Power In The Kite Runner

194 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Research on mental illness and violence

In the “Kite Runner” power was abused when Assef raped Hassan. Assef used his status and strength to show Hassan that he has more power than a “Hazara”. Assef acted vehemently towards Hassan, for Hassan was hurt very bad after this incident. For as aloof Assef and his friends acted, they needed to show Hassan that he has no power over them. Aseef and people like him use rape as a sign of power, yet Assef’s friends were uncomfortable with the situation. Something else could've been done to show Hassan his “place” like threatening him, or just a punch or two. Rape shows more power than beating someone up, but this kind of act hurts someone and can change them. Amir is hurt by this rape. He can’t live with himself for not standing up for Hassan,

Show More
Related

  • The Importance Of Honor In The Kite Runner

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout The Kite Runner, honor is tested when characters are involuntarily placed in conflictive situations. Baba, father of Amir, even in the presence of death, remained honorable. This is shown when the Roussi officer wanted half an hour with the married women in the back of the truck. Baba said, “Tell him ( the Roussi) I’ll take 1000 of his bullets before I let this indecency take place” ( Hosseini, 2005, pg. 166). Baba is willing to take a bullet for a woman who is a complete stranger. This honorable act caused the young woman’s husband to stand and kiss Baba’s hand, a gesture of gratitude, respect and devotion. In contrast, Amir did the opposite of Baba's actions and allowed indecency to take place by choosing not to intervene when Hassan was raped. Amir states, “...the real reason I was running, was because 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, 2005, pg.77). This quote shows that Amir acted dishonorably and displayed a lack of integrity because he was jealous of the attention that his father was giving Hassan. Also, unlike his father, Amir put his safety first, and his cowardice exhibits that his level of honor was not as selfless as Baba’s. Without recognizing a character's moral beliefs and their level of honor in the Afghanistan

    Read More

  • Ptsd In The Kite Runner

    1667 Words  | 4 Pages

    Assef asks for the kite, but Hassan denies giving Assef the kite. Assef then rapes Hassan while Amir watches. When Amir saw Hassan abused, he began to feel anxiety, avoided Hassan, and experienced flashbacks. An example is rape or physical abuse.

    Read More

  • Making Mistakes In The Kite Runner

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Kite Runner Analysis

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    Redemption is a capacity that both Amir from the remarkable novel Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseni along with Walt Kalwoski the main character of the unforgettable movie Gran Tornio, directed by Clint Eastwood, withhold. Both Walt and Amir were collided with life changing events that later shaped the individuals they are today. Nevertheless, throughout both stories, the protagonists are faced with opportunities to redeem themselves, often at the risk of hurting their loved ones more than they already have. “There is a reason for everything” and in Walt and Amirs case that saying is quite evident. Walt and Amir are two completely divergent characters with opposite personalities. However, this doesn’t interfere with the fact that both carry the weight of guilt and regret upon their shoulders. In spite of that, both characters atone to their faults by PUT POINTS HERE. Kite Runner and Gran Torino, both, break the ice with introducing the characters and efficiently showcasing their complications. As mentioned earlier, Amir is the protagonist of the novel. Typically, a main character that discusses their problems in the opening of a novel, catches the readers attention, let alone makes the reader them self feel sympathetic for this character. However, Amir is far beyond that statement. Amir expresses his feelings about his relationship with his father, Baba, and his shenanigans with Hassan. Amir struggles with his selfish conscious. Nevertheless, his adult view point when recollecting memories of the past, reminiscing on childhood events, isn’t as different. Running away is the one thing Amir tends to be best at. Running from his problems, people, past etc, As for Walt, Walt Kowalski is the main character of the film Gran Torino. ...

    Read More

  • Bravery For Protection The Kite Runner

    1540 Words  | 4 Pages

    Firstly, the characters in the novel display bravery as they protect one another from physical harm. This can be seen in patterns between generations in families. Early on the reader learns that Amir’s grandfather protects Ali by, “[adopting] him into his own household, and [telling] the other students to tutor him” (26). Since Ali’s parents were killed and he is a Hazaras he would have most certainly been discriminated against at an orphanage. Ali is Hassan’s father. The reader learns near the end that he is not his biological father but he is the man who raised him. 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 Assef ‘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. He demands to Assef, "All I want is the boy" (298), to take Sohrab to a safe place where he would no longer be sexually abused. In return, Sohrab is bold and prevents Amir from being slain. He points the slingshot at Assef’s face, "‘No more, Agha. Please,’ he [says], his voice husky and trembling. ‘Stop hurting him’" (304). At this point Assef is a grown man while Sohrab is only a boy. It would take plenty of courage to protect this man he did not even know. Sohrab’s action fulfills the idea foreshadowed earlier of "one-eyed Assef" as Sohrab shoots a metal ball in Assef’s eye. All these characters guarded the physical well-being of individuals that were important to them by demonstrating bravery.

    Read More

  • Redemption of Guilt in the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the beginning of The Kite Runner, young Amir wins a kite fighting tournament. He feels like he has finally redeemed himself for his father. However, Amir’s happy day turns dark, when an hour later, he witnesses Hassan, his best friend, raped in an alley. He had “one final opportunity to decide who [he] was going to be. (77) Instead of standing up for his friend and...

    Read More

  • Kite Runner

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    Guilt tends to stick with us as Platous said, “Nothing is more wretched than the mind of a man conscious of guilt.” In The Kite Runner Amir lives with the guilt of having witness Hassan get raped. “I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost the rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had, But I didn't, I just watched Paralyzed.” Throughout the most part of the book we see that Amir lives full of guilt for not helping Hassan and the guilt really gets to him towards the end of the book.

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner Power Analysis

    245 Words  | 1 Pages

    I found many things in The Kite Runner that follow the use and abuse of power. One abuse of power is Amir and Hassan’s friendship. Amir has a lot of power over Hassan, for Hassan admires Amir very much. In chapter 7, Assef confronts Hassan in an alley, and tries to get the kite from him. Hassan knows how important the kite is to Amir, so he does not give it up. This makes Assef furious, so he decides to quell his anger by assaulting Hassan. Hassan just lets this happen because he does not want to let Amir down. Little did Hassan know Amir was watching the whole time, yet he never said or did anything to stop this vehement act. Hassan still continued to be loyal to Amir, but neither of them ever told Baba what had happened. If I was Hassan I

    Read More

  • Guilt And Redemption In The Kite Runner

    1247 Words  | 3 Pages

    Amir also committed a sin that affected him negatively throughout his life. This sin occurred when Hassan, Amir’s best friend during his childhood, was getting raped by Assef. This situation occurred when the children were chasing kites. Hassan got the kite first, but Assef insisted that he wanted the kite. Assef also had a racial and religious prejudice against Hassan.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of 'The Kite Runner' By Khaled Hosseini

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another thing that I found about Amir, he was selfish-serving and fearful. Amir was jealous of Baba praises Hassan. Assef and two other boys from neighborhood, when they bullied Hassan, Amir just runaway and did not do and say something. Amir and Assef made me so annoying and I asked myself, Why Amir did not help and stop Assef? Hassan was just a poor boy. If I were Amir, I would help him, fight with them, and protect him. Specially, after Hassan rape I felt down about Amir, he was acting unbelievable to Hassan. He was trying to nice, talk, and still keep their company with Amir. Finally, they avoid each

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Critic Roland Barthes's 'The Kite Runner'

    1354 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Baba And Amir Relationship Analysis

    743 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Baba expresses an extreme lack of interest in Amir. The way Baba beats down Amir affects the plot immensely. "'What is it, Amir?' Baba said, reclining on the sofa" "His glare made my throat feel dry. I cleared it and told him I’d written a story"(Hosseini page #). Clearly Amir is scared that Baba will criticize his work. Baba shows no interest or support to Amir or his work. Every time Baba beat down Amir he lost confidence in himself. This carelessness from Baba carries on throughout The Kite Runner. Amir seeks affection from Baba anywhere he can acquire it. “it wasn’t often Baba talked to me, let alone on his lap—and I’d been a fool to waste it"(page #). This depicts how tirelessly

    Read More

  • Redemption Of Childhood In The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini

    1366 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hassan agrees and gives chase for the kite with Amir follow some time later on. However, during that time Hassan is corner by Assif and several others children. Hassan is then punished by Assif for protecting Amir, as well as being a different type of Afghani. In one swift motion, Assif performs a horrifying sexual act on Hassan, all the way Amir watch it far down a street. And what does Amir do? Well he ran as he put it, “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” (77).

    Read More

  • Abuse In The Kite Runner

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    Before the actual occurrence of the rape, Amir and Hassan were having a normal conversation. Amir then made the entire situation spiral downward with a single question; “‘I’d sooner eat dirt,’ he said with a look of indignation. ‘Really? You would do that?’” (54). Even though Hassan said he would eat the dirt, Amir had to evolve the question even further than it needed to be. This does not show true friendship in any way, shape or form, Amir mistreated Hassan’s loyalty even further by considering the question, let alone saying it. Preceding the rape, Amir decides an unforgiving action in which he attempts to dispose of his guilty conscience. He meets Hassan beside the old pomegranate tree where they spent their days as a child when he decides to relieve his guilt in one of the most special places to Hassan; Amir says, “I hurled the pomegranate at him. It struck him in the chest, exploded in a spray of red pulp” (92). Believing the pomegranate incident would relive his guilt, Amir had felt no sorrow after the assault. Including the probability that Hassan was already torn apart by the rape, Amir’s actions could have only worsened Hassan’s self-esteem. This horrendous behavior before and after the rape would be considered mistreat in multiple ways. Amir’s guilty conscience made things difficult for Hassan to fully deal with the ongoing struggles of the

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Redemption In Rahim Khan's The Kite Runner

    1038 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over the course of the novel, Baba implies that he is not proud of Amir and the only reason he knows Amir is his son, is because he witnessed Amir 's birth. He states to Rahim Khan that he thinks Amir needs to stand up for himself more often. Countless times during the novel, Amir feels like he has to fight for his affection, that he has to earn Baba’s love. In order to prove himself worthy of affection and to redeem himself for not being a son Baba could be proud of, Amir yearns to win the kite runner competition. He reminisces on a memory, when all “I saw was the blue kite. All I smelled was victory. Salvation. Redemption” (65). In the aftermath of Hassan’s rape, Amir got rid of Hassan so he would not have to face the cause of his guilt on a daily basis. Amir buries the secret of the rape deep within him, where he hopes that it will not come back to haunt him, which is not the case. “We had both sinned and betrayed. But Baba had found a way to create good out of his remorse. What had I done, other than take my guilt out on the very same people I had betrayed, and then try to forget it all? What had I done, other than become an insomniac? What had I ever done to right things?” (303). As mentioned earlier, Amir is not one who stands up for himself. In order for Amir to redeem himself for betraying Hassan, and not standing up for him earlier,

    Read More

More about Power In The Kite Runner

Open Document