Amir’s fear of Self-Assertion Throughout the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir demonstrates what happens when the fear of self assertion takes over one’s life and causes a fear of conflict. Amir begins to exhibit his fear of assertion during the rape of his servant and friend Hassan after he sees the young boy cowering in an alley surrounded by older boys that seem intent on hurting him. Amir admits that he “could step into the alley [and] stand up for Hassan… In the end, I ran” (Hosseini 77). Amir knew that he sould have saved his friend from the terrible things happening to him, but Amir made the decision to flee in order to protect himself from the urge to assert himself. Of course after not being able to cope with the guilt …show more content…
Amir’s anguish is put on hold after he receives a call from his father’s close friend Rahim Khan who informs him that “there is a way to be good again” (Hosseini 2). This news comes a shock to Amir because at this point in his life he has felt that what he had done in the past will cause his life to continue in disrepair until his death. Amir rushes to Pakistan to meet Rahim Khan and upon his arrival he finds that Hassan, the person whom his guilt is focused upon had been murdered by the Taliban. Amir learns why he has been brought to Pakistan after learning about Hassan’s Sohrab has been orphaned due to his lack of parents. Amir hunts down Sohrab and to do so he must go to the orphanage and find him. After arriving at the orphanage, Amir is told by the Zaman, the head of the establishment, that they regularly sell children to a Taliban leader for extra cash. Amir is shocked by his driver, Farid, in a fit of rage begins choking Zaman. Amir yells for Farid to stop because “the children are watching” (Hosseini 256). This is the first instance of AMir truly asserting himself because it marks the first time that someone is being physically hurt and he stands up for the victim. Once Amir finally tracks down his long lost nephew his final obstacle is to rescue him from Assef, the man who took away Amir’s best
It is not often that Amir’s love for Baba is returned. Baba feels guilty treating Amir well when he can’t acknowledge Hassan as his son. Baba discriminates against his son Amir by constantly making him feel weak and unworthy of his father. Baba once said to Rahim Kahn, “If I hadn’t seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I’d never believe he’s my son” (Hosseini 23). Amir doesn’t feel like a son towards Baba since he seems like such a weakling. This neglect towards Amir causes him to feel a need to be accepted by Baba to end the constant discrimination from his father and he will do anything for it. “I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef 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” (Hosseini 77). Amir did not stop the rape of his good friend for one sole purpose. Amir felt that he had to betray his own half-brother to gain th...
Amir’s redemption is a large part of the novel and is carried out almost entirely until the end of the story. He travels to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from the orphanage he was placed in after the death of his parents. He promises to find him a safe home with someone but after time passes he feels like this is not enough. He then speaks to his wife and decides to take Sohrab back to the United States with him and take care of his as if he was one of his own. Earlier in the novel when Baba is speaking Amir over hears his conversation as he is referring to him stating, “A boy who won 't stand up for himself becomes a man who can 't stand up to anything” (Hosseini, 22). Thus meaning that if he is able to stand up for himself as a young boy, when he is grown he will not be able to stand up for anything that is in his future. This is true throughout the story until he stands up for himself and Sorhab when he is arguing with his life long bully, Assef. Amir lacked the courage to defend himself in the novel until he finally took charge and went against
The way our friends treat us in the face of adversity and in social situations is more revealing of a person’s character than the way they treats us when alone. In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, ethnic tensions, nationality, and betrayal become the catalyst that drives and fuels Amir, Assef, and other characters to embark on their particular acts of cruelty. Serving as a way to illustrate the loss of rectitude and humanity, cruelty reveals how easily people can lose their morals in critical circumstances. Through Amir, Assef, and the Taliban’s actions, cruelty displays the truth of a person’s character, uncovering the origin of their cruelty. Amir’s cruelty spurs from his external environment and need for love from his father, choosing
Amir goes through many events that take place in the book that change him, and the way he is perceived within the book. Amir is a young boy, who is tortured by his father’s scrutinizing character. Amir is also jealous of Hassan, because of the fact that his father likes Hassan instead of Amir. Amir fights for his father’s approval, interest, and love. This is when Amir changes for the good as he deals with the guilt of the rape of Hassan. Amir witnessed Hassan getting raped, but decides to nothing in order to win over his father’s interest. The guilt that Amir builds up is carries from his premature times as a child to his mature times. From Afghanistan to
Misplaced priorities are a struggle that is known to every member of the human race at some point in their lives. Some defeat this predicament with strong morals and a brave heart, and others, afraid to stand up, are defeated by the struggle, left to regret what they did not achieve. This is especially evident in Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner. Amir makes his priority Baba’s love, while Hassan’s priority is loyalty to his masters: Amir and Baba. This leads Amir into acts of cowardice as he chooses what will most make Baba proud instead of the moral thing to do. In contrast, Hassan’s loyalty results in him being brave in all situations, doing whatever he can to serve and protect
The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, shows how lying and deceit is a counterproductive route when trying to live with a dreadful past, exhibited through the actions of Amir. Amir’s decision to withhold the truth and blatantly lie in several situations due to jealousy and his desire for Baba to be proud of him amounts to further pain and misery for himself and those he deceives. Because of Amir’s deceit towards Baba and Hassan, his guilt from his past manifests itself into deeply-rooted torment, not allowing him to live his life in peace. The guilt from Amir’s past is only alleviated when he redeems his sins by taking in Sohrab, contributing to the theme that the only way “to be good again” is through redemption, not shunning the past.
on helping him or not. In the end Amir was too afraid of what would happen to him so he runs away. The author states “ I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan--the way he'd stood up for me all those times in the past--and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran...I ran because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt" (Hosseini). Amir's fear of what would happen to him played a major role in the story. Amir became very upset with himself and was afraid of what people would think if they knew what he did. He let his fear win his childhood friendship with Hassan and win his father's lifelong friendship with Ali.
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.
The world-renowned novel, The Kite Runner was written by Afghanistan born American novelist Khaled Hosseini. Hosseini was born into a Shia Muslim family in Kabul that later in life decided to move to Paris. Hosseini was unable to return to Kabul due to the Taliban take over, this cause the Hosseini family to seek political asylum in America. The actions that Hosseini witnessed of his beloved home country influenced his novel with the themes of guilt and redemption. “The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but the one who causes the darkness.” – Victor Hugo. In The Kite Runner the theme of guilt and redemption is shown through the character development of the protagonist Amir. Hosseini used Amir’s guilt of his past to grow the impression that with regret lies a hope for redemption.
Amir is, to be put bluntly, a coward. He is led by his unstable emotions towards what he thinks will plug his emotional holes and steps over his friends and family in the process. When he sought after Baba’s invisible love, Amir allowed Hassan to be raped in an alleyway just so that the blue kite, his trophy that would win his father’s heart, could be left untouched. In the end, he felt empty and unfulfilled with the weight of his conscience on his shoulders comparable to Atlas’ burden. Unable to get over his fruitless betrayal, he lashes out and throws pomegranates at Hassan before stuffing money and a watch under his loyal friend’s pathetic excuse for a bed, framing Hassan for theft and directly causing the departure of both servants from his household. Even after moving to America, finding a loving wife, and creating a career for himself in writing, he still feels hollow when thinking of his childhood in Afghanistan. Many years later, he is alerted of Hassan’s death and sets out on a frenzied chase to find his friend’s orphaned son. He feels that he can somehow ease his regrets from all of those years ago if he takes in Hassan’s son, Sohrab. He finds Sohrab as a child sex slave for Assef, who coincidentally was the one to rape Hassan all of those years ago. After nearly dying in his attempt to take back Sohrab, he learns that he can take the damaged child back to the states with him. Sadly, Hassan’s son is so
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
Cognitive dissonance is a psychological concept appointed to the mental discomfort experienced by individuals whose behaviours, attitudes and beliefs are not aligned. Due to the conflict within them, they often decide to modify one aspect of the aforementioned to match with the others. This explains the need to seek redemption, as the person’s past actions fail to line up with their evolved mindset and moral values. By accomplishing compensation for their past, an individual is able to restore balance, therefore alleviating stress. The Kite Runner, a powerful novel written by Khaled Hosseini, chronicles the life of Amir, the narrator, through his betrayal, guilt and redemption. At the age of 12, Amir witnesses the sexual harassment of his loyal
Cognitive dissonance is a psychological concept appointed to the mental discomfort experienced by individuals whose behaviors, attitudes and beliefs are unaligned. Due to the conflict within them, these individuals often decide to change one aspect of the aforementioned to match with the others. This explains the need to seek redemption, as the individual’s past behaviors fail to match their evolved mindset and ethical values. By accomplishing redemption, an individual is able to restore balance, therefore alleviating stress. The Kite Runner, a powerful novel written by Khaled Hosseini, chronicles the life of Amir, the narrator, through his betrayal, guilt and redemption. At the age of 12, Amir witnesses the sexual harassment of his loyal friend
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.
However there are some characters that become better people and change becoming a better, stronger, more loyal individual in the end. The individual that demonstrates this development within this novel is Amir himself. All of the guilt Amir holds with him as a child allow him to realize his duty to be loyal to his brother Hassan ion the end. An example of this is when Amir goes back to Kabul, Afghanistan to retrieve his nephew Sohrab. Amir says, “I remembered Wahid’s boys and… I realized something. I would not leave Afghanistan without finding Sohrab.’ tell me where he is,’ I said” (Hosseini 255). Here, Amir is at the orphanage waiting to find out where Taliban has taken his nephew. Amir remembers the three young starving sons of Wahid, a man whose home he had been in earlier, and realized that Afghanistan is not a safe place for Sohrab. Amir is finally aware of one thing, Hassan has always been there to protect Amir like a loyal friend and brother would and now Amir knows that it is his turn to return that loyalty to Hassan by protecting Hassan’s flesh and blood. A second example of Amir’s loyalty to Hassan near the ending of the book is during Amir’s confrontation with General Sahib and the dinner table after Sohrab is safe in America with him. Amir proclaims to General Sahib, “…That boy sleeping on the couch