Many 20th century non-western literary texts have a hero that everyone looks up to. Most of the stories have typical heroes, so to speak, that show extreme bravery and courage and often are ready to sacrifice their lives for the good of someone else other than themselves. A typical hero is never selfish and never gives up his principles and his beliefs. He is always ready to stand up for what he believes is right even if he is standing alone. However, there are many characters in these stories, that are not given as much credit or attention by the audience. They are “non-typical” heroes that show their heroism in different ways. There are many actions that are perhaps not as brave but they deserve the readers’ respect as well.
The novel “The Kite Runner” written by Khaled Hosseini is not an exception and it has its own heroes that show their heroic nature through their actions. Some characters, however, show it straight away, like Hassan, who demonstrates sincere and unfeigned love and respect for his friend Amir despite the fact that he doesn’t treat him in the same way. Hassan deserves to be called a true hero in this story considering everything that he had to go through and that he managed to remain himself and forgive a betrayal.
Amir, on the other hand, is not a typical hero and starts off being a weak and unlikable character. He can’t be the person his father, a very powerful and respectful man, wants him to be. For instance, he is showing love for literature even after hearing Baba’s criticism saying that it is not what men should do. Amir chooses not to fight back, neither he is never willing to compromise his own believes. He doesn’t follow/believe the very patriotic and harsh standards the Muslim world of Afghanis...
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...tinctive but productive and beneficial to the society way. Her success in this role is evidenced by her status as a general indicating her considerable influence. Being a revolutionary means believing in yourself and that you can make a difference, and we can see Gertrudis’ strong belief in better future that they are able to achieve. It also means making big sacrifices and risking your life on the battlefield which she does once again proving her strong spirit. Gertrudis represents all influential women in the Mexican Revolution who were appreciated and respected by the men at that time. She symbolizes the model for future thinkers or writers who were trying to pass their wise thoughts and bitter experience onto other generations.
Works Cited
- Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead, 2003. Print.
- Web. 01 Apr. 2010. .
Humanity has created this “universal story” of what a hero is, or at least the myth of it, time and again. Different tasks and encounters with a variety of villains all lead the hero to the prize, to a new life (Seger). This person deemed the hero is as ordinary as the next but what makes them different is the drastic test that they must face. Individuals admire this character because the hero stands for something, something bigger than themselves. Whether it be the compassionate act of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games or the death of the oldest brother in Brother Bear, as an outsider, an individual sees the human side of these heroes and relates. Connor Lassiter from Unwind by Neal Shusterman is an ideal example of the myth due to the
Betrayal, redemption, and forgiveness are all major themes in The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini. The novel also focuses around the theme of a broken relationship between father and son as well as facing difficult situations from ones past. Amir and Hassan are best friends with two completely different personalities. Each character in the novel faces their own hardships and eventually learns to overcome those difficulties. Beginning with betrayal then the characters have to make their way to gaining redemption and forgiveness from others, as well as their self, is carried on throughout the novel. It is a continuous story of the relationships between Amir and his father Baba and facing their challenges from the past every day of their present.
Every generation has its own heroes that display, what they believe to be, ideal characteristics. While each is different in their own way, many of these role models share similar qualities. Most tend to have courage, strength, compassion, or another respected trait, but this is not necessarily why they win the adoration of their followers.
A brave hero often risks his/her lives to save someone else. In Zeitoun, Dave Eggers tells us a story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, the hard working Syrian American owner of a contracting company in New Orleans. Zeitoun and his wife Kathy ran the company together. They have three children named Nademah, Safiyah, Aisha. Kathy has a child from her first marriage. Zeitoun is very closed with his family and he takes his family like nobody else. When hurricane Katrina landed in 2005, endless number of people were affected. Mayor Nagin ordered a first time ever mandatory evacuation. Kathy moved with the children to her sister’s house in Baton Rouge. Zeitoun refused to leave with his family because he didn’t want lose his properties, but at the same time, his customers trusted him and gave him their house keys to check on their houses, which caused his separation with his family. This illustrates that Zeitoun is a responsible, powerful, trustworthy, and unselfish person. During the hurricane, Zeitoun was using a canoe rescuing people. Due to the lack of rescue work, many people didn’t get enough supports at that time. Zeitoun had the courage to sacrifice his family, safety, and selfish needs for saving the people.
In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini the, main Protagonist is a man that goes by the name Amir. Some argue that he is an anti-hero, or not a hero. No. Amir is a hero. Amir is just another person who was lost at one point and needed direction and needed clear the guilty feelings he had. Through these actions he creates a heroic journey, he follows a hero’s path.
“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.
Perfect heroes are unrealistic in literature because even though they seem ideal, the characters become flat and unrelatable. Therefore, authors often add other dimensions to characters that reveal their personality flaws and mistakes. Authors are able to use these dimensions to both relate the characters but also teach the readers life lessons from the characters mistakes. For example, in The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini crafts multiple ambiguous characters who are good people that make major mistakes. By contrasting these characters to the more pure characters, Hosseini is able to show both the ideal life to live and the ways to do that. In The Kite Runner, Amir and his father, Baba, display lives of contradictions while Hassan and Rahim
Holzer, Harold (2004). Heroes of History Lecture: Abraham Lincoln, American Hero. National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved from We the People.gov.
Heroes are found everywhere in the world. They are seen in movies, on television, in books, and in reality. A hero can be anyone, from a friend to a fictional character. To be considered a hero, one must make selfless sacrifices, develop and learn, overcome challenges and temptations, and ultimately present their known world with a gift of any kind. Homer’s
When thinking of a “good person”, a common example often comes to mind. Usually, it is someone that makes decisions selflessly and has only pure intentions even when faced with the temptation of sin. These traits are often seen in the stereotypical hero or main character in a story. However, in The Kite Runner, these are only seen in the protagonist’s best friend, Hassan. Hassan is a servant to Amir, substandard in every way on the outside;
The word "hero" is so often used to describe people who overcome great difficulties and rise to the challenge that is set before them without even considering the overwhelming odds they are up against. In our culture, heroes are glorified in literature and in the media in various shapes and forms. However, I believe that many of the greatest heroes in our society never receive the credit that they deserve, much less fame or publicity. I believe that a hero is simply someone who stands up for what he/she believes in. A person does not have to rush into a burning building and save someone's life to be a hero. Someone who is a true friend can be a hero. A hero is someone who makes a difference in the lives of others simply by his/her presence. In Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, the true heroes stand out in my mind as those who were true friends and fought for what they believed in. These men and women faced the atrocities of war on a daily basis, as explained by critic David R. Jarraway's essay, "'Excremental Assault' in Tim O'Brien: Trauma and Recovery in Vietnam War Literature" and by Vietnam Veteran Jim Carter. Yet these characters became heroes not by going to drastic measures to do something that would draw attention to themselves, but by being true to their own beliefs and by making a difference to the people around them.
Amir’s childhood is quite unusual compared to most children in Afghan. Amir’s father, Baba, is a very rich and successful individual in his lifetime. This success allows Amir to live a wealthy lifestyle with access to western commodity as well as servants. In novel, Amir is risen mostly by his servants Hassan and Ali, as well
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.
The main character described in the novel is Amir. Amir is the narrator and the protagonist in the story. Although an impressionable and intelligent son of a well-to-do businessman, he grows up with a sense of entitlement. Hassan is Amir’s half-brother, best friend, and a servant of Baba’s. Although considered an inferior in Afghan society, Hassan repeatedly proves himself to be a loyal friend to Amir. Baba is the wealthy, well- respected father of Amir and Hassan. He is willing to risk his life for what he believes in, but is ashamed of having a child with a Hazara woman, leading him to hide the fact that Hassan is his son. Ali is another modest man, who is a fatherly figure to Hassan and a servant to Baba.