Deception In Othello And The Kite Runner

An individual wants perfection at all costs, but everybody has its own way of gaining those unique qualities. The qualities that allow us to cause harm to others we care for in order to be perceived as the ideal individual. Thus, creating the mesmerizing characteristics an “ideal” individual has in a society full of illusions. In both Othello and The Kite Runner, deception leads towards affliction; however, in The Kite Runner, Amir is deceived by his own father for his protection and learns to forgive, while Othello is deceived by Iago for his own interest leading towards his death.

As Othello is seen being manipulated by mere scandal, his path to betrayal has just begun. In the beginning, Iago’s determination to become a lieutenant drove him to deceive Othello in order to prove Othello’s wrongdoing for not choosing him—resulting in the fall of Othello and his love ones. In Act Ⅳ, scene ⅰ, Iago keeps Othello focused on the disloyalty of Desdemona, in which made Othello get mad by the idea of his wife with another man. The constant support of

Iago made Othello seem naive and ignorant as reality became blurred by Iago’s lies. His betrayal lead him towards his troubles and pain. Hence keeping Othello from overcoming his ignorance and causing his downfall.
Similar to Amir’s betrayal that caused him horrendous aching and trauma that also caused others damage.

As we get to know Amir’s characteristics at the beginning of the novel, we see his drive to become like his father: a respectable and wealthy man. But as he grows more knowledgeable about his frailty and vulnerability, he becomes obsessed with the idea of being perfect—just like his “Baba”. For instance, as Amir witnesses Hassan’s assault, he does nothing in his power to aid him, but instead ignores him in order to erase the default, blemish, flaw in him. Thus leading to his Father’s acceptance along the way as he becomes a respectable man in is father’s eyes. Until Amir comes to realize that his father failed to tell him Hassan was his half-brother. His idea of his perfect father becaume neutralized and his mere troubles became an aching reminder of his wrongdoings— resulting in the acknowledgement of his father’s

betrayal.
Even though both novels seem to correlate with the idea of betrayal, the novels distinctly have a different ending. Moreover, the characters deal with betrayal in different ways that relate to the time period that the novel took place in. In Othello, for instance, when he finally discovered the malevolent actions of Iago, he chose to die in order to satisfy his immoral actions that lead to the death of Desdemona. Death was the only way a mere flaw could be diminished in the 1600’s. However, in The Kite Runner, Amir chose to aid Hassan’s son from being demeaned and troubled by Assef, which is ironic, Moreover, he did not want to again ignore the fact that Hassan’s son was being hurt. By saving Hassan’s son, he was able to forgive himself and obtain that opportunity to be a man.
Both novels created a character that brought upon troubles to not only those around them, but to themselves. They dealt with pain from the betrayal of others in order to acknowledge their wrongdoing. However, the characters took different paths in order to be able to satisfy their troubles and aches caused by the determination to become the “ideal” individual.