Theme Of Violence In The Kite Runner

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Violence, the embodiment of evil in human civilization, is something that many people are afraid of when it comes to books. The primary purpose of historical fiction is usually to allow readers to empathize with people who have dealt with different forms of violence, which can only be done by examining the specific accounts of horrors that they faced in their everyday lives. Khaled Hosseini describes the sexual abuse faced by Hassan and Sohrab in “The Kite Runner” to exemplify the uncomfortable reality of the world and to specifically bring light to the unrecognized oppression Afghanis face. Baba expresses the idea that all crimes are a variation of theft (Hosseini 17). In the case of sexual abuse, this fact holds true, as sexual assault is robbing a person of their consent and their body. Hosseini includes the gruesome acts of rape in detail because it is an act that everyone is aware of, but not something that people fully understand the physical, mental, psychological, and behavioral effects on individuals. He uses the account of Amir, who witnesses something so brutal that it scars him for the rest of his life. Amir says that “I pretended I hadn’t heard the crack in his voice. Just like I pretended I hadn’t seen the dark stain in the seat of his pants. Or those tiny drops that fell from between his legs and …show more content…

This gruesome account reflects the brutal violence committed against Hassan as well as the psychological shock faced by Amir as a result of witnessing the act. This allows