a surreal

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