Amir’s fear of Self-Assertion Throughout the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir demonstrates what happens when the fear of self assertion takes over one’s life and causes a fear of conflict. Amir begins to exhibit his fear of assertion during the rape of his servant and friend Hassan after he sees the young boy cowering in an alley surrounded by older boys that seem intent on hurting him. Amir admits that he “could step into the alley [and] stand up for Hassan… In the end, I ran” (Hosseini 77). Amir knew that he sould have saved his friend from the terrible things happening to him, but Amir made the decision to flee in order to protect himself from the urge to assert himself. Of course after not being able to cope with the guilt …show more content…
of abandoning his friend, Amir decides to hide money and his new watch under Hassan’s bed and act as if the items were stolen from him. Amir even confesses that “[he] told what would [he] hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies” (Hosseini 104). After Amir discusses the “disappearance” of his belongings, his father forgives Hassan, but shockingly Hassan confesses yet is still forgiven. Amir conjured up this plan to rid himself of Hassan because Hassan is a living reminder of the flaw Amir possesses. Even in this last attempt at trying to exile Hassan, Amir admits “If this were one of the Hindi movies… I’d run outside… I’d pull Hassan out of the back seat and say I was sorry, so sorry” (Hosseini 109). However, Amir stands still, frozen in the pain he has caused himself, as his father pulls away to take his friend and loyal servant to the bus station to leave forever, Amir stands motionless. Amir loses his last opportunity to make things right with Hassan, Amir does not know that the pain he feels could be resolved if he simply asserted himself. Amir’s life goes on, empty and cold, he and his wife are unable to conceive a child and he feels as if their infertility is punishment for everything he had done to Hassan.
Amir’s anguish is put on hold after he receives a call from his father’s close friend Rahim Khan who informs him that “there is a way to be good again” (Hosseini 2). This news comes a shock to Amir because at this point in his life he has felt that what he had done in the past will cause his life to continue in disrepair until his death. Amir rushes to Pakistan to meet Rahim Khan and upon his arrival he finds that Hassan, the person whom his guilt is focused upon had been murdered by the Taliban. Amir learns why he has been brought to Pakistan after learning about Hassan’s Sohrab has been orphaned due to his lack of parents. Amir hunts down Sohrab and to do so he must go to the orphanage and find him. After arriving at the orphanage, Amir is told by the Zaman, the head of the establishment, that they regularly sell children to a Taliban leader for extra cash. Amir is shocked by his driver, Farid, in a fit of rage begins choking Zaman. Amir yells for Farid to stop because “the children are watching” (Hosseini 256). This is the first instance of AMir truly asserting himself because it marks the first time that someone is being physically hurt and he stands up for the victim. Once Amir finally tracks down his long lost nephew his final obstacle is to rescue him from Assef, the man who took away Amir’s best
friend and the man who caused all of Amir’s pain. Amir stands up to Assef, but immediately after is brutally beaten. However, while he is savagely beaten, Amir begins to laugh uncontrollably because “for the first time since the winter of 1975, [he] felt at peace… [he] had been looking forward to this”(Hosseini 289). Amir realizes in his final moments of pain that asserting himself to the man that had taken his best friend has allowed him to come to peace with everything he had done to Hassan.
Amir is, to be put bluntly, a coward. He is led by his unstable emotions towards what he thinks will plug his emotional holes and steps over his friends and family in the process. When he sought after Baba’s invisible love, Amir allowed Hassan to be raped in an alleyway just so that the blue kite, his trophy that would win his father’s heart, could be left untouched. In the end, he felt empty and unfulfilled with the weight of his conscience on his shoulders comparable to Atlas’ burden. Unable to get over his fruitless betrayal, he lashes out and throws pomegranates at Hassan before stuffing money and a watch under his loyal friend’s pathetic excuse for a bed, framing Hassan for theft and directly causing the departure of both servants from his household. Even after moving to America, finding a loving wife, and creating a career for himself in writing, he still feels hollow when thinking of his childhood in Afghanistan. Many years later, he is alerted of Hassan’s death and sets out on a frenzied chase to find his friend’s orphaned son. He feels that he can somehow ease his regrets from all of those years ago if he takes in Hassan’s son, Sohrab. He finds Sohrab as a child sex slave for Assef, who coincidentally was the one to rape Hassan all of those years ago. After nearly dying in his attempt to take back Sohrab, he learns that he can take the damaged child back to the states with him. Sadly, Hassan’s son is so
Although Hassan is his best friend, there are many instances where Amir reveals his jealousy, most notable when Baba sees Hassan as the stronger boy, "self-defense has nothing to do with meanness. You know what always happens when the neighbourhood boys tease him? Hassan steps in and fends them off. I 've seen it with my own eyes…” (Hosseini 24). Clearly, Amir hears how his father compares the two, and unlike Hassan who manages to meet Baba’s expectations, Amir grows bitter towards Hassan. He is unable to fight off his envy which later causes him to sacrifice his best friend’s innocence: “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (82), and this is all because he realizes “his shame is complicated by his own realization that in part he doesn’t help his friend precisely because he is jealous of him” (Corbett, 2006). From here, Amir develops strong feelings of guilt that induces him to perform even more destructive acts, such as having Hassan and his father evicted from the house. Amir not only loses a close friend, but now he has to continue to live with remorse as he dwells on these memories. The only way for Amir to redeem himself of his repercussions is through a challenging process of sacrifice and self-discovery. Although one is unsure at this point whether Amir succeeds at his endeavors, it is clear that this story
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
Amir goes through many events that take place in the book that change him, and the way he is perceived within the book. Amir is a young boy, who is tortured by his father’s scrutinizing character. Amir is also jealous of Hassan, because of the fact that his father likes Hassan instead of Amir. Amir fights for his father’s approval, interest, and love. This is when Amir changes for the good as he deals with the guilt of the rape of Hassan. Amir witnessed Hassan getting raped, but decides to nothing in order to win over his father’s interest. The guilt that Amir builds up is carries from his premature times as a child to his mature times. From Afghanistan to
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.
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...
However there are some characters that become better people and change becoming a better, stronger, more loyal individual in the end. The individual that demonstrates this development within this novel is Amir himself. All of the guilt Amir holds with him as a child allow him to realize his duty to be loyal to his brother Hassan ion the end. An example of this is when Amir goes back to Kabul, Afghanistan to retrieve his nephew Sohrab. Amir says, “I remembered Wahid’s boys and… I realized something. I would not leave Afghanistan without finding Sohrab.’ tell me where he is,’ I said” (Hosseini 255). Here, Amir is at the orphanage waiting to find out where Taliban has taken his nephew. Amir remembers the three young starving sons of Wahid, a man whose home he had been in earlier, and realized that Afghanistan is not a safe place for Sohrab. Amir is finally aware of one thing, Hassan has always been there to protect Amir like a loyal friend and brother would and now Amir knows that it is his turn to return that loyalty to Hassan by protecting Hassan’s flesh and blood. A second example of Amir’s loyalty to Hassan near the ending of the book is during Amir’s confrontation with General Sahib and the dinner table after Sohrab is safe in America with him. Amir proclaims to General Sahib, “…That boy sleeping on the couch
on helping him or not. In the end Amir was too afraid of what would happen to him so he runs away. The author states “ 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...I ran because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt" (Hosseini). Amir's fear of what would happen to him played a major role in the story. Amir became very upset with himself and was afraid of what people would think if they knew what he did. He let his fear win his childhood friendship with Hassan and win his father's lifelong friendship with Ali.
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.
Amir’s redemption is a large part of the novel and is carried out almost entirely until the end of the story. He travels to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from the orphanage he was placed in after the death of his parents. He promises to find him a safe home with someone but after time passes he feels like this is not enough. He then speaks to his wife and decides to take Sohrab back to the United States with him and take care of his as if he was one of his own. Earlier in the novel when Baba is speaking Amir over hears his conversation as he is referring to him stating, “A boy who won 't stand up for himself becomes a man who can 't stand up to anything” (Hosseini, 22). Thus meaning that if he is able to stand up for himself as a young boy, when he is grown he will not be able to stand up for anything that is in his future. This is true throughout the story until he stands up for himself and Sorhab when he is arguing with his life long bully, Assef. Amir lacked the courage to defend himself in the novel until he finally took charge and went against
Even when Amir was nasty and cruel to him, he had always been a faithful, kind soul. He never doubted that Amir was his friend and that he held a special place in his heart. When Hassan got raped, Amir did not help Hassan. There were ultimately two options: step up to the bullies and rescue Hassan, or run away. Even after hearing Assef say how Amir would never do the same for him, about how he would never stand up for him, he still chose to run away and pretend like he did not just witnessed what had happend. There is also scene where Amir is feeling guilty and both the boys are around a pomegranate tree. Amir just starts pelting Hassan with pomegranates and threatens to him to throw one back. He exclaims, “You’re a coward,” (...). And what does Hassan do? He picks up a pomegranate, but instead of hurling it in Amir’s direction, he smashes it on himself and says, “are you satisfied?” (....). There is this constant pressure on Hassan and Amir’s relationship. The Afghan society would not approve of such “friendship.” Both of the boys were good, but Amir was so young when he made the mistakes that it made the reader question whether there was a way for Amir to be morally good again.
To Amir, he "became what [he] is today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975. [he] remembers the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley near the frozen creek. That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, [he has] learned, about how you can bury it." (Hosseini 1). Amir still thinks about his traumatic event many years later, and is very vivid in his mind. Also, Amir planned his day and “made sure [Hassan and his} paths crossed as little as possible" (Hosseini 89). Avoiding members or reminders of the event is also an indication that Amir suffers from Post-traumatic stress disorder. On a family trip to Jalalabad, Amir got out of the van for some fresh air, and instead when he looked into the sun, "Little shapes formed behind my eyelids, like hands playing shadows on the wall. They twisted, merged, formed a single image: Hassan's brown corduroy pants discarded on a pile of old bricks in the alley" (84). Amir is suffering from vivid hallucinations and having constant flashbacks, which proves that he is a victim of
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.
After Rahim Khan reveals many secrets to Amir regarding his childhood and what occurred after he fled to America, he asks Amir to retrieve Sohrab from Kabul. When Amir agrees, he suggests for Amir to stay with him in Peshawar for a few more days so that they are able to carefully map out his travel plan. Amir worries that he will convince himself to leave Pakistan and return to America. After deliberation, Amir claims, "I [am] afraid…that I [will] wade back into that great big river and let myself forget…I [am] afraid that [I will] let these waters carry me away from what I [have] to do. From Hassan. From the past that [has] come calling. And from this one last chance at redemption" (243). Amir is able to think logically, and based on his previous experiences, realizes that he has a tendency to flee from uncomfortable situations, as can be seen when he witnesses Hassan’s rape. This time, Amir displays responsibility and determination through his choice to leave before he has a chance to change his mind, a result of maturity. His decision to confront his past and stop running from the guilt that is preventing him from enjoying his life allows Amir to start his journey towards redemption. In addition, when visiting his childhood home after 26 years, Amir is visibly upset by the sight but still wishes to proceed. Farid senses his discomfort and attempts to offer advice. Before returning, Amir converses with Farid: “‘Just forget it all. Makes it easier…’ Farid said. ‘I don't want to forget anymore,’” (276). Amir’s response to Farid’s comment confirms his willpower to put an end to his guilt and to face his past bravely. This shows that Amir is no longer ignoring his history but instead is acknowledging that it happened and actively trying to change himself for his betterment. Both his response to Rahim Khan’s plea to stay longer and his answer to
When Amir finally arrives in Kabul to retrieve Sohrab, he discovers that a Taliban official is holding Sohrab captive. He later learns that the identity of the official is Assef, the person who committed the egregious act of sexual harassment against Hassan when they were younger. Assef agrees to release Sohrab to Amir if he is able to beat him in a fight. Amir, although frightened, decides to battle with Assef for Sohrab because he realizes that it is the ethically correct response to the situation. While Amir is fighting Assef, he observes, “My body [is] broken-just how badly I [will not] find out until later-but I [feel] healed. Healed at last” (303). Amir is unable to stand up to Assef during their childhood when Hassan needs him to, and by fighting for Sohrab, Hassan’s son, he appeases his disgraceful past and feels internally triumphant. Combatting Assef enables Amir to heal himself from within and to gain closure, as he finally gets a chance to battle the origin of his lifelong, disabling guilt. Moreover, following his return to America with Sohrab, it becomes obvious that General Taheri does not approve of adoption, especially of a Hazara since they are deemed to be lower class. The general questions the motives behind Amir’s choice to bring Sohrab to America, not referring to him by his name but