Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner provides incredibly valuable insight into the intertwining concepts of identity and personal happiness, as does A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews. Undeniably, a healthy cognisance of personal identity is crucial to mental tranquility and happiness. Insecurity, for example is unilaterally viewed as an unsettling character flaw precisely because of the inherent implication of untrue personal identity. Accurately understanding one’s true personal identity is the backbone of happiness, as seen in The Kite Runner and A Complicated Kindness. Furthermore, it can be said that personal flaws, strengths and collectivist mentalities surrounding both Amir and Nomi’s characters ultimately contribute to their respective happiness or lack thereof, at the end of both stories. Firstly, understanding personal …show more content…
In the Kite Runner, Amir immerses himself in stories of the Shahnameh, poetry, and writing. Although he is initially insecure about his skills as an author, he grows to accept and cherish his strengths. When he accepts his strength as an eloquent writer he “feel[s] like a man who discovers buried treasure in his own backyard” (Hosseini p. 26). He even uses this important aspect of his personal identity as a bonding point with his wife, Soraya. By esteeming himself using his strengths, Amir is able to fulfil both ordinary aspects and extraordinary aspects of life like having a family life and fighting the leader of the taliban, respectively. In A Complicated Kindness, Nomi has difficulties identifying her strengths due to her distorted self-perception. She wonders if she even has any strength at all: “I wasn’t pretty enough to be the complex, silent girl and yet I never knew what to say” (Toews p.151). Moreover, Nomi is deeply unhappy as a result of untrue self esteem and even ascribes minor, unimportant flaws to herself to mask any real
Nomi quotes here " But the thing about this - there is no room for in between. you 're in or you 're out. you 're good or you 're bad. Actually, very good or very bad or very good at being very bad without being detected.(Toews pg 10)". Nomis actions result in refrerring to drug context as a metaphor and drug use throughout this novel. Nomi displays her identity through this quote by showing her devious side. She does not let societys judgement bother her or change her from being herself, this is a neglection pricieving from the societys judgement based on Nomi they believe she her identity is of a delinquint child because she is not the typical female, she does things that are looked down upon which vilifys her identity. In The Kite Runner, After failing to intervene in the rape of his friend Hassan, Amir wrestles with his guilt, he seeks for redemption until he is satisfied with his himself. Amir adheres his father 's advice " A man who has no conscience, no goodness, does not suffer. (Housing pg 67)". This demonstrates how a males identity should be seen as brave and fearless, Amir struggles with this characteristic because he is a more empathetic and vunerable indvidual, this impacts his identity because he isnt who he is told to be. This discredits his character from his fathers point of view because his son isn 't like he is. In these two
“I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. 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.” In Khaled Hosseini’s, The Kite Runner, Amir, the young protagonist, lives a lavish lifestyle with his father, Baba. Until the Soviets invade and the Taliban become the dominant influence in Afghanistan. Amir’s sumptuous lifestyle comes to an end, and the values of not only his father but also his society begin to impact him and he realizes how much he does not belong in his own culture. Amir is taught the virtues of being a good man, however when the opportunity presents itself to demonstrate his teachings; Amir realizes how different he is from the ways of his father.
Identity is an important theme in many stories. Especially in the The Outsiders, Eleanor and Park, and“Flowers for Algernon.” In The Outsiders identity is tied heavily to which gang a person belongs to. In the novel, Eleanor and Park, identity is portrayed through gender and race. Also, in the short story, “Flowers for Algernon,” the main character identifies with his level of intelligence. Although, one common trend expressed is how jubilance is felt when the characters are free of how they are told they should identify. I will be analysing identity in these stories is represented through the characters, and how this proves how easily the characters find identify in themselves when they detach how they are to identify by society.
In essence, Amir is the lotus in Hosseini’s Novel The Kite Runner. Amir strived and pulled himself out of the mire of cowardice, least he be forever trapped in its prison walls. Sacrificing himself for the safety and wellbeing of Sohrab, Amir has earned his redemption. No longer label a coward. Amir is now a fearless brave hero. As the lotus flower that grows out the mud and blossoms above the muddy water surface, so too does Amir rise above his defilements and sufferings of
“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time,” (“Malcolm X Quote”). Amir, the main character in The Kite Runner, suffered heartbreak, many mistakes, and had regrets. Amir lived most of his life feeling guilty for what happened in his past. As a child, Amir and his servant, Hassan, were playmates. However, when something horrible happened to Hassan, Amir didn’t do anything to help him, for he feared of getting hurt too. After the incident, his guilt for not helping Hassan kept building up inside him. Amir began to try and get rid of Hassan by framing him and making it look like Hassan had been committing crimes. Amir believed
Influential people in one’s life frequently impact the way that a person develops, and can shape a person into who they become. The words conveyed and actions delivered between two people can affect the way a person’s life develops and can alter who they are in both positive and negative ways. In the novel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the author depicts that Amir, the main character, is greatly impacted, influenced, and shaped by other characters. The phase of Amir that the reader is introduced to in the early stages of the novel is very different from Amir at the end of the novel. Amir’s character is shaped and influenced by other characters in his life to become a better person, throughout the novel.
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.
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.
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.
Khaled Hosseini on his novel The Kite Runner illustrates that how the hero of this novel “Amir” affected by his father. Amir thought that his father does not love him because Amir admits
Being a kind-hearted person in a savage world is not an easy thing to do. The savage world will usually get through to the kind person and change them into a monster, but not Simon. Throughout William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, Simon is the boy who remains good even when the rest of the world remains cruel. Simon is a quiet boy in the story who shows wisdom and civilization, on an uncivilized and savage island.
Kindness has the ability to shape people into compassionate human beings. The lack of kindness can debilitate a person's ability to determine their future. The lack of kindness destroys the humanity, it can push people over the edge, where they are no longer in control. Eventually the lack of control, suppresses the ability to determine destiny. In the film a Beautiful Mind, the protagonist John Nash lost the ability to determine his destiny. Due to his mental illness, his wife had called the psychiatrist to help him, she became the one who started to determine his future.
For a really long time i always thought that i was a pretty compassionate person. In the midst of that i did always talk about myself in conversations with people. I made myself the focus point of every conversation and never really listen to what people had to say because it didn’t involve me. I would be that guy that pretends to listen and give people the fake laugh when they talk. It always bothered me if i wasn 't the center of the story. If i wasn’t receiving the attention then i would be upset. Nevertheless i did think my work with children, teenagers, and adults are what made me a compassionate person. When i was able to speak about God to the people i worked with… with the hope to change their lives in some way i thought that made
Kindness holds a special power. It is something that is understood through actions, not just words. So, in order to be kind, it is not necessary to know the same language. Kindness is universal. It can be exhibited anywhere around the world. This very simple concept has the capacity to make this world a better place to live. Showing kindness not only benefits others, but it also benefits the ones who enact it. You know you have been kind when both you and the one receiving your actions feel a certain warmth inside. Some people think that kindness is simply being nice. But now what does it mean to be nice? It isn’t clear. Kindness encompasses many things, it’s not just complementing someone on their nice shirt or their long, blonde hair. It
Why is generosity important? Generosity should be Being generous can make people feel great because they feel like they made someone happy. Generosity is one of the most important traits that my family taught me. Doing good deeds with good intentions will lead to beneficial results. Generosity is being nice and not expecting something in return.