“There is a way to be good again.” Life is all about second chances, there are many mistakes committed by one in the past and the present. The novel, The Kite Runner explores the mistakes committed by Amir and his guilt of not stopping Hassan from getting raped by Assef. Rape is not just physical violence but it also hurts ones emotions and dignity, it is a metal as well as a physical domination that one can do to another. Hassan resembled the lamb which was usually killed during Eid; Amir described both Hassan and Sohrab as the lamb waiting to be slaughtered and he mentioned this during Hassan’s rape. Hassan and Sohrab were both sacrificed by being raped but both had a different reason for the sacrifice in Hassan’s case Amir sacrificed him …show more content…
Amir saw Hassan being sexually abused but he didn’t take any action against Assef and Lawrence was involved with Ziyad for Lindsie’s sexual abuse, both the victims had experienced something which was really terrible and happened against their will. Lindsie had flashbacks of the terrible incident and the society gave her unwanted titles, the interaction between Amir and Hassan became less because of Amir’s guilt. Throughout Amir’s childhood baba had treated Amir and Hassan equally. He took them places, bought them things and showed affection to both of them but Hassan had to be kept secretly because baba had him with a female servant who was from Hazara committee, which was not socially acceptable. If Amir had known that Hassan was his half-brother he may have defended him more than he may have been more loyal to him. But, Amir got to know later when this incident already passed time but it was too late and Amir had to live with regret for his cowardly behaviour when he saw Hassan being raped by …show more content…
One of the most common psychological consequences of rape is self-blame. Victims use self-blame as an avoidance-based coping tool. Self-blame slows or, in many cases, stops the healing process. Other common emotional and psychological effects of rape, Lindsie started blaming herself for the situation that was occurred but, it is not the victims fault if one is sexually abused because whatever happened, happened against ones will and will plays an important role. As said by Anurag Prakash Ray, “Don’t give so much importance to someone that you actually lose your importance in their life.” Amir was too blind to see what life was really like for the majority Afghans of the outside upper-class realm he grew up in. He also experienced his first notable crush, with the love at first sight phenomenon, she proved to be the one that he would later marry. Amir also experienced the horror of war, and its effect on his homeland, and former peers. Innocence and rape is the foundation for The Kite
When Amir learned of what his Baba did, he felt a kinship between them that he never knew they had: “As it turned out, Baba and I were more alike than I’d ever known. We had both betrayed people that would have given their lives for us” (226). This kinship and similarity only goes so far, though. As stated before, the way they reacted after the event that caused them so much guilt differed greatly, and showed the true character of each person. Amir grew up a very troubled child with many character flaws, cowardice not being the least among them.
Insert context + quote + citation + explaination and analysis + connect back to thesis Finally, Amir stands the ground that he did as a child, when he watched his friend get sexually assaulted, he did not allow the same to happen to the child, and he stood up for him and took a beating for him in result of him reaching his goal of becoming a better man. Insert context + quote + citation + explaination and analysis + connect back to thesis In summary, in the novel The Kite Runner Amir was portrayed as the hero and he had a rough start, however when he was ready to set out his goal he was able to overcome the hardship and the obstacles he was faced with, and with a little help he was able to achieve his goal which was to become a better man in debt of the man he had betrayed. He was able to achieve this goal even how he stumbled so low in the beginning of the novel.
This ties in to the fact that if Amir had helped Hassan there would be a high probability of both of them getting hurt. The second point that ties in is that Hassan is a Hassar not a Pashtun and is therefore not regarded with the same level of respect and honor as a fellow Pashtun would. Another point that was brought up in the discussion is the question of Amirs religious alignment At his school he was taught as a Sunni Muslim; at home his father and seventh practices the culture of a Shi'a Muslim; and his father holds the opinions of an atheist. We reflected that Amir was most likely religiously confused and not holding any moral bearing due to his lack of a steadfast religious alignment. This could be one of the reasons that he might act in his childhood with such moral
Amir would even argue that Baba treats Hassan better and with more love than he treats his own blood in Amir. So, to Amir, Baba is treating him cruelly by not showing him the love and affection that a young boy needs and deserves growing up. What is interesting about this situation is the cruelty that Amir is describing and is upset with actually stems from cruelty in Baba’s past. The plot in The Kite Runner takes a turn when it is revealed that Hassan is actually Baba’s real son, and the only reason that Baba and Ali (Hassan’s “father” who raises him and also is a servant for the family) cover this up is due to the natural cruelty of the class system in Afghanistan. Hassan’s mother is a Hazara, and in this time period, Hazaras were looked down upon and seen as inferior.
If Amir had known that Hassan was his brother, he could have understood why Baba treated Hassan as an equal to his himself. He may have stepped in and saved Hassan from Assef. This shows that secrets and lies, another reoccurring theme in the book, can significantly change the outcome of ones
Not only does fleeing a violent situation prove Amir’s selfishness, but comparing Hassan to a lamb, dehumanizing him, shows his inhumanity. Amir believes that Hassan is just a price, that he has no human value, and that mindset is both a result of his deep desire to feel affection from his father, and an intrinsic value of demoralizing a lower class such as the Hazaras. Amir’s explicit betrayal of Hassan is further exemplified when he and Hassan meet face-to-face after the act of violence against him. As Amir approaches him, he notes that Hassan had the “blue kite in his hands” which was the first thing he saw, and says that he “can’t lie now and say [his] eyes didn’t scan it for any rips” (78). Amir admits that the first thing he sees after witnessing Hassan being sodomized was the kite, the ticket to Baba’s affection.
Furthermore, he also was the reason why Hassan and Alli moved out their house. Amir had many opportunities to say something, and sometimes he wanted to, but when the time came Amir was quite and never told anyone. Amir lived with guilt for a while it crippled him psychologically and he had reoccurring flashbacks about him not telling anyone of Hassan’s rape, and he wished he could have spoken up and said something.
Amir fails to protect Hassan. Amir put his needs before Hassan’s needs. As a consequence of Amir’s failure, Hassan is raped by Assef. Amir feels his betrayal as guilt for what he allows to happen.
In the novel, The Kite Runner,the lead character, Amir, is often made to resemble those that surround him. Amir is always defined by other characters and never truly gains an identity of his own. Without a defined view of himself, Amir defines himself by the mistakes of his past. Amir defining himself by his mistakes results in him becoming infatuated with them, as they are no longer just actions, but they are a part of his identity. The parallels the author draws between Amir and other characters emphasizes Amir’s guilt over his past actions; Amir’s obsession with his guilt causes him to become self absorbed, as he is focused solely on his guilt and not on how his past actions have affected others; as a result Amir is never fully able to redeem
Thesis: In both the memoir, Night, written by Elie Wisel, and the novel, Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, the main characters, Elie and Amir, have a moment of weakness putting themselves before family causing them to face many obstacles as they try to overcome the guilt they created. A. In the Kite Runner Amir betrays his only friend because of his jealousy and need of approval from his father; the guilt causes him to question his true intentions and identity which is shown as a constant obstacle throughout the novel B. Hosseini portrays Amir as a selfish person in the beginning of the novel, so later he can show he has changed, expressing the theme of redemption through Amir’s guilt. C. When Amir uses Hassan as a sacrificial lamb
In the novel the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini he illustrates the sacrifice one gives for love. Over the course of the novel Amir, Hassan, and Baba all face dramatic events that shape them to the person they are. Each one of them sacrifice a piece of their own happiness for the one they love. Hassan is loyal to Amir even though in their childhood Amir was not a good friend. Baba sacrifices his life in Afghanistan for Amir to have an education in America.
Loyalty and support is all Ali and Hassan provided to Baba’s entire family from the beginning. Ali has done everything for Amir from making his breakfast to getting his clothes ready in the morning. In addition, Amir made the wrong decision as Hassan and Amir are basically brothers. Family or in this case family friends have to stick together, “Did you know Hassan and you were fed from the same beast? Did you know that, Amir agha?”
Can Amir be good again… ? This is the exact question that has been continuously running through my mind with each turn of the page in The Kite Runner, though before hand, I found myself wondering what aspects, qualities, or characteristics have ever defined Amir as “good” in the first place? Furthermore, by the term, “good”, do our minds think of “good” as in only benefiting thyself, or benefiting those of the world around us? Before one can determine if Amir can be good again, these questions that linger in the depths of our mind must be brought to the surface of reality and acknowledged. As far as the reader knows, Hassan and Amir both started life at the same place, but when one analyzes the characters personal characteristics, they foil each other in such a way that Hassan seems to have a sole purpose of exposing the flaws of Amir throughout their childhood, leaving an everlasting impact on the reader's thoughts, in which it is hard for the reader to detect the good in Amir when there seems to be so much bad.
Amir resents baba for what he thinks is baba favoring Hassan over him. Throughout Hassan’s time in Baba’s house, Amir felt as if Hassan is given special treatment over him. A clear example of this is when Amir asks Baba if Hassan can leave their house. During this conversation, Baba responds with, “He’s staying right here with us, where he belongs. This is his home and we’re his family.
In the novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini tells the story of Amir, a young, Afghan boy who learns about what it means to be redeemed through the experiences he encounters in his life. The idea of redemption becomes a lesson for Amir when he is a witness to the tragic sexual assault of his childhood friend, Hassan. As a bystander in the moment, Amir determines what is more important: saving the life of his friend or running away for the safety of himself. In the end, Amir decides to flee, resulting in Amir having to live with the guilt of leaving Hassan behind to be assaulted. Hosseini shows us how Amir constantly deals with the remorse of the incident, but does not attempt to redeem himself until later in his life when Hassan has died.