The Kite Runner And Hassan Compare And Contrast

509 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Kite runner amir character analysis

When Khaled Hosseini wrote his phenomenal novel, The Kite Runner, he created a story with characters being divided because of their financial status. One character in particular, Hassan, he is a young Hazara boy. This group of people are found to be the lower-class, poorer families who tend to be servants for the Pashtuns, the wealthier class. Hassan and his father are the servants for Baba and his best friend Amir who are Pashtuns. Every day, Hassan served on Amir and Baba along with keeping a strong friendship with Amir. However, the division of the two types of lifestyles did take an effect on Hassan’s feelings but this did not stop his considerate and unwaveringly loyal nature towards Amir and Baba. He was happy with his day by day routines …show more content…

Growing up not knowing his mother and having to serve on his best friend who is not always respectful to him, Hassan maintains his generous attitude and accepts the fact that he is graded lower than Amir. Hassan is full of a variety of different characteristics that make his character so loveable, in particular, Hassan is extremely brave and it is evident throughout the entire time he appears in the novel. The most significant time that bravery is shown is when “Hassan… pulled the wide elastic band [of his slingshot] all the way back. In the cup was a rock the size of a walnut. Hassan held the slingshot pointed directly at Assef’s face” (39). The reasoning behind this action was to save both Amir and himself from being brutally beaten by Assef and his friends. However, this action did face a consequence and the novel unfolds with a turn of events. Assef takes revenge on Hassan for shooting a rock at his face. The revenge is brutal, however Hassan accepts it for two reasons, one being because he is a Hazara and he thinks that he deserves the punishment and the second being, he takes the revenge rather than letting Amir take

Show More
Related

  • Essay Comparing The Kite Runner 'And A Separate Peace'

    1340 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Scapegoat In The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini

    830 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, talks about Amir’s life in first person point of view. The book talks about Amir’s childhood, the war in Afghanistan, and his self-salvation. Hassan is the servant’s son in Amir’s family. Hassan and his father, Ali, are Hazaras, who were despised by the Pashtuns. Hassan and Amir are fed from the same breast and they are best friends. Hassan is loyal to Amir all the time and he is always ready to be the scapegoat for Amir.

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner: Amir Is A Hero

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    At times Amir had trouble realizing that they were best friends because Hassan was a Hazara, he was of Asian descent and of the Shiite tribe, he resembles his ancestors, the Mongols. Amir is a Pashtun, of the Sunni tribe, a majority group in Afghanistan. Hassan was loyal and showed endless amounts of respect and praise to Amir. Though Hassan knew what Amir had witnessed and done to him, he covered up for him. He did not ever let Amir get into trouble with Baba, his father. Hassan was also the half brother of Amir, neither knew until Rahim Khan, a friend of Baba’s informed Amir. He and Hassan had a connection, both as friends but also as brothers.

    Read More

  • Challenges In The Kite Runner

    1650 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Hassan's Courage In The Kite Runner

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    Moreover, Hassan displays great courage from the beginning of the novel, and his courage and bravery allow him to stay loyal and obedient to Amir. Firstly, Hassan exhibits his courage by helping Amir to fight off the neighborhood boys who are bullying him. For instance, Baba says he sees “Hassan steps in and fends them off” (Hosseini 23). Hassan’s action exhibits that he is extremely brave and loyal to Amir. The fact that he even lied to Baba about how he gets his scar from protecting Amir is a demonstration of his loyalty and courage. Secondly, Hassan demonstrates his courage by defending the blue kite from Assef using his slingshot, since Amir, his friend, wants him to bring back the blue kite in order to gain favor for his father. The blue

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Amir And Baba In The Kite Runner

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hassan would do anything for his friends and treat everyone, even bullies, with respect because his respectful dad, Ali, taught him to always be loyal to all, and never hurt anyone. Ali was Baba’s servant and long-time friend, and stayed close to him throughout their childhood and adulthood. Amir's actions showed how much of a coward he was. Amir suffered his whole life living with the guilt of knowing that Hassan was raped, much like Baba lived his whole life in guilt knowing that he stole the truth from Ali by committing adultery.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Loyalty In The Kite Runner

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    His blind loyalty towards Amir leads him to immense mental and physical suffering when he refuses to give the kite to Assef. Though readers are angered at Amir’s cowardice, they also feel extremely frustrated at Hassan’s unwavering loyalty, as the pain he went through over a kite seems extremely senseless. The fact that the kite means so much to Amir makes it even more painful for readers, as Hassan does not get anything out of delivering the kite to him. In addition to this, the fact that Amir stays silent when Hassan is in need shows readers the futility of Hassan’s loyalty as it goes unrewarded and in fact leads to Hassan’s punishment. Later on in the novel, Hassan’s loyalty again causes him and the people around enormous suffering when he protects Rahim Khan’s house from the Taliban. His loyalty blinds him from the danger of the situation, and though he tries to act nobly, his actions end up in his death as well as that of his wife. Though his actions are brave, they are also foolish, and cause his child to become an orphan. Though one often sees loyalty as a trait, in a world where there is so much hate and dishonor, readers realize that blind loyalty can only lead to suffering for people and those around

    Read More

  • Mistakes In The Kite Runner

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hassan is a Hazara boy, this being an ethnic group that is looked down upon by Pashtun citizens of Kabul. “In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi’a, and nothing was ever going to change that.” (Hosseini 25). Throughout his childhood, Amir is put down regularly by neighborhood kids for befriending Hassan because of his ethnic background. Amir realizes that no matter what he may do, or no matter how Hassan may try to alter the situation, Hassan would always be too different for people to accept.

    Read More

  • Bravery For Protection The Kite Runner

    1540 Words  | 4 Pages

    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 ‘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.

    Read More

  • A Quest for Redemption by The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    Amir and Hassan’s relationship is a recurring theme throughout the novel. In the ethnic caste system, Amir is a Pashtun and Hassan is a Hazara. Pashtuns are placed in a much higher caste than Hazaras, therefore Hazaras are treated as servants to the Pashtuns. Every morning, Hassan prepares Amir’s breakfast, makes his clothes and cleans his room for him. In the annual kite tournament, at least two people must work together in order to properly maneuver the kite, one to lead the kite, and another to feed the kite’s glass string. Hassan’s role is the latter. His role is to feed the kite’s string for Amir and run after any fallen kites. The glass string attached to the kite is dangerous as it is coated with shards of glass and leaves bloody marks and cuts on the hands. Although Hassan catches the fallen kites, he must always bring it back to Amir. One winter, when Hassan and Amir were waiting under a tree for the kite to come to them, Hassan asks Amir “Would I ever lie to you, Amir agha?” (Ho...

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner Essay

    1470 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the childhood that Hassan and Amir shared, they both experience similar hardships, yet Hassan always has it more difficult. Amir has more than one father figure: Baba, his biological father and Rahim Kahn, his father's best friend. The relationship he has with both men eventually has a positive effect on him. Amir spends most of his childhood fighting for the approval of his father. Amir mentions “Then I saw Baba on our roof. He was standing on the edge, pumping both of his fists. Hollering and clapping. And that right there was the single greatest moment of my twelve years of life, ...

    Read More

  • Similarities And Differences Between Amir And Hassan

    2611 Words  | 6 Pages

    He would do anything, even as a small child, to please Amir. Even after he grew up and had a son, he told his son about his love for Amir. “And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words. Mine was Baba. His was Amir. My name.” (Hosseini, 12). If this was a teenage romance novel this would be a love triangle. Between Amir, Hassan and Baba. Amir spent his entire life trying to make Baba like him, to forgive him for killing his wife, to understand him, and get that special father to son bonding. Baba instead gave his attention to the servant’s son, Hassan. Later the story we find out that Hassan is Baba’s son too, but this is after both have died and Amir is a grown man. During his childhood Amir would have done anything to gain his father attention like Hassan had. Baba, feeling guilty, gave his attention to Hassan, and treated him kindly, out of guilt for not being able to recognise Hassan as his son. Yet Baba never treated Amir diskindly, other than the fact they never got along. Hassan did not go to school, and spent his time helping Ali with household chores, but got respected by Baba, and given gifts during holidays and a kite for flying season. Amir and Baba did not click in the way both of them wanted too. Amir tried to fake interests in sports for Baba, but after watching a rider get trampled by his horse, and started crying during the one and only sport event Baba took him too. “I cried all the way back home. I remember how Baba’s hands clenched around the steering wheel. Clenched and unclenched. Mostly, I will never forget Baba’s valiant efforts to conceal the disgusted look on his face as he drove in silence.” (Hosseini, 23) This was Amir memory of the sporting event. Amir need for love from Baba, led him standing in the alley watching Hassan get raped, knowing that when he brought that blue kite to Baba he will earn his love. Hassan on the other hand could not love Amir any less. To

    Read More

  • Living And Survival In The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    In English class, I read a book called The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Overall a splendid book, I enjoyed it quite a lot and I highly recommend reading it for those who haven’t because it really is a powerful story that grasps readers attention. Anyways, there are these 2 boys in this book, Amir who comes from a privileged background in Kabul and has a wealthy dad whom he calls Baba, although he is not a completely sympathetic character. Hassan is a hazara, which is the most disrespected and the lowest status group in

    Read More

  • Good And Evil In The Kite Runner

    764 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 witness what had happened. There is also a 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 throw him back. He exclaims, “You’re a coward,” (.).

    Read More

  • kite runner

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about The Kite Runner And Hassan Compare And Contrast

Open Document