In “The Kite Runner”, rape has a significant impact, both figuratively and literally, as an event which depicted rape was the turning point of the novel. Rape is mentioned several times throughout this novel, as not only was it mentioned during the climax of the story, but in other parts as well (refer back when the Russian soldier wanted to have intercourse with the woman back in Afghanistan on page 121). However, it is evident that the previous chapters were leading up to the crisis point within the plot, and the subsequent chapters portray the effects of it. There are several reasons to believe why rape would be highly significant in this novel, as it was mentioned throughout the novel several times. Not only was it portrayed directly (the …show more content…
scene where Assef rapes Hassan), but figuratively as well (rape demonstrates power, such as how Pashtuns have power over Hazaras). Firstly, an obvious reason why Assef decided to rape Hassan was to exhibit dominance. Secondly, not only did Hassan’s life change, but everyone related to him had their lives turn around as well. Lastly, ever since Hassan was raped, it changed his life acutely, as this impacted him physically and psychologically. Firstly, Assef raped Hassan to display his power he had over Hassan.
Assef had showed hatred towards Hazaras, as he furthermore compared himself to Hitler. Assef stated, “Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be.” (Hosseini pg. 43) This quote has settled the fact that he had strong feelings of hatred towards Hazaras, and feels the need to remove them from Afghanistan. Therefore, not only did he rape Hassan as an act of revenge, but he wanted to show his assertion that Pashtuns have power over Hazaras. In addition, not only did Assef want to feel authoritative, he wanted to make Hassan feeble. This is a common effect of rape, as the person who is being raped feels powerless and helpless. It was Assef’s form of revenge, after being threatened by Hassan with a slingshot. As well, he wanted Hassan to remember it forever, as he stated, “... so it will always remind you of what I’m about to do.” (Hosseini pg. 78). Furthermore, he stated, “And there’s nothing sinful about teaching a lesson to a disrespectful donkey” implying that he showed no remorse for what he was about to do. Also, this specific event was not the only time rape was brought up in this novel. When Amir and Baba were fleeing Afghanistan, a young Russian soldier nearly raped a woman as “a payment to let them pass.” When Karim was translating the words that the Russian soldier spoke, “He says… He says every price has a tax” (Hosseini pg. 121), he was implying how the Russian soldier was …show more content…
about to rape a woman. Secondly, when Hassan was raped, it did not only affect him, as it affected everyone he knew as well.
One of the characters who was affected the most would be Amir, as he lived with guilt for a long period of time. It left a wound in Amir which did not heal until he “got what he deserved”. Amir had to live with this guilt as a result of watching his friend get raped while not doing anything to help. It was stated that Amir was not able to sleep because of this, as he said, “That was the night I became an insomniac” (Hosseini pg. 91). Another character who was affected was Ali. This was due to him and Hassan having to leave Baba’s household. Both Hassan and Ali decided that they could not live with Baba anymore. Presumably, Amir realizes that Hassan had sight of him in the alleyway, and knew that he set him up (this is because when Baba questioned Hassan regarding the money and the watch, Hassan said yes to stealing). Thus, Ali lost the person he grew up with (which is the same case for Hassan), and was forced to move into a village that welcomed Hazaras. When Baba attempted to convince Ali and Hassan not to leave, Ali stated, “We don’t work for you anymore” (Hosseini pg. 113) and “We can’t live here anymore” (Hosseini pg. 112). Furthermore, Assef’s life was affected as well (in a negative manner). Had the event of Assef raping Hassan not happen, there may have been a good chance that Assef wouldn’t have lost his eye. A likely scenario would be that without the event of
Hassan being raped by Assef, Amir would have lived with no guilt. This would mean that Ali and Hassan would not have moved out from Baba’s household. Thus, Hassan and Ali would have most likely moved to America with Amir and Baba, meaning that Sohrab would not have been with Assef. This relates back to Assef being affected because if it was not for Sohrab and his slingshot, Assef would have kept his eye. Lastly, ever since Hassan was raped, it changed his life drastically, both physically and psychologically. If Hassan had not been raped, it is appropriate to assume that he would have been contented after getting the kite for Amir. However, due to this tragic event, it was said that Hassan had not smiled in a long time. This is known because Amir stated, “Because that was the winter that Hassan stopped smiling” (Hosseini pg. 50). Not only was Hassan affected by the rape, but it was also because he had to deal with rejection and the loss of his only friend. The reader would presume that Hassan would be the one ignoring Amir since he is fully aware that he did not do anything to help. However, it is conspicuous that it was the other way around, and this is because Amir was the one ignoring Hassan. Amir was forced to make this choice because he was not able to overcome his overwhelming guilt (every time he saw Hassan, it reminded him of his decision that he chose to make). It was visible that Amir did not want to restore his friendship with Hassan again, as he stated, “To my dismay Hassan kept trying to rekindle things between us” (Hosseini pg. 93). Last but not least, Hassan’s physical health declined, as he lost weight and formed gray circles under his puffy eyes. This could suggest that he became an insomniac as well due to the appalling event. As Amir observed Hassan, he stated “Hassan looked tired too - he’d lost weight and gray circles had formed under his puffed up eyes” (Hosseini pg. 92). In conclusion, rape has a compelling impact in this novel, and is extremely significant as it was portrayed in the climax and other parts of the novel. Assef decided to make that decision in order to show his dominance, over Hassan and Hazaras. The event also changed the lives of many other people other than Hassan, such as Amir, Baba, and Ali. Also, the wellbeing and health of Hassan declined rapidly as a result.
Trying to learn a new language, new customs, and adapt to the new quality of life that the new country has to offer. The kite runner is shaped by how the past torments the character’s present, and also how these past occurrences have shaped their lives. The four literary elements have shown how it ties in to the theme and main idea of the story. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini was banned due to its underage sexual violence, which was depicted at least twice throughout the book and also homosexuality.
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
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.
In addition, Assef raped Hassan at the beginning of the novel and later presumably rapes or sexually abuses Sohrab. Assef’s rape of Sohrab may be inferred when Sohrab says to Amir, “I’m so dirty and full of sin..they did things…the bad man and the other two…they did things…did things to me”
He made a sweeping, grandiose gesture with his hands. " Afghanistan for Pashtuns, I say. That's my vision." (40) Assef rapes Hassan went they are children and later Hassan’s son Sohrab. He also stones people to death for fun and people see him as a hero for it.
Assef is the same guy that rapes Hassan. Amir runs into Assef, who is now apart of the Taliban, while trying to get Sohrab. Amir says, “I’ll pay you for him, … I can have money wired” (282). Amir is trying to buy Sohrab from Assef, but Assef doesn’t need the money. His parents are rich and live in this gorgeous place called Rockingham. He says, “Have you ever heard of Rockingham? Western Australia, a slice of heaven… So if I need money, I’ll have them wire it to me” (282). If Assef needed money, he would just have his parents send it to him. Assef wants something else from Amir. Assef wants to settle some ‘unfinished’ business with Amir. Assef fights Amir, but really he ends up just beating him with brass knuckles. In the end, Amir feels better. He says, “My body was broken-but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed” (289). Amir feels the pain of Assef continuously beating him, but he also feels like he is at peace, because when he wanted Hassan to hurt him back, he wouldn’t. He laughs because he is feeling at peace. Now that he has finally gotten what he has been waiting for and what he thinks he deserves. By Amir getting beaten feeling peace, he is finally fulling
Amir takes advantage of Hasan because he is a Hazara and his servant. “When it comes to words Hassan is an imbecile” (29). This is when Amir first starts to belittle Hassan knowing that he is a Hazara therefore illiterate. Instead of helping his friend, Amir chooses to instead downplay him and mock Hassan. “What would you do if I hit you with this?” (92). Amir pelting Hassan with the pomegranate after he asks this question continues his betrayal because Amir knew Hassan would not do anything about it. “A loyal Hazara. Loyal as a dog” (72). Assef of all people acknowledged that Hassan was loyal to Amir. This in some ways makes Amir as disgusting as Assef but it there are worse instances of betrayal by Amir.
Firstly, the characters in the novel display bravery as they protect one another from physical harm. This can be seen in patterns between generations in families. Early on the reader learns that Amir’s grandfather protects Ali by, “[adopting] him into his own household, and [telling] the other students to tutor him” (26). Since Ali’s parents were killed and he is a Hazaras he would have most certainly been discriminated against at an orphanage. Ali is Hassan’s father. The reader learns near the end that he is not his biological father but he is the man who raised him. Hassan defends Amir from being beaten by Assef who has a reputation in Kabul of being a psychopath. When Assef threatens them Hassan does not hesitate to respond saying, “You are right, Agha. But perhaps you didn’t notice that I’m the one holding the slingshot. If you make a move, they’ll have to change your nickname from Assef ‘the Ear Eater’ to ‘One-Eyed Assef,’ because I have this rock pointed at your left eye” (45-46). Later on Amir stands up for Sohrab, Hassan’s son, as Hassan stood up for Amir countless times before. He demands to Assef, "All I want is the boy" (298), to take Sohrab to a safe place where he would no longer be sexually abused. In return, Sohrab is bold and prevents Amir from being slain. He points the slingshot at Assef’s face, "‘No more, Agha. Please,’ he [says], his voice husky and trembling. ‘Stop hurting him’" (304). At this point Assef is a grown man while Sohrab is only a boy. It would take plenty of courage to protect this man he did not even know. Sohrab’s action fulfills the idea foreshadowed earlier of "one-eyed Assef" as Sohrab shoots a metal ball in Assef’s eye. All these characters guarded the physical well-being of individuals that were important to them by demonstrating bravery.
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).
The themes of the loss of innocence and redemption is used throughout the novel The Kite Runner to make a point that one can lose innocence but never redeem it. Once innocence is lost it takes a part of oneself that can never be brought back from oblivion. One can try an entire life to redeem oneself but the part that is loss is permanently gone although the ache of it can be dampened with the passing of time and acts of attempted redemption. Khaled Hosseini uses characters, situations, and many different archetypes to make this point.
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
He was willing to throw pebbles at dogs for him, be pelted by pomegranates, and stand up against every bully for Amir. Hassan involved himself in so many fights for Amir and wouldn’t back down because his devotion to Amir was more important than his own well-being. Unfortunately, while Hassan was being raped, Amir decided to care more about himself than what was happening to Hassan. During his rape scene, Assef questions Hassan about Amir’s loyalty. Assef asks him, “But before you sacrifice yourself for him, think about this: Would he do the same for you? Have you ever wondered...why he only plays with you when no one else is around” (72)? Whether or not Hassan realized what Assef was true, he still stood up for Amir and kept his promise to bring back the blue kite no matter what the consequence was for himself.
When the readers were first introduced to Assef, he was described by Amir as a sociopath. He approved of Hitler's ways, said what he tried to do was right, and Assef wanted the same to happen to the Hazaras, because of his beliefs, "Afghanistan is for Pashtuns,"(Hosseini,43) this quote was said by Assef to Amir when he met them in an alleyway after Daoud Khan had become president. Years later, when Amir met Assef again, when Amir was trying to get Sohrab, you can see how much worse Assef had become, he turned into what he had admired when he was younger. His hatred of the Hazaras in Afghanistan had led to the massacre in Mazar-i-Sharif. That was the circularity in the life of Assef, going from a young sociopath, to a
When someone has experienced trauma, it's hard for that someone to let go of that experience and just simply forget about it. Often, trauma can influence the way a person would think and act. Though there are similarities between the different people dealing with past injuries, there are also contrasting traits. In Toni Morrison's Beloved and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner touch on past experiences of trauma and how those actions can influence a person in what they do.