Reputation arises from the expectations that people around us have. Oftentimes, we are vulnerable to our own reputation because we either strive to embody the person that other’s think we are or we strive to prove we are more than what other’s think we are. Individuals are susceptible to the opinions of others and will direct their pursuit of goals towards proving themselves. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini suggests that when an individual’s pursuit of goals is preceded by the expectations of others, they will attain feelings of vulnerability because they fear that their reputation may become accurate. Moreover, the individual will aspire to become more than their given reputation causing them to direct their goals towards furthering the …show more content…
Whether upper or lower, a community will have set expectations for each individual. However, an individual who is preceded by a menial reputation will aspire to prove that they are more than what other’s think. They will direct their goals towards proving that they are more capable than the reputation they are given because they feel vulnerable to what other’s think of them. Within the novel, it is apparent that Hassan is burdened by an unskilled reputation due to his identity as s “servant’s son” as well as a Hazara. Hassan frequently proves to Amir and his community that he is more than his reputation. He manages to demonstrate his capabilities that, more often than none, surpass those who had created this false reputation about him. The first instance in which this is shown is when Amir is reading his short story to him. When Hassan identifies the “Plot Hole” within Amir’s short story, he unknowingly demonstrates how his reputation as “illiterate” is inaccurate. Furthermore, when Hassan is able to examine Amir, and understands what he is feeling, Amir becomes jealous. His reactions in the past of how “[he] was the smart one” causes Hassan to unknowingly prove how he is more than illiterate. Moreover, when Amir first realizes Hassan’s capabilities in kite running he is surprised and finds it “eerie”. Amir considers Hassan as incapable, deeming that he will “never be anything but a cook”. When Hassan is able to “[get] to the spot the kite would land before the kite did”, he elucidates how he is capable of surpassing the expectations that Amir has. He establishes how he is knowledgeable and completely aware of his surroundings through the effort that is put in when attempting to chase the kite. Amir believes “that Hassan would grow up illiterate like Ali… had been decided the minute he had been born, perhaps even the moment he had been conceived.” Hassan feels vulnerable causing him to learn to
Because of Amir’s extreme desire to receive the attention and affection from Baba, he begins to subconsciously sacrifice his relationship with Hassan in order to fulfill his interests. However, as Amir continuously matures and begins to recognize his initial ignorant, detrimental actions towards Hassan, he no longer “worships” his father like he did in the past. This causes him to ensure a sense of independence because of his ability to quickly adapt to a completely new, unfamiliar environment and remain adamant on pursuing their own aspirations. When individuals highly idolize and worship the successes that their loved ones have achieved, their in-suppressible desire to emulate the achievements of others causes them to inevitably experience difficult circumstances that challenge their morality and principles. In The Kite Runner, Amir has always displayed overflowing affections for Baba due to his prideful feelings of being the son of a wealthy, prominent father.
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
In Khaled Hosseini’s book, The Kite Runner, Amir is an example of growing up, making mistakes, and facing the consequences for those mistakes. Amir grows so much throughout the book. He is a fictional example of maturing and growing up in a realistic manner. Making mistakes is a part of this growth, even though his were extreme. The reader is introduced to Amir and is disgusted about how he treats Hassan and abandons him in a time of needing rescuing. His mistakes disgust us, especially after Hassan has been by his side the entire book. As the reader gets deeper into the book, they start to develop feeling of anger but sometimes sympathy, towards Amir. By the end, we are not as angry as Amir than the reader to begin with. Amir has grown into
There are many parallels between the first half of Amir’s life and the second half. Specifically, Hassan runs the blue kite for Amir during their adolescence and later Amir runs the kite for Sohrab. Moreover,
In order to grow and prosper, one must make mistakes and learn from them. People are not born perfect; everyone must live and everyone must learn throughout his/her lifetime in order to mature. In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseni, Amir does exactly this. He makes several mistakes, these mistakes are not wasted, because, in time he learns from his wrong-doings and redeems his himself. Several if not all of the mistakes Amir makes are directed toward his childhood friend, and brother, Hassan. The first mistake Amir makes is not a tangible one. This mistake being he does not see Hassan as a friend while they are children because they’re part of two different ethnic groups and cultures. Because of this difference, Amir does not stop
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
An underlying cause of the problems Amir has with his friendship pertaining to Hassan is that he is jealous of Hassan; this jealousy causes him to test Hassan, and to take advantage of Hassan's unwavering loyalty. Amir constantly ridicules and tests Hassan; this is just to prove that Hassan is lower than he is. Amir confirms this by humiliating Hassan to himself, by taking advantage of Hassan illiteracy to amuse himself: "Well, everyone in my school knows what it means,' I said. "Let's see. Imbecile.' it means smart, intelligent. I'll use it in a sentence for you. When it comes to words, Hassan is an imbecile'"(29). Amir is not accomplishing anything by teasing Hassan except that he is establishing that he is smarter. Amir feels that he has to prove, even to himself that he is smarter than Hassan', he lacks acceptance from his father, so he feels that he needs to tease Hassan in order to accept himself.
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...
Because of this, Hassan is almost constantly bullied when he steps outside. Amir usually refuses to help Hassan, fearing he will get bullied for helping a minority. This type of thing built guilt up inside of him because he was then viewed as weak by his father’s friend. He overheard them talking and he was called weak because he would not even stand up for his best friend that he essentially lives with. He continues not to back Hassan up and starts being mean to Hassan, just like the other boys because he does not want to be viewed as weak.. During the kite runner festival, Hassan went to get the winning kite that Amir had knocked out of the sky. When he does, he is cornered by one of his bullies, Assef, and some of his friends. They take the kite and then rape Hassan. Amir stands nearby, watching the event take place and does nothing about it. Eventually he runs away trying to get the thought out of his head. Gradually over time, guilt builds up inside of Amir and it starts to become hard to even be around Hassan. This then leads him to frame Hassan for stealing his watch. After Amir does that, Amir finds out he forced his father to kick his brother out of the only housing he had. His father starts crying a lot and Amir feels that it is all his fault. Guilt impacts him very much even when he moves to America, he still
Despite Hassan and Amir sharing similar hardships, Hassan is ultimately the stronger character because of the way he is able to suffer and continue to show the strength he has within himself. Hassan having the most inner strength is proven by the fact that although him and Amir share similar hardships as children, Hassans learns and grows from them, while Amir lingers upon the negativity of them. As well, Amir is always rescued while Hassan fights his own battles. Lastly, despite them both facing hardships as adults, Hassan comes through his life being the stronger person. Khaled Hosseni's The Kite Runner demonstrates how the hardships in life no matter how different or similar, can affect a life negatively or positively depending on their inner strength. This inner strength is determined by one's ability to deal with the hardships that life reveals.
The famous poet James Russell Lowell once said, “Reputation is only a candle, of wavering and uncertain flame, and easily blown out, but it is the light by which the world looks for and finds merit” . Reality stresses the importance to be more concerned with personal character than self reputation, because character beholds who you really are, while your reputation is merely what others perceive. The epic of Beowulf, written in Old English, describes the adventures of a great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century. Having an outstanding reputation was an important aspect of life, and in the world of Beowulf it was no different.
The Kite Runner focuses on the relationship between two Afghan boys Amir and Hassan. Amir is a Pashtun and Sunni Muslim, while Hassan is a Hazara and a Shi’a. Despite their ethnic and religious differences, Amir and Hassan grow to be friends, although Amir is troubled by Hassan, and his relationship with his companion, one year his junior, is complex. Amir and Hassan seem to have a "best friend" type relationship. The two boys, Hassan and Amir, are main characters in the book titled, The Kite Runner. The two boys have a relationship that is significantly different compared to most. There are many different facets that distinguish the relationship the boys possess. The boys do write their names in a pomegranate tree as the "sultans of Kabul" (Kite Runner 27) but, their friendship is not strong and it is one sided. Hassan has love for Amir. He loves him like a brother. Hassan is exceedingly loyal to Amir. The relationship between the two boys is emotionally wearing and rather gloomy for the most part. The main reason for their complicated relationship is the fact that Amir is Pashtun, and Hassan is Hazara. The Afghan society places Hassan lower than Amir. Hassan is Amir's servant. The placement of Hassan in the Afghan society disenables Amir from becoming Hassan's true friend. Amir sees Hassan as lower than human. Amir ruins the chance for friendship between himself and Hassan because he is jealous of Hassan, he thinks of Hassan as a lower human, and because Amir possesses such extreme guilt for what he has done to Hassan. Amir is an unforgivable person overall.
Our reputations are beliefs and opinions that are held by our friends, family and even complete strangers about bout us. Someone’s reputation determines how they will be seen before even meeting them, almost like a first impression. Which is why your reputation is something you need to handle with care and protect, however some will go to extremes in doing this for instance the play The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. It is a look into what it was like back in the 1800’s during the Salem witch trails. During this play Miller makes the strong argument of the importance of reputation and the countless ways people will protect it. In the play this occurs with many of the characters some more than others yet it’s of importance to everyone in some way or another. The protection of one’s reputation also occurs outside of the play, an example of this would be in politics and sports. In the play The Crucible, Author Miller makes the argument that reputation is incredibly important and people will go to great lengths such as betrayal and lying to protect it, quite often ones morality will become altered when protecting their reputation.
Do you have a reputation? Is it good? Bad? How has your reputation influenced your life? Most people, in one way or another, have developed a reputation for themselves. In my personal opinion, high school is probably one of the most popular and easiest places to acquire a reputation. Not only that, but it seems to be a big problem throughout high school, because once you have a bad reputation, it’s not easy to improve it. Yet, high schools aren’t the only place where you can attain a reputation; work places are also a great place to develop one. Nowadays, even social networking can generate a good or bad reputation and depending on what those sites create, it could affect your career or even prevent you from attaining a certain career. Although
As a foreword, the story of The Kite Runner focuses on a man named Amir. In his childhood, he enjoyed a high-class life in Kabul, Afghanistan, living with his father Baba. They have two servants, Ali and his son Hassan. They are Hazaras, a lower class ethnic minority in Afghanistan. In one Winter of their childhood, Amir and Hassan participate in a kite-fighting tournament; the goal is to be the last kite flying. When a kite is cut, boys chase after it as a trophy. Amir wins the tournament, and Hassan flies to catch the losing kite. Later, following Hassan's path, Amir comes upon a neighbourhood bully named Assef about to rape Hassan who has the trophy, the blue kite. Amir does not interject, believing this will secure him the kite. Thus, Amir sets forth a chain of events he must redeem in his adulthood.