Sacrifice In The Kite Runner

Unrequited Sacrifice In the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden both authors develop the main idea of sacrifice for others while expecting nothing in return. Hosseini’s main sacrificial character is Hassan who constantly sacrifices himself for his friend Amir’s relationship with his father and Amir’s comfort. Although Amir is aware of Hassan’s sacrifices he remains distant and cruel while still expecting Hassan to sacrifice more for him. Hayden develops the idea of sacrifice with a father waking early to work for his family who in turn act cold towards him. Both authors further the idea of the sacrifices made with metaphors, anecdotes and, textual evidence. Hosseini and Hayden both begin their works by developing the idea of the sacrifices their characters

After Amir wins a kite fight for the first time Hassan offers to retrieve it for him. After Hassan gets the kite he is confronted by the neighborhood bullies who demand the kite. Hassan is aware that the kite will improve Amir’s relationship with his father so he refuses to give up the kite and is ultimately raped. After this sacrifice Amir is too guilty to continue living near Hassan and he frames him for theft. In Hassan’s final act of sacrifice he admits to theft and leaves Amir and his father. Although Hassan’s rape is foreshadowed it still has a large emotional impact on the audience and allows the reader to gain a full understanding of all that Hassan is willing to sacrifice for Amir. Both authors detail physical evidence of their character’s sacrifices. After the rape, Amir reveals that he had seen droplets of Hassan’s blood falling in the snow. The speaker in Those Winter Sundays recounts seeing her father’s hands “cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather” (Hayden 3). The authors providing physical evidence of the sacrifices made in their works furthers the emotional impact of the works on the