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 …show more content…
While Amir is a Sunni, his childhood friend Hassan is Shi’a, an inferior division of Islam. Simultaneously, Amir and Hassan belong to different ethnic groups-Amir is Pashtun while Hassan is Hazara. During his childhood, Amir would constantly mock Hassan’s illiteracy and poke fun at him. But, the pivotal demonstration of pressure from his surroundings that makes Amir commit his own act of cruelty is when he watches Assef rape Hassan for refusing to give him the kite that Hassan caught for Amir. To this, Amir describes the look of Hassan’s face to “a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb” (76). Throughout his upbringing, Amir constantly believed that his father blamed him for killing his mother in childbirth. To Amir, Hassan’s rape is a sacrifice that Hassan has to pay the price, the lamb to kill, in order to win his father over. To justify his refusal to intervene, Amir reminds himself that “[Hassan] was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?” (77). Amir’s surroundings cause him to have a negative outlook on people that his society deem lower. Amir knows he is morally wrong for not helping Hassan, but his need for his father’s love overpowers his friendship. Adding to his pressures, Amir believes that Baba prefers Hassan over him, a belief that further drives him to be cruel to Hassan. As a result, Amir’s motivation for validation and love from his father …show more content…
Amir believes that Baba wants his son to be just like him, but when Amir doesn’t turn out exactly the way Baba wants, he rejects and neglects him. Amir notices this, and looks at Hassan, who embodies what Baba wants in a son. As a result, Amir takes his anger built in from his father disregarding him out and exerts it at Hassan. After every instance that Amir’s father shows Hassan any type of affection or attention, Amir becomes angry. He takes a pomegranate and “struck [Hassan] in the chest, exploded in a spray of red pulp. Hassan’s cry was pregnant with surprise and pain” (92). Amir repeatedly hits Hassan and asks him to hit in back so he doesn’t feel guilty for his actions. To Amir, in order for his cruelty for hurting Hassan to be forgiven, Hassan must hurt him
It is not often that Amir’s love for Baba is returned. Baba feels guilty treating Amir well when he can’t acknowledge Hassan as his son. Baba discriminates against his son Amir by constantly making him feel weak and unworthy of his father. Baba once said to Rahim Kahn, “If I hadn’t seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I’d never believe he’s my son” (Hosseini 23). Amir doesn’t feel like a son towards Baba since he seems like such a weakling. This neglect towards Amir causes him to feel a need to be accepted by Baba to end the constant discrimination from his father and he will do anything for it. “I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (Hosseini 77). Amir did not stop the rape of his good friend for one sole purpose. Amir felt that he had to betray his own half-brother to gain th...
Misplaced priorities are a struggle that is known to every member of the human race at some point in their lives. Some defeat this predicament with strong morals and a brave heart, and others, afraid to stand up, are defeated by the struggle, left to regret what they did not achieve. This is especially evident in Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner. Amir makes his priority Baba’s love, while Hassan’s priority is loyalty to his masters: Amir and Baba. This leads Amir into acts of cowardice as he chooses what will most make Baba proud instead of the moral thing to do. In contrast, Hassan’s loyalty results in him being brave in all situations, doing whatever he can to serve and protect
With the struggle of social stature between two boys; Amir, a Pashtun - Sunni Moslem that is considered of a higher class with seniority, and Hassan, who is looked down upon because he is a Hazara of lower class. Hassan and his father Ali, (a good friend of Baba, Amir’s father) live in a mud shack on Baba’s property together – they are servants for Amir and Baba. Despite the social differences between the boys, and at a time in Afghanistan when bigotry has sparked flame between these two ethnic groups, they still find a way to create what seems to be an everlasting bond with one another. “Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard, and under the same roof, we spoke our first words. Mine was Baba, his was Amir.” (Page 13) Even as children, Amir was always the weaker one; Hassan was always sticking up for him and fighting his battles for him. Even though Amir was educated and Hassan was not, Amir still found ways to be jealous of Hassan at times especially when he corrected him and foun...
The only reason that Hassan got raped was that he was trying to get a kite for Amir. Now the kite acts a reminder to Hassan of his wrong-doing and it will now begin to haunt him for a long time. Although when in America, Amir does not get reminded about Hassan, deep inside he still feels guilty. Amir immediately begins to feel the most guilt when he goes to Iran when Rahim Khan, Amir’s childhood friend, asks him to come. He feels that Rahim Khan has reminded him of his “past of unatoned sins”(Hosseini 2).
But, Amir disappointed Hassan on multiple occasions. Amir was very hesitant when it came to protecting or standing up for his servant and best friend, often trying to make excuses and justify why did not stand up for his friend. This is seen when Hassan is confronted in the alley way and is raped by Assef after running the last kite for Amir. While Amir was peeking into the alley instead of helping his dear friend from being raped, he heard Assef say things like – “And there’s nothing sinful about teaching a lesson to a disrespectful donkey” and “It’s just a Hazara”. After running away in fear, Amir tried to convince himself that Assef was right, but he could not shake the overwhelming feeling of guilt that would continue to haunt him. Assef even questions Amir’s loyalty to Hassan by saying, “But before you sacrifice yourself for [Amir], think about this: Would he do the same for you? Have you ever wondered why he never includes you in games when he has guests? Why he only plays with you when no one else is around? I’ll tell you why, Hazara. Because to him, you’re nothing but an ugly pet. Don’t ever fool yourself and think you’re something more” (Hosseini, Page 77). In a way Assef was right, they were only friends when it was them two, Amir was too much of a coward to do the things Hassan did for him. But the guilt of betraying Hassan became something much different when
Aseef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba’ 4 Amir was present there and saw Hassan getting raped he savored cowardice he was afraid of Aseef he just let it happen. Now Amir saw Hassan as a lamb rather than a competition that he had to slay to win Baba again his urge to win Baba’s heart compelled him to deceive Hassan. He not knowing that Hassan is his brother betrays him. This act left a very toxic and corrosive impact on Amir himself. His self conscience left him remorseful for life. The course of life for him and others would have changed drastically had he taken the stand against the bully.
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.
After the rape, Amir’s birthday, and the countless days of Hassan saying nothing, Amir had shoved money and his watch he got for his birthday under Hassan’s mattress. Amir does this because he believes that this will get Ali and Hassan out of his life so he doesn’t have to keep living with this guilt every day. Baba asks Ali and Hassan if this is true, and Hassan knows that he has framed him. Hassan tells Baba that he did do it, and even though he forgives him Ali says that they are going to move out and leave. Hassan had been upset ever since the rape and he knew that Amir had betrayed him during it all. Instead of being a best friend to him and helping the situation, he made it worse by pushing him and Ali away. The book shows that Amir is jealous from day one because Hassan and Baba’s relationship is much stronger than theirs will be. Hassan never betrayed Amir, he had always been loyal in very surprising times. Even though he was being framed as a thief, didn’t fight back when he was getting pomegranate's thrown at him, and had even ate dirt at Amir’s wishes, Hassan was giving up because he had no hope
Amir contemplates: “I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan- the way he’d stood up for me all those times in the past- and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran” (Hosseini 77). Amir was too scared to stand up for himself let alone stand up for someone else. He made a life changing decision that will haunt him forever. Guilt ridden, Amir makes another horrendous decision: to get rid of Hassan. Hassan’s loyalty is contrasted by the disloyalty Amir shows him when he frames Hassan for theft (Hosseini 104). Amir could not face Hassan after what he had done, it was depressing to think about it. Amir has always looked down on Hassan and looked up to Baba. He ponders this: “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba. Was it a fair price? The answer floated to my conscious mind before I could thwart it: He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?” (Hosseini 77). Amir tries to justify his actions by telling himself that Hassan was just a Hazara and nothing more. He does this to feel better and less guilty about letting Hassan get raped. Amir’s betrayals are his selfish attempts to gain the love and attention of his
After seeing Hassan be raped Amir can’t live with his guilt of not doing anything. He sees Hassan and it brings back the memory of Hassan being raped and him standing there, doing nothing to help his most loyal friend. In order for Amir to stop feeling guilty, “one of [them] had to go” (86). Amir continues the theme of betrayal by setting up Hassan, in order to get him and his father Ali, removed from their job as servants. Amir carefully plans our his biggest act of betrayal “[waiting] until Ali and Hassan went grocery shopping to the bazaar” (87). Amir “[takes] a couple of envelopes of cash from the pile of gifts and [his] watch” (87) and “[lifts] Hassan's mattress and [plants his] new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it” (87). Amir informs his father Baba, that his watch is missing and suspects that Hassan might have taken it. They find the ‘stolen’ items under Hassan’s mattress and the four of them gather together to settle the ordeal. Baba simply asks Hassan if he was the one who stole the items and Hassan says that he did. Amir “flinched, like [he’d been slapped]” (88) in response to what Hassan says. This truly shows the level of forgiveness that Hassan would to in order to be loyal to Amir. Amir acknowledges that he isn’t “worthy of this sacrifice” ( 89), that he’s “a liar, a cheat, and a thief” (89), but Hassan doesn’t care. The ultimate act of betrayal is
When a child receives abuse, their life can become forever damaged, and problems such as what Sohrab experienced through mutation may occur. When Amir is trying to gain trust from Sohrab through talking, Sohrab tells him, “…they did things…the bad man and the other two…they did things…did things to me” (Hosseini 277). Violence brings people together, in some ways it brings people in to help join in and hurt more, but the violence in this book brings the readers together to share utmost sorrow and compassion for Sohrab. Hosseini writes Assef as the “evil villain” in The Kite Runner; however, Assef, always doing harm and hurting others, is written as a villain that many could and have encountered throughout life, which is why the theme of violence guides the readers to relate and understand easier the events of rape and abuse in the book. Guilt can bring the best or worst out of a person. As Amir thinks over his development in how he has dealt with guilt, he says, “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years”(Hosseini 2). The reader gets to see Amir grow up through his development of redemption as he deals with the guilt of not
And hide it under Hassan's bed to make it look like he stole it from Amir, and tried to hide it. Amir tells his father about how he believes that Hassan stole it. When Hassan and Ali returned from doing their work Baba confronted Hassan about stealing Amir’s watch and birthday money, Hassan lies and agrees to stealing it, even though he did not, Baba forgave Hassan for what he did. “Then I understood: This was Hassan's final sacrifice for me... He knew I had betrayed him and yet he was rescuing me once again.” (Hosseini, 111) Ali and Hassan had decided to leave, they already had their bags packed. Baba demanded them to stay but they made their decision. This was the Amie had ever seen Baba cry. “That was when I understood the depth of pain I had caused . the blackness of the grief i had brought onto everyone, that not even Ali’s paralyzed face could mask his sorrow.” Ali and Hassan had left, Amir never saw Ali or Hassan again, he regrets everything he did, and continues to regret it for life. Baba also betrayed Ali, but in a different way than Amir. After Baba had died, Amir found out that Ali was not actually Hassan's biological father, but was actually in fact Baba. Since Ali
Even though it seemed like Amir had everything he wanted, he didn't. He desired to grasp his father's attention, but Baba's attention was focused on Hassan. Whenever Baba would show Hassan more affection than he did Amir, Amir would tease Hassan out of pure jealousy. As the jealousy grew stronger so did the teasing. "Hey, Babalu, who did you eat today? They barked to a chorus of laughter. "Who did you eat, you flat- nosed Babalu? They called him flat face Babalu because of Ali and Hassan's characteristics Hazara Mongoloid features." (Hosseini, 8) Amir would sit back and watch his best friend get picked on because he didn't want to be seen taking up for a Hazara. The real betrayal began when Amir watched Assef and his friends raped Hassan, "I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan- the way he'd stood up for me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran."
Abuse; treat a person with cruelty or violence, especially regularly or repeatedly. Amir’s constant abuse throughout The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, was in cause of his selfish actions, the horrendous mistreatment, and the degrading of Hassan’s educational level of understanding. Amir and Hassan had grown up together, neither with a mother but together they try to form a friendship that will never bloom to its full potential. In the beginning of the story Amir seems as if he is a kind friend to Hassan, but as times grow longer he realizes what he truly thinks of Hassan.
In the literature, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, the idea and representation of justice, and its relationship to that of the treatment of women in Afghan society, the ever-changing politics of Afghanistan, and the desired results of redemption and forgiveness, become illustrated through the novel’s characters and motives. Justice can be defined as the quality of being guided by truth, reason, and fairness. The Kite Runner illustrates the power of influence from an outside power and its effects on society, and the minds and lifestyles of the people. In relationship to the Cheverus High School Grad-at-Grad profile the actions and wrongdoings that take place in the The Kite Runner and in Afghanistan prove to be injustice.