In the novel ‘The Kite Runner’ written by Khaled Hosseini, men are portrayed more convincingly than women. We see even from the beginning that the book predominantly male driven. Hosseini might have chosen this tactic to determine that societies which are similar to what Amir has been written in, which are often heralded for their gender equity, in reality, were not so equal – we can see this through Amir’s mother. Even though she was a literature professor during this time, her death completely eradicates her influence from Amir's life. Baba does not discuss her with Amir, and he does not appreciate the qualities she passed down to her son. This is one way we see how men are more convincingly portrayed than women in ‘The Kite Runner’, through the ratio of male to female characters and a secondary character. …show more content…
One part where we can see that men are more convincingly portrayed than women is in chapter 3, where Rahim Khan describes Baba as ‘Mr.
Hurricane’. “…My father was a force of nature, a towering Pashtun specimen with a thick beard, a wayward crop of curly brown hair as unruly as the man himself, hands that looked capable of uprooting a willow tree, and a black glare that would "drop the devil to his knees begging for mercy,"…” Within the novel, we see how masculinity and Baba are indistinguishably linked. Baba is what it means to be an Afghan man – we can see from the description that Amir gave is extremely overwhelming. ‘A towering Pashtun specimen with a thick beard’ and ‘Hands that looked capable of uprooting a willow tree’ shows
this. From this, we can also get a hint of how it may be a problem for Amir. We see within the novel how Amir does not conform to the traditional model of manhood, and because he describes his father as being so manly and overbearing, with ‘a black glare that would “drop the devil to his knees begging for mercy,”’ we see Amir mythologizing his father, therefore mythologizing masculinity. This shows how in Amir’s eyes, masculinity is unachievable for him – this is how the characters of the novel are not portrayed convincingly. We also see how men are more convincingly portrayed than women is through the female characters – there are only two main female characters, the protagonist’s wife, Soraya, and his mother-in-law. There are also secondary female characters, but they are only briefly mentioned, like Hassan’s wife, or Sanaubar. Hosseini portrays the characters very differently. Although many of them have very quiet, drawn back attributes, the character of Sanaubar is the opposite. She is seen as the most promiscuous character within the novel, and is known for her disappearance, whereas Soraya and Hassan’s wife are seen as the typical Afghani wife. They are both the home makers, who are not described in much detail, unless it relates directly to their husband as well. For example, we see how Soraya had plans to become a teacher, but apart from this fact, we do not know much else about her life before Amir. This is how Hosseini shows that the male characters are written more convincingly than the females.
Khaled Hosseini’s direct and indirect characterization of Amir in chapters twenty through twenty-three of The Kite Runner are used in order to advance the plot and Amir’s personality.
Amir’s childhood is quite unusual compared to most children in Afghan. Amir’s father, Baba, is a very rich and successful individual in his lifetime. This success allows Amir to live a wealthy lifestyle with access to western commodity as well as servants. In novel, Amir is risen mostly by his servants Hassan and Ali, as well
Actions made in a moment of pain, anger or simple immaturity can take anyone to make mistakes that can change their lives completely. Everyone has something in the past that is shameful, embarrassing and regrettable that is kept present daily. Whether this event happened during childhood, adolescence or early adulthood, this event could haunt and have shaped that person’s life into what he or she is today. In a similar way, in the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is shaped by a tragic and eventful past that has shaped Amir’s, Baba’s, and Hassan’s life. The four literary elements that will be used in this essay that Hosseini strategically uses in this book are: irony, simile, Metaphor, and personification.
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...
Baba is a very high standing man in Kabul, but seems to be extremely harsh to Amir when he was a child. He is a very large, tough man who was very well known in the town and as Amir stated in the novel, “Lore has it my father once wrestled a black bear in Baluchistan with his bare hands” (Hosseini 12). This small detail of Baba makes it known to the reader that Baba is a man of great courage and strength. Some may think that an honorable man is one with no flaws, but many disagree. Every human being makes mistakes, including Baba. When Amir grows up and goes back to visit Rahim Khan in Afghanistan, he finds out that his father lied to him his entire life about Hassan being his half-brother. He also finds out from Rahim Khan that all Baba had back then “was his honor, his name” (Hosseini 223). He did not tell Amir and Hassan that they were brothers because they had a different mother and that would have made their entire family be looked down upon in the town. He did it for their own good, and wanted for them both to grow up as honorable men, like himself. There is a difference in making mistakes and trying to do what’s best to fix them, rather than making the same mistakes over and over again, which is what Amir seemed to do in the novel. Amir was the exact opposite of his father, which made it very hard for them to have a
What is it that makes us human and what does it mean to be human? These questions should be frequently and relentlessly contemplated by all members of society. What makes us human is the notion that we have complex thoughts and emotions. No two individuals are exactly alike in every way who share the same opinions, tastes, thoughts, ideas, or feelings. Which is quite fortunate, because it would be a complete bore if everyone acted completely identical to one another. So, what is it that makes us abhor another based on their uniqueness as an individual or as a group? The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is about a friendship between two boys set in Afghanistan. The story spans over the last thirty years. Amir is the son of a wealthy business man, Baba. Ali is a longtime childhood friend of Baba’s and works as a servant for him. Hassan is the son of Ali and spends time with Amir. Hassan and Amir one day run into Assef—who has a superiority complex—and threatens to beat Amir for being friends with a Hazara. Later on in the story, Hassan is cornered by Assef and his two friends and Assef rapes Hassan. Amir witnessed the event concealed in the shadows, and is tormented for the rest of his life with his decision for not standing up for Hassan. The author,
Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” is powerful novel that tells the story of a young boy’s interpersonal and intrapersonal struggles on his journey to adulthood. In this novel one can find many themes regarding ideas such as love, forgiveness, and redemption. These themes are reflected by the characters of the story, as well as its plot and setting. During war-times, false messages of discrimination and hatred spread like a cancer. These messages relate to a central theme that is evident in the novel, the idea that morality is the first casualty of war. This theme is shown many times throughout the story, however, the rape of Hassan, the behaviour of the Russian soldier, and the actions of Assef, are the most understandable forms of the aforementioned
War establishes many controversial issues and problems within society and can often expose an individual to many economic and sociopolitical hardships; thus creating an altercation in the way they view life. Amir, from the novel The Kite Runner and the novel’s author Khaled Hosseini, both saw the harsh treatment toward the people of Afghanistan through a series of wars, invasions, and the active power of a Pashtun movement known as the Taliban. Amir, much like Hosseini, lived a luxurious and wealthy life in Kabul. He is well educated and immerses himself in reading and writing. After transitioning from a life in Afghanistan to a life in the United States, both Hosseini and Amir faced obstacles in order to assimilate to American society. In The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, the protagonist Amir parallels the experiences and hardships that Hosseini endured in his own lifetime.
When Amir takes Baba to the doctors, the doctor suggests chemotherapy for Baba to prolong the cancer but Baba did not want any medication. Amir tells the reader, “He had the same resolved look on his face as the day he’d dropped the stack of food stamps on Mrs. Dobbins’s desk” (156). Baba did not want help even if his life was on the line. Baba also starts to take pride in Amir when he tells General Taheri, “Amir is going to ne a great writer,” Baba said. I did a double take at this” (139). Amir is starting to realize that his father who was untouchable and was a legend in Kabul was truly human. When Amir tells Baba that he wants to marry Soraya, Baba calls General Taheri to set up a meeting between the two men. As Amir dropped off Baba at the Taheri’s for the meeting, he says, “Baba was hobbling up the Taheri’s driveway for one last fatherly duty” (163). In this instance, Amir sees Baba as a true father. Amir feels Baba’s acceptance when Baba tells Amir on lafz, “It’s the happiest day of my life Amir” (166). Baba is telling Amir that through everything in his life from him marrying Sophia, to Amir winning the kite tournament, all the way to Amir graduating high school, Baba has never been prouder. After Baba’s death, Amir says, “As words from the Koran reverberated through the room, I thought of the old story of Baba wrestling a black bear in Baluchistan. Baba had
Amir’s father, Baba, has strong beliefs surrounding strength and masculinity. Throughout the novel, there is a strong sense that Baba is assisting Amir to come of age and become a man. Baba’s outlook on masculinity reveals his resentment for vulnerability. During a Buzkashi tournament (Afghanistan’s national sport known for its danger and brutality involves horse-mounted players that attempt to place a goat or calf carcass in a goal), Amir is distraught after witnessing the graphic and horrific death of a rider:
His father was a role model in the way that he was always looking out for others. When they are escaping Afghanistan, Baba stands up for the lady in the truck at the possible cost of his own life. “Tell him I’ll take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place” (pg.116). Amir’s conscience travels back again to the alley way. “Some hero I had been, fretting about the kite”(pg.116). Amir would never have stood up for the lady, comparable to how he never stood up for Hassan in the alleyway. Back in the alleyway Amir had been given the perfect chance to stand up for Hassan, relatable to how Hassan had stood up for Amir innumerable times before. Instead, in a time that he could have proven to his father that he was a man, he was a boy. Not necessarily as a result of not been taught to stand up for others, but by cause that the idea of proving himself to Baba was more appealing than sacrificing the kite. “Sometimes, I too wondered if I was really Baba’s son.” (pg.116). Both Amir and Baba cannot understand how they are related. Baba fits his nickname“Toophan agha, or “Mr. Hurricane”...my father was a force of nature, a towering pushton specimen” (pg. 12) vs. Amir, a shy scrawny child who cannot stand up for himself, let alone
Women are not treated as equals to men in Afghanistan; they are expected to sit quietly and do what the men in their life want them to do. Many of the women in The Kite Runner are victims of such injustice, and have to deal with the harsh consequences of making mistakes. Soraya, Amir’s wife, experiences these consequences endlessly from a trivial mistake she made as a teenager. As a girl, Soraya ran away with an Afghan man who was into drugs. All of the Afghans in Virginia had talked about it, and Soraya had been forced to live with a terrible reputation ever since. Years later, at Soraya’s cousin’s wedding, she overheard a conversation between two middle-aged women. “That boy did well not to marry his cousin.” one of the women remarked, and Soraya broke down into tears in the car later. “It’s so f***ing unfair. Their sons go out to nightclubs looking for meat and get their girlfriends pregnant, they have kids out of wedlock and no one says a...
Before the rise of the Taliban in the early 1990s, women in Afghanistan were mostly treated as equals and with respect. Though women were still expected to be submissive to their husbands, the mother in a family would play a key role in family decisions such as who a son should marry (“Society and Norms”). The “Taliban regime cruelly reduced women and girls to poverty, worsened their health, and deprived them of their right to an education” (“The Taliban’s War Against Women”). Due to the Taliban’s oppressive presence, women are seen as below men. In The Kite Runner, Amir’s wife Soraya is still under her father’s authority, even though the family is no longer in Afghanistan. While Soraya’s position is due in part to the traditional Afghan culture, it may also represent how Taliban values and beliefs have infiltrated into everyday lives of Afghan people in some form or another (Hosseini).
Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner, grew up in prejudiced Afghanistan during the 1960’s as a middle-class Pashtun living with Hazaras working for his family. His move to America after the Communist Coup proved difficult for his family, especially his father. In his novel, Hosseini writes through a young boy, Amir, very similar to himself, who grows up with his father and two Hazara servants in Afghanistan at the time of the Taliban attacks. Both Amir and his father, Baba, treat their servants, Hassan and Ali, like family. Society, however, does not approve of such relationships between Pashtuns and Hazaras. As Amir hides and watches horrified, another Pashtun boy rapes Hassan. This leads to the continuation of Amir’s internal conflict about the treatment of Hazaras by the public, and also makes him feel guilty and self-conscious throughout his entire life. In addition, Amir strives for affection and attention from his rather indifferent father. Amir’s outward conformity to societal values in his relationships with both Hassan and Baba, as a result of his inner struggle and guilt, contribute greatly to the significance of The Kite Runner.
He illustrates that in many example, such as, Baba, however, never calls Ali, Hassan’s father, his friend, because of their ethnic and religious differences. Also the culture can play an important part in this novel. For an example, when Hassan is getting raped by Assef and hi friends, Amir refers to the sacrificial act of the lamb because Amir is Pashtun and Hassan is Hazara (Pashtan is Sunni Muslim, but Hazzara is Shi’a Muslim). At that time, Assef says Amir is part of the problem for being friend with Hazara. For another example, when Amir and baba moves to America, they communicate with the Afghan group there because the search about people look like them, and behave with the same