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How Is Assef Portrayed As A Psychopath

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In the novel “The Kite Runner” Assef is viewed as a psychopath and sociopath. According to dictionary.com psychopath means “a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior.” and sociopath means “produce an addictive cycle for abuser and abused, as well as creating hopelessness in the victim” Assef was viewed as a psychopath and sociopath since he was a child, kids and even his parents were scared of him and his rages. Assef had a mental illness that was being a psychopath and sociopath with that mental illness he hurt and took advantage of many people. Assef who manipulates others, abuses others, looks for fights, and felt no guilt for what he had done was a psychopath and a sociopath. Assef first …show more content…

He was a violent person who loved to hurt others and to see others suffering. Assef’s form of dealing with a problem was fighting.‘“When it's all done, only one of us will walk out of this room alive”’(Hosseini 283). Assef was always trying to hurt someone when they did not do what he wanted them to do or simply if he disliked them. According to The Healthy Place, sociopaths are “Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults” (Peterson). When Assef was young he showed those Sociopathic traits in multiple occasions. One of them was when he would try to fight and hurt Amir and Hassan. A sociopathic looks for occasions when they can take their aggressiveness out and usually look for fights. Assef was a sociopath and proved it when he decided to risk his life when he and Amir fought for Sorohabs life. Assef not only hurt others in fights, but also hurt others by sexually abusing them which would emotionally affect the victim as well. For instance, when he raped Hassan, Hassan would act differently and it affected his relationship with …show more content…

According to the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy, “psychopathic symptoms include, A lack of guilt – when a psychopath does something that hurts another and feels no remorse about it” (Tracy). After all the cruel things that Assef did to others he did not feel bad about it because he would continue hurting others. “He brushed his lips against Sohrab’s ear, kept his eye on me. “I heard your father died. Tsk-tsk. I always did want to take him on. Looks like I’ll have to settle for his weakling of a son.”(Hosseini 281). Assef had no guilt and brought up to Sohrab the death of his father that Sohrab witness. Assef brought it up to hurt Sohrab and Amir because he knew that they both had a special relationship with hassan in the past. Only mentally ill people will be bad enough to hurt young kids and not feel any type of

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was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt” (Hosseini 77). Amir proves to be a coward and an unloyal friend when he leaves Hassan to the bullies. This event affects Amir’s future throughout the book because when the time came, he showed his true colors. He settled on being a coward because he was too afraid of what Assef might have done to him also.

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Since he was a child, Amir has been struggling with the guilt he has because of his betrayal to Hassan. Khaled Hosseini uses the theme of redemption to show the reader the difficulty of Amir trying to make up for his actions. Amir goes through many difficult trials through his life but the most prominent is the road to redemption he goes on to forgive himself for his betrayal to Hassan. At the beginning of the novel we see Amir in America answering a call from Rahim Khan. After the call Amir says “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it.

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He has unfinished business with amir.¨ When it's all done, only one of us will walk out of this room alive,¨ Assef said. ¨if it's him, them he's earned his freedom and to let him pass, do you understand?¨ What Assef is saying is that they have to settle their differences and if Amir wins then he gets to take Sohrab home. Amir is a good person, he is willing to get beat to death to save Sohrab. He is risking his life to save

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“Assef gritted his teeth. ‘Put it down, you motherless Hazara.’ Please leave us be, Agha’ Hassan said’” (Hosseini, 41). This scene is an example of how daring Hassan is because he is threatening someone who could easily hurt him, but he’s doing it because he feels as if he has no choice, and he believes he needs to protect not only himself but his friend, Amir.

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According to Assef, his ways of thinking was always to eliminate the Hazaras. To him, Hazaras were the Jews of Germany when Hitler had been a ruler. Without considering him, he raped Hassan as a child. His act of cruelty didn’t only affect Hassan but it affected his relationship with Amir. Assef continued his Hazara executions and got rid of most.

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Amir first realizes the depth of his cowardice as he watches Assef rape Hassan in the alley and thinks, “I could step in into that alley, stand up for Hassan—the way he stood up for me all those times in the past—and accept whatever happened to me. Or I could run” (Hosseini 77). He has an epiphany that he could choose to be brave and selfless like Hassan and step up to Assef regardless of any physical consequences. However, despite his understanding that the noble choice would be to interfere and stop Assef, Amir is unable to act on it because his fear of Assef overwhelms him. The guilt that consumes Amir in the weeks following Hassan’s rape indicates that he understands the extent of his selfish behavior and needs to resolve it before he can forgive himself.

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While being beaten up by Assef, Amir feels at peace. He feels this ways because he feels that as he is taking the hits from Assef, it shows that he would do anything for Hassan. He is redeeming himself in a way that he is standing up not only for Hassan but also for Sohrab. Amir also stands up for his family, redeeming himself. " Hassan is dead now.

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Throughout the Kite Runner, the violent scenes mark a turning point in the book. In one of the first violent scenes of the book, when Assef is chasing Hassan and Mair, Hassan sticks up for Amir and threatens to take out Assef’s eye if he does not leave them alone. When reflecting on the incident, Amir writes, “Hassan had pulled the wide elastic band all the way back. In the cup was a rock the size of a walnut.

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Redemption; it is often sought after suffering a defeat or committing a crime or wrongdoing. The past can never be undone but only redeemed, or offset, by the present and future. In the dramatic novel, The Kite Runner, author, Khaled Hosseini, formed the main character of the story into a dynamic character in order to reveal the idea that past transgressions can be atoned. Amir, the protagonist of the novel, originally as an adolescent was weak and cowardly; Amir chose his own selfish desire over rescuing his loyal friend from abuse. Eventually, Amir’s life changed dramatically and he demonstrated selflessness and courage through his actions.

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He used fear to put himself at the top, making sure everyone was below him and they were looking up at him. Assefs rape also put fear into his followers eyes, seeing that he wasn't scared to do something so horrific to Hassan, worried them that he might do the same to them. His parents were also victims of his dominating ways. During a party Assef and his parents came walking in, assef in front. When talking to other adults, Assef was the leader, and his parents were like his children, instead of the other way around.

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Throughout Amir’s life he lives with the guilt that he caused to his best friend, Hassan. One day after a kite race, Amir and Hassan go to look for a kite, and after being split up, Amir panics because he can’t find Hassan. Later, Amir finally finds Hassan being attacked by an evil kid named Assef. Amir ran off, je ran because he didn’t want to deal

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He would do anything for Hassan to make up for his childhood. After finding Sohrab, Amir comes face to face with Assef, Hassan 's rapist. “Another rib snapped, this time lower. What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in the corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this…

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The Kite Runner is a novel written by Khaled Hosseini, this novel shares the story of a young boy named Amir and his transition from childhood to adulthood. Amir makes many mistakes as a child, but the moral of the story is to focus not on the mistakes he has made, but how he has grown, and become a better man by redeeming himself for the mistakes he has made. The mistakes he has made mostly revolve around his friend Hassan, and his father Baba. Three of the most prominent mistakes are when Amir doesn’t help Hassan when he is being attacked by the village boys, lying to Baba about Hassan, and not appreciating and abusing Hassan’s loyalty to him.

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The failure in Amir’s human nature is caring only for himself which leaves Amir to abandon the right decision, standing up to Assef even if it means suffering the same faith as Hassan. Amir, “ had one last chance to make a decision... 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” (Hosseini 77).

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“I did not know what had emboldened me to be so curt, maybe the fact that I thought I was going to die anyway” (Hosseini 299). This quote is important because Amir carelessly argues with Assef and did not care with what he says. Amir is ok to do anything for Sohrab regardless. He already knows he is going to die so why not redeem himself. Furtherly, Hosseini writes, “Hassan had taken the pomegranate from my hand, crushed against his forehead.

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