Ethical Issues In The Kite Runner

In the novel The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini, a major character finds themselves in collision with forces beyond their control. An example of this is when Hassan was raped and Amir’s response to this could be seen as morally questionable. I agree with this statement of characters making morally questionable actions from forces beyond their control as throughout the novel we see major characters reacting in a questionable manner during important scenes and situations.

In the novel we immediately get to know Amir, the central character of the story as well as the narrator. Amir has a privileged upbringing as his father, Baba, is rich by Afghan standards, because of this, Amir grows up accustomed to having what he wants. As Amir

is a major character in the novel it is questionable about how he responds to his friend, Hassan's rape. Throughout Hassan is Amir’s best friend, Amir feels that Hassan, a Hazara servant, is beneath him. When Hassan receives Baba’s attention, Amir tries to assert himself by passive-aggressively attacking Hassan. He mocks Hassan and plays tricks on him. In the scene of Hassan’s rape, Amir searches the neighborhood for his friend until he comes to an alleyway. Hassan has the blue kite, and he is surrounded by Assef and the two other boys that are always with him, Kamal and Wali. Amir watches this scene unfold from around the corner. Amir's response to Hassan's rape is a force beyond his control, but his response, to the audience, is morally questionable as in a friendship you would protect your friend at all costs, but instead Amir was being selfish and putting himself and his own safety first.

In the rape scene, Assef tells Hassan they will let him go only if he hands over the kite. Hassan refuses as he has run with the kite out of friendship with Amir. He ran the kite, and it now belongs to Amir. Hassan tells Assef that him and Amir are friends. but Amir simply watches from a distance as his friend, Hassan is raped. Amir debates doing something, but instead runs away. This decision and Amir's reaction may be as questionable as he decided to run, rather than help, as Hassan is a friend. In the scene of Hassan's rape, Assef says to Hassan, "But before you sacrifice yourself for him, 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. Something he can play with when he's bored, something he can kick when he's angry. Don't ever fool yourself and think you're something more."

"Amir agha and I are friends,",Hassan responds,

“Friends?" Assef said, laughing. "You pathetic fool! Someday you'll wake up from your little fantasy and learn just how good of a friend he is. Now, bas! Enough of this. Give us that kite." In this scene before Assef assaults and rapes Hassan, he asks Hassan whether he really wants to sacrifice himself for Amir. As we know Amir is watching this exchange between Assef and Hassan, it is morally questionable whether Amir truly values his friendship with Hassan as what Assef is saying is correct and Amir is abandoning Hassan from this moment on.

Throughout the novel Hassan protects and defends Amir, taking the blame for anything Amir has done. In the novel Amir at times seems like the gang leader, getting the two boys into trouble. As Hassan is a loyal and caring friend it is questionable how he continues to let Amir be the leader and controller of the relationship. In the novel Hassan often takes the blame for things and we see that Amir never takes responsibility for anything. Amir tells us in the novel that, ‘sometimes, up in those trees, I talked Hassan into firing walnuts with his slingshot at the neighbor's one-eyed German shepherd. Hassan never wanted to, but if I asked, really asked, he wouldn't deny me. Hassan never denied me anything. And he was deadly with his slingshot. Hassan's father, Ali, used to catch us and get mad, or as mad as someone as gentle as Ali could ever get. He would wag his finger and wave us down from the tree. He would take the mirror and tell us what his mother had told him, that the devil shone mirrors too, shone them to distract Muslims during prayer.

"And he laughs while he does it," he always added, scowling at his son.

"Yes, Father," Hassan would mumble, looking down at his feet. But he never told on me. Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbor's dog, was always my idea.’

This passage is said in the beginning of the novel and tells us quite a bit about Amir and Hassan friendship, we understand that Hassan always takes the blame and consequences to protect his friend Amir, as he values his friendship. But in contrast, Amir will always let Hassan take the fall to protect himself from trouble in all situations, making us question whether he truly sees Hassan as a friend or just a servant. We see that Hassan protects and defends Amir and, foreshadowing later events in the novel, refuses to tell on Amir. To the reader, Hassan's loyalty to Amir is morally questionable as we get the sense that Amir isn't a true friend and doesn't respect his friendship with Hassan.

As boys and throughout their childhood, Amir and Hassan were separated by social class.

But the two were united by the fact that they were young and the only two children in Baba's house. The idea of the two boys only being around each other as they live around each other is questionable for the reader as gender and race discrimination is looked down upon in today's society, although it was a way of live in The Kite Runner. Hassan and Amir played, explored their surroundings and shared adventures together. Throughout their friendship, Hassan loved Amir without limits or conditions. But Amir, however, seems to ‘pick and choose’ the way he treats Hassan; sometimes he treats Hassan as his friend, but more frequently he abuses Hassan, as after all, Hassan is a Hazara and a servant in the house, when Amir is the superior with his social class, education, and position as Baba's son. Throughout the two boys friendship, Hassan loved Amir without limits or conditions. But Amir, however, seems to ‘pick and choose’ the way he treated Hassan; sometimes he would treat Hassan as his friend, but more frequently he would abuse Hassan, as after all, Hassan is a Hazara and a servant in the house, while Amir is the superior with his social class, education and position as Baba’s son. In the novel, although Hassan is very small in stature and armed only with a slingshot, he saves Amir from the neighborhood bullies. This courageous act from Hassan is morally questionable after what Amir has put him through is beyond the call of duty for a friend to

tolerate.

In conclusion, Khaled Hosseini shows us Amir and Hassan's questionable relationship and we see how loyal they are with each other. Although Hassan would do anything for Amir, after Hassan’s rape, Amir's response to this force beyond his control was morally questionable as instead of comforting Hassan, he excluded him and kept his distance, not the way a true friend would act. The way Hassan is treated by Amir in the novel is questionable as Amir regularly allows Hassan to take the blame and punishment for all of this actions. Thoughtout the novel, Amir's acts of cowardness he has committed against Hassan are morally questionable as they are brothers, but his actions will haunt him for the rest of this life.