Analysis: Persepolis & The Kite Runner: Marji vs Amir The novels Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini share many similar motifs and themes in each of their storylines. Both are huge in their similarity of addressing cultural aspects, and the main characters of the books, Marji from Persepolis and Amir from The Kite Runner are alike in many ways; such that they both addressed some of the other major theme statements of both these novels in their narrated lives. For starters, Marji and Amir dealt with such tragic events at a point in their young lives, but have kept them as secrets that they hid for so long. For example, Amir claims that “Hassan knew. He knew that I’d seen everything in that alley, that I’d stood there and done nothing” (Hosseini 105). This illustrates how he kept secrets in this novel because he thought that the truth would bring shame and/or worry …show more content…
from Baba and Ali onto him and Hassan. Hassan holding his end of the bargain by not mentioning the incident at all (let alone how Amir had witnessed it) further shows how some of these secrets are kept to protect others (He wanted to protect Amir from hauling around any guilt, even though he already did in the end).Also, in Persepolis, Marji said, “I had no identity. I didn’t even know anymore why I was living” (Satrapi 272). The fact that she waited for her parents to leave so she can make the arrangements for her suicide portrays her way of keeping her secrets. The reason her final solution was suicide was because no one in her family or friends in Iran knew about the secrets of her life in Vienna, such as losing her identity as an Iranian or doing drugs with other peers. In the end, these secrets are what had a domino effect on the steps of both of these characters’ lives. Also, to show that they loved their parent(s), Marji and Amir each expressed this emotion or feeling in their own separate ways.
For instance, the symbolism of the Kite in The Kite Runner is emphasized when Amir says that the kite is the “key to Baba’s heart” (Hosseini 71). His willingness to let Hassan get hurt by Assef just so that he can keep the kite from the tournament he won portrays his selfishness for the supposed affection he’ll earn from his father if he were to present this kite to him. It also shows what lines he would cross all over what he deems as the only way to validate this affection. Plus, Marji and her mother show their ways of love or affection because Marji narrates that “when words failed us, gestures came to our aid” (Satrapi 203). This stimulates that in this mother-daughter relationship, everything gets said without making a sound, and that sometimes silence is needed so that emotions may take over and do their jobs. Hence, these characters developed their unique forms of showing compassion or love to one or two of the adults in their
lives. In conclusion, the aspects of class structure were brought up at the beginning of both Persepolis and The Kite Runner. Likewise, after watching Hassan get raped Amir reassures himself by thinking that he was “only just a Hazara” (Hosseini 77). This way of thinking was supposed to excuse him of his cowardly decision of not facing Assef. Status was correlatively used as if Hassan was a small or insignificant amount of money he had to pay in order to get what he wanted more - the blue kite. In the same manner, Marji brings up this concept when she talks about her maid, “We were not in the same social class, but we were in the same bed” (Satrapi 37). She says this in disapproval to the statement made by her father that the people of Iran must stay in their own classes; not falling for anyone of higher or lower status. Like Amir, she had a sense of guilt deep down inside about being of a higher class than others in the country, and having more rights/privileges due to this kind of status. All in all, Marji and Amir obviously had a sense of this special privilege or narrative given to them by society, and offered the reader the perspective on the concept as a whole. In hindsight, Marji and Amir were alike in the thematic ways that The Kite Runner and Persepolis shared; like the keeping of secrets from the ones they love and/or care about most, different/unique ways of showing love, and being of higher class yet still witnessing class discrimination in their society’s culture. Seeing these attributes, a reader would be able to make inferences or connections between the two novels and the main characters in terms of the largely similar universal theme statements they share.
Persepolis is a inspirational story written by Marjane Satrapi in the perspective of a young girl’s life during a powerful, historical moment in Iran. The Islamic Revolution was a life-changing moment that impacted her view on the world around her and her innocence shaping her into the woman she is today. Not many people understand what it feels like to feel pain, hurt and abandonment as a child from major and minor things. The author writes this story and decides for it to be a graphic novel to allow the not only young readers, but also for those who do not understand what happens everyday in the world they live in. Satrapi uses all rhetorical stances, ethos, pathos, and logos to show problems, purpose and emotions.
Most works of literature have their characters embarking on a journey or journeys to reach a desired location whether it is mentally or physically. These journeys do not stand alone but contribute to the piece as a whole. The Kite Runner focuses on Amir taking on life in his suffering country to moving to a land granting great opportunity and ultimately returning home to complete a deed that would stabilize him for the remainder of his life. In the epic The Odyssey, Odysseus or Ulysses in the Latin form takes on many challenges on the dangerous sea attempting to return home to Ithaca after being victorious in the Trojan War. Traveling can also reunite characters once again as it did for Amir and Hassan in The Kite Runner or bring together two such as Telemachus and Pisistratus in The Odyssey. “This journey has brought us together still more closely” (Homer 15.59-60). Characters walk through the journeys authors create on pages and typically change for the better or reach an ultimate goal.
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.
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
Each author had a different point of view for rebellion in each of the 3 stories, “Lolita In Tahran”, ‘Cairo: My City, Our Revolution”, and “Persepolis”. Rebellion is the action of resiting control or authority. The womens in all 3 stories had almost the same rebellion going on in there city.
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, 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 lives. The four literary elements that will be used in this essay that Hosseini strategically uses in this book are: irony, simile, metaphor, and personification.
Kite Runner depicts the story of Amir, a boy living in Afghanistan, and his journey throughout life. He experiences periods of happiness, sorrow, and confusion as he matures. Amir is shocked by atrocities and blessed by beneficial relationships both in his homeland and the United States. Reviewers have chosen sides and waged a war of words against one another over the notoriety of the book. Many critics of Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, argue that the novel would not have reached a lofty level of success if the U.S. had not had recent dealings with the Middle East, yet other critics accurately relate the novel’s success to its internal aspects.
The Kite Runner, is the first novel written by Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner is set in Afghanistan before the war in the city of Kabul, and then eventually in America. The novel relays the struggles of Amir (A young Shi’ boy), Hassan (a young Hazera servant boy) and Baba (Amir’s father) as they are growing up in an ever-changing Afghanistan. The young boys face difficult challenges most adults will never have to experience. Amir, Hassan, and even Baba must overcome cruelty in every aspect of their lives.
The movie The Kite Runner is based on the book and it contains both subtle and explicit differences as all books and movies do. Both the book and the movie have very compelling and moralistic themes though at times the movie’s themes seem limited. The themes presented throughout the movie and the book are penance, loyalty, prejudice, religion and growing up. The characterization, overall plot of the movie and the setting of the book seem to be consistent with each other though at times they both may vary both slightly and drastically.
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.
Betrayal, redemption, and forgiveness are all major themes in The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini. The novel also focuses around the theme of a broken relationship between father and son as well as facing difficult situations from ones past. Amir and Hassan are best friends with two completely different personalities. Each character in the novel faces their own hardships and eventually learns to overcome those difficulties. Beginning with betrayal then the characters have to make their way to gaining redemption and forgiveness from others, as well as their self, is carried on throughout the novel. It is a continuous story of the relationships between Amir and his father Baba and facing their challenges from the past every day of their present.
When it comes to culture, different views can cause major conflicts, and these said conflicts occur in the novel Persepolis. The book is a memoir about Marjane Satrapi, also known as Marji, growing up in Iran under the Shah’s rule and the Islamic rule. Even with the many different cultures in Iran, she stuck up for what she believed in and rebelled against the things she thought were wrong. In Persepolis, Marjane’s growth is affected by various aspects of culture including religion, government, and social organization.
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.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a novel based in Afghanistan that shows the betrayal between two boys with two different social backgrounds. Four years later “The Kite Runner” was filmed by David Benioff, which shows the meaningful message that the book delivers in a movie. Throughout the book and movie, Amir the protagonist must live the rest of his life with guilt from his childhood. Although the movie gave the same meaningful message that the book delivered, the book was further developed, which had more detail and kept the readers wanting more. Ultimately these details that were present in the novel gave the readers a better understanding of the characters, which led to the relationships
As implied by the title, kites play a major role in the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. They appear numerous times within the text and prove to be surprisingly versatile in their literary function. They provide common ground for characters whose interests do not normally intersect. They are also present as a very powerful symbol, which adds an extra dimension to this already literary rich novel. Reversing the roles transcending generations, it shows itself to be a multifaceted medium.