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In Kite Runner, the author describes Amir's journey after witnessing the rape of his best friend and half-brother Hassan. This book details the struggles Amir faces in keeping this terrible secret. It shapes his life forever, for good and for bad. After never being able to have a son, Amir finds himself among the Taliban in his hometown, Kabul. After an immense struggle, Amir finds Sohrab, his half-brother's orphan son and finally correct the mistake he helped set one fateful winter night. Because of the drastic differences in the two main settings of the story, war-time Middle East and freedom-loving America, Khaled Housseini accents the struggle the Middle East has in maintaining peace. Even inside of Afghanistan, he shows further contrast using a slight character foil of Amir, a privileged child, and Farid, the hardworking "real Afghan". This shows just how different the life of someone who lives even just a neighborhood away can be. By doing this, the author creates more internal conflict between Amir and his harshest critic, himself. …show more content…
In this book, Hassan plays the role of loyal friend.
He is fiercely dedicated to Amir, even risking his life for him on multiple occasions. He is so blindly devoted to Amir that even when asked to do something humiliating or cruel, he does so without question. Even after Amir has framed Hassan for theft after witnessing him get raped, he accepts the punishment without complaint. As Amir describes, Hassan is such a completely sincere and truthful person that he assumes everyone else is as well. Because of his ability to still look up to Amir after his rape, Hassan is portrayed as a person with loyal and honest values his is very
forgiving. Amir is his own harshest critic. Throughout the novel, he mentally destroys himself because of the mistake he made the winter of 1975. Even after Hassan forgives him, he barely forgives himself. He deems himself unworthy of his father's love because in comparison to himself, Hassan was the most truthful and sincere person in the world. Thankfully, Rahim Kahn gives him a chance for absolution of the blame and guilt he places upon himself. He compares himself to his father, envies him for turning his lies and betrayals into good deeds. Amir is a regretful man who wishes to right his wrongs. Assef is, as Amir states, a bad man who will remain bad. He terrifies his parents and bullies his friends. He even raped Hassan, who afterwards had to serve him like nothing happened. Assef joined the Taliban later in life, and was even feared among their ranks. He couldn't even let go of his grudge against Amir for the benefit of Sohrab. Assef is one the main antagonists of the book, and for good reason.
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
After watching Hassan be raped, Amir tries to atone for his cowardice. According to Hosseini, “‘Get up! Hit me!’ I said. Hassan did get up, but he just stood there, looking dazed like a man dragged into the ocean by a riptide when, just a moment ago, he was enjoying a nice stroll on the beach.” (Hosseini 92). Hassan still does not want to hurt Amir, so Amir did not get any chance to atone. At last, Amir decide to frame Hassan to make him angry, so that Hassan may do something bad on Amir to make Amir feels better. According to Hosseini, “Baba cam right out and asked. ‘Did you steal that money? Did you steal Amir’s watch, Hassan?’ Hassan’s reply was a single word, delivered in a thin, raspy voice: ‘Yes.’” (Hosseini 92). Amir was shocked when Hassan said that. He can not believe Hassan still chooses to protect him when he did such bad thing to Hassan. Hassan knows all the cause and effect of what Amir does. He knows if he tells Baba that Amir is framing him, Baba will believe him and start to accuse Amir. Since Ali and Hassan decided to leave, Baba may also attribute their leaving to Amir’s fault. So Hassan chooses to be the scapegoat for Amir’s mistake again. Leaving from Baba means Hassan and Ali’s fate is good to change, but Hassan still thinks about Amir at that
The Kite Runner is a book about a young boy, Amir, who faces many struggles as he grows up in Kabul and later moves to America to flee from the Taliban. His best friend and brother , Hassan, was a big part of his life, but also a big part of guilt he held onto for many years. The book describes Amir’s attempt to make up for the past and resolve his sins so he can clear his conscious. Amir is worthy of forgiveness because although he was selfish, he was very brave and faced his past.
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, by Khaled Hosseini, is a story about a young boy named Amir that begins in 1975 in Kabul, Afghanistan. As a child, he mistreats his servant, Hassan, who is like a brother to him. After failing to intervene in Hassan 's rape, Amir lives with guilt until his late thirties when he is presented with a chance at redemption. Amir 's father’s old friend, Rahim Khan, called from Pakistan to summon Amir to him. Upon his arrival, Amir learns that Hassan is his illegitimate half-brother. Hassan had been killed and his son had become an orphan. Amir then goes to drastic lengths to find and retrieve Hassan 's son, Sohrab. During this time Amir faces the guilt of his past and finds peace with himself while saving Sohrab
On his journey to save Sohrab, Amir discovers that a Taliban official took him from the orphanage. When meeting with that Taliban official, who turns out to be his childhood nemesis Assef, Amir is placed in a situation where he is forced to choose between fleeing from the enemy and saving Hassan’s son. The structure of this scenario is analogous to one earlier in the book when Amir had to choose between saving Hassan by standing up for him and repairing the relationship with his father by bringing the blue kite back. The author uses the similar setting with Assef and the similarities in characterization of father and son in order to provide Amir with the opportunity to make the choice to stand up for what he believes in. When Amir allowed Hass...
Though some may rise from the shame they acquire in their lives, many become trapped in its vicious cycle. Written by Khlaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner describes the struggles of Amir, his father Baba, and his nephew Sohrab as they each fall victim to this shameful desolation. One repercussion of Baba hiding his sinful adultery from Amir is that Amir betrays Hassan for his father’s stringent approval. Sohrab’s dirty childhood also traumatizes him through his transition to America. Consequently, shame is a destructive force in The Kite Runner. Throughout the course of the novel, Baba’s shameful affair, Amir’s selfish betrayal, and Sohrab’s graphic childhood destroy their lives.
The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseni is a novel that follows the life choices of Amir; an Afghan- American man. The book introduces the reader to the unfamiliar pre-Taliban and privileged lifestyle of Amir that takes place in Afghanistan. The book touches upon Amir’s childhood and how his decisions as a young boy caused conflicts between him and the people around him. As well, the book follows Amir on his journey to redemption and showcases his attempts to “be good again”. The conflicts in the books are caused by Amir’s cowardice and ignorance as a child as well as the difference in class between him and his half-brother; Hassan.
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.
Amir struggles to live up to his father’s expectations and never really had to stand up for himself because Hassan was always there for him in a bad situation. As he grew older, Amir realized that there was a major difference between Pashtuns and Hazaras which Assef showed through his words and asked Amir how he could call Hassan his friend. The first thought Amir has is, “But he’s not my friend!... He’s my servant!” (Hosseini 41). Grabbing the brass knuckles, Assef was going to hurt Amir for taking in and caring for Hazaras, but from behind him, Hassan loaded his slingshot and aimed at Assef’s eye, threatening him to leave the two of them alone. Although Hassan has stood up and protected Amir many times, it seemed that Amir felt that betrayal was easier than loyalty. On the night of the tournament, hidden in an alley, Amir watched his friend and brother get raped for the kite that belonged to Amir and did nothing because he was terrified and a coward who was always protected by someone else. “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba... He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?” (Hosseini 77). Amir’s final act of betrayal to Hassan when he was a child was also the last time he saw him. Amir was tired of lying to those close to him, he only wanted the affection of his father and Hassan made that possible for him by running that one blue kite. As time went on, the guilt was looming in the shadows and Amir had enough, after his birthday he made one final act of selfishness, “I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it.” (Hosseini 104). It took Amir twenty-six years to start standing up for himself and his first act of loyalty was presented to his nephew, “for you a thousand times over.” (Hosseini
...d to exhibit the harsh treatments many citizens living there do in recent years. Moreover, Hosseini and Amir explain the importance of having a father figure who would be support their son’s interests in life and helping them thrive for success in the careers they would like to pursue. Neither Hosseini or Amir had a father who supported their long term goals. Hosseini’s and Amir’s high social class in their hometown Kabul, made life easier for them as they were growing up because they were able to afford education which helped them a lot in the careers they pursued in. When both Hosseini and Amir came to the United States, they had a tough time learning the lifestyles of an American, but for the most part, it brought them to how successful they became. Ultimately, Khaled Hosseini creates a protagonist in his novel who serves as a parallel to his own life experiences.
In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the author follows the development of protagonist Amir through a life filled with sorrow, regret, and violence. Amir encounters numerous obstacles on his path to adulthood, facing a new test at every twist and turn. Amir embarks on the long journey known as life as a cowardly, weak young man with a twisted set of ideals, slowly but surely evolving into a man worthy of the name. Amir is one of the lucky few who can go through such a shattered life and come out the other side a better man, a man who stands up for himself and those who cannot, willing to put his life on the line for the people he loves.
Hassan’s purity in their childhood pushed Amir to lean away from his struggle of what he was, and take initiative for what was right, even if he refused at first. Amir knew he couldn’t let Hassan down a second time in spite of fear. Once Sohrab was rescued, he tied the knot in Amir’s character development and battle with his self- acceptance. Amir was put once again on the spot with his actions on how to deal with Sohrab. He eventually takes action and adopts Sohrab, going through all the risks and struggles. While having terrible influences like the demeaning ideology of Afghan society, Amir overcame his main internal struggle with influences like Sohrab and Hassan, and without the balance of influences, Amir would not have evolved as he
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
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a heart breaking novel. It features events that bring tears to the eyes of its readers, as well as a look into the world outside our own. This book deals with tragic adult themes such as racism and child rape. The story takes place in two different countries, Afghanistan, and later the United States. The novel is in the point of view of the main character Amir and it begins as he recalls events from his childhood in Kabul, Afghanistan in a time on the brink of civil war, when the Afghanistan king is overthrown.