...Fear and Selfishness According to psychology today, fear is a vital response to physical and emotional danger. Selfishness on the other hand is the act of putting your own needs and desires at the expense of others. Selfish behaviour is a direct result when facing fearful events in an individual’s life. As fear takes over and an individual is out of his or her comfort zone, one may resort to selfish behaviours in an attempt to regain control and suppress their fears. Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner exemplifies the relationship between fear and selfishness through the actions of the characters. Both Amir and Assef display the relationship between fear and selfishness through Hassan’s rape, Amir’s attempt to strengthen his relationship with Baba, and Amir’s plot to get rid of Hassan. The relationship between fear and selfishness is shown through Assef and his actions through the raping of Hassan. “His well-earned reputation for savagery preceded him on the streets. Flanked by his obeying friends, he walked the neighbourhood like a Khan strolling through his land with his eager-to-please entourage. His word was law…” (Hosseini, 41). Assef, being the typical neighbourhood bully, is used to being the subject of fear for others and is always in a position of...
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...LIFE GOES ON BY: Fazila Asif Grade: 11 Teacher: Mr. Lane A touching tale of bravery and weakness, fathers and sons, friendships and betrayal, blood and tears. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini takes us on a heroic, epic tale from the final days of a cherished, peaceful absolutely stunning Afghanistan monarchy, to the horrific, disgusting, disturbing Taliban ruled Afghanistan of today. It exposes a better understanding of traditional ways and the isolation of religions throughout this once decent land. The kite runner is an utmost tragedy because a young boy by the name of Hassan is raped, seen, yet not helped; a father is accused of his son being a thief, innocent, yet driven out of his house due to his sons miserable past, a peaceful country destroyed and taken over, strong, yet scared to fight for what’s right. “Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.” The kite runner is a tragedy because an illiterate, naïve, young boy is raped right before his friend Amir’s eyes who also happens to be his master, because of his race and appearance. Amir is also the partial reason of his rape, Amir stood is grief, watched him get tormented yet didn’t raise a voice or even a hand, didn’t call for help just watched his friend suffer. "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...
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...The Kite Runner: Literary Analysis In a perfect world, friendship and true friendship would be synonymous. Unfortunately, this is not the case. For children, friendship can be simplified to enjoying eachother’s company and playing with one another, whereas true friendship may be taking the blame so the other can avoid the cruel and unusual punishment of timeout. No matter the age, true friendship exists where selflessness thrives, meaning one must seek out another’s highest good before even considering their own. In The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, Amir’s childhood friendship with Hassan is one plagued with underlying jealousy and manipulation, but Amir’s transformation from selfish child to selfless adult helps him to overcome his own self-loathing and become the true friend that Hassan deserved all along. From the beginning of the novel all the way through his death, Hassan maintains an unchanging good-heartedness that shines through him and his actions. His loyalty, selflessness, and forgiving nature are just what make him a true friend to Amir. Hassan’s loyalty to Amir is made known early in the novel in one of Amir’s flashbacks. The two sit up in a tree, causing mischief, when Ali comes to reprimand them. Amir recalls “[Hassan] never told on me. Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbor’s dog, was always my idea” (4). This flashback tells us a lot about the boys’ relationship. First and foremost, we see that Hassan’s...
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...How betrayal can lead to redemption Betrayal is an issue several people can relate to, either done by a family member or a friend. In the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, we witness how betrayal played a vital role in the downfall of the main characters Amir and Hassan’s friendship, and how it influenced Amir’s pursuit to redeem himself in hopes to move on from his mistakes. The novel begins with Amir as an adult, recalling an event that took place in 1975 Kabul, Afghanistan and how this event was what changed the rest of his life and made him who he now is. This event was Amir’s reluctance to help Hassan while he was being raped, and how this impacted his desire to, later on, mature and be “good” again. Khaled Hosseini shows how Amir’s Islamic faith and guilt over abandoning Hassan ultimately led Amir to forgive himself and seek redemption. All in all, this novel demonstrates that even in cases of betrayal, redemption is possible. In The Kite Runner, Hosseini tells a story of the close friendship of two young boys who come from different social classes, Amir, the Pashtun wealthy boy and Hassan, the Hazara servant. Taking place in Kabul, Afghanistan in the 1970s a time where there was a huge...
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...Hommen ENG3U0 December 7, 2014 In the novel, “Kite runner” by Khaled Hosseini the childhood of a small town boy by the name of Amir unfolds, when we realize that he lives under a shadow of guilt. He grows up, changes and is affected by his environment –whether that is Afghanistan or California. Transforming into a portrait of an immensely likeable and dominant character. After proving himself honorable when he makes up for his mistakes, overcomes his fears and acknowledges his misdeeds. Amir is a credible protagonist as he took the recognition to become a better person and seek redemption for all his mistakes. Although at first he tried to bury his sins by forgetting the past and living in the present day America, he was called home with an unexpected opportunity to work towards forgiveness. “There is a way to be good again…Rahim Khan had said on the phone just before hanging up, said it almost as an after thought.” (Hosseini, 202) Amir’s opportunity to be “good again” appears unforeseen, when suddenly returning to Afghan seems like the only way to atone for his sins now. He seeks out for Hassan’s orphaned son, Sohrab as he risks his life in order to rescue him. Through saving Sohrab’s life in a way, Amir has saved his own. “Been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.”(Hosseini, 1) This is a little teaser in the beginning of the book that hints an event that has largely defined the course of Amir’s life ever since. This foreshadows the incident in...
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...In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the main character, Amir, is in a constant struggle between morality and immorality. The relationship between Amir and Hassan shows dominance on Amir’s part, which is obvious when Amir constantly puts blame on Hassan, when he left his friend to be abused by other men, and when he delivers the harshest blow by attempting to frame both Hassan and his father for stealing in order to get rid of Hassan. This obvious mistreatment towards his friend indicates both his lack of ethics and his selfishness, therefore causing ill feelings towards him. Whereas characters with similar personalities as Amir would become instantly disliked by all, his intense desire to win his father’s affection and approval evoke a sense of both sympathy and understanding. Furthermore, later in the novel, Amir’s apparent guilt and attempts at atonement make up, to a certain extent, for all of the wrongs he did in the past. The novel opens with the introduction of the relationship between Amir and Hassan. Right from the very beginning, Amir’s establishes the class distinction between them by stating that both Hassan and his father are the servants of Baba, Amir’s father; thus, Hassan is automatically ranked “below” Amir. Further showing his believed superiority, Amir refers to Hassan as a “Hazara,” though he doesn’t mean in a derogatory way until later in the novel. However, Amir does not really use that against him, as he seems his as more of a brother or friend...
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...The Kite Runner “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. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.” That quote by Amir illustrates the major theme of The Kite Runner, which is the past is always right behind you. The author Khaled Hosseini lets the reader know this at the very beginning of the book when the older Amir says “I became what I am today at the age of twelve...”, this lets us know that this whole book is based on the past and has always affected Amir’s actions. All the characters in this allow the past to control them. p Letting the past control your future will lead to your downfall in life. Everybody has a past and everybody has regrets, this is a fact of life. That theme resonates throughout the book as you meet new people and learn about their history. Every character in this book clings to their past as if it were a lifesaver and they were stuck in the middle of the ocean. In reality them clinging to their past is more like tying themselves to a boulder and sinking to the bottom of the ocean. If one cannot let go of the past one cannot move forward because they are always facing the wrong direction. For most of the book Amir allow the past to dictate his actions. Amir, the protagonist, tries to find Hassan so he can get his kite back and show his father that he won. After awhile he stumbles...
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...disloyal and betray those whom they love. This event leads to two paths, one in which a person tries anything to redeem themselves and another where selfishness takes over. Likewise, Macbeth by William Shakespeare and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini use the main characters from their works to demonstrate that sometimes without a second thought, betrayal takes place. They also show how some characters use betrayal to their advantage while others redeem themselves, as well, how even those who stay loyal end up having to pay the same price. At the end however, how people react to the guilt that they encounter in the past is what makes them who they are in the future. Macbeth and The Kite Runner both show how the main characters betray those who respect as well as trust them. Macbeth's eyes are blinded by the power of the throne and he will do anything just to obtain it. Since no one expects Macbeth to betray anyone close to him, he takes this as an advantage and says to himself “a false face must hide what a false heart doth know.”(I, vii, 94-95) With this in mind, it is evident that Macbeth betrays Duncan, Banquo and the whole of Scotland. He uses his innocence and trust that he gained from others to hide what his true intentions are and ends up betraying many people just for the good of himself. Similarly, in The Kite Runner the main character Amir is troubled by the guilt that builds inside of him after he betrays his best friend- Hassan, his father- Baba and Hassan's father...
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...Many characters in The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, and Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, commit acts of betrayal. Amir betrays his best friend Hassan more than once because he is too scared to own up to his actions, while Lady Macbeth betrays Macbeth due to her own selfishness and greed. Acts of betrayal are committed out of pure selfishness, and the more acts one commits, the easier it becomes to continue. However, they always have negative side effects. Amir committed an act of betrayal towards Hassan by watching him be sexually assaulted and not helping, although he knew he should. He considered helping because Hassan would have helped him if the situation was the other was around. He did not help because he was too scared of what Assef would do to him. Amir knew what he was doing wrong, and he knew he should have stood up for Hassan, as stated in this quote: “In the...
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...as worrying can never change the future. In the Novel, The Kite Runner, Amir witnesses Hassan's encounter with Assef, since that incident, Amir suffers the thought of guilt throughout his whole life. His relationship with Hassan was broken and it lead to many events that Amir wish he could reverse. This lead to many events that molded Amir into the present man he is today. The past reminisces the minds and actions of several character in the book and Amir's future will continue to change due to the actions he has done in the past. People's respect in Afghanistan is mainly based off their social class. Pashtuns treat Hazaras poorly and they are above them. The difference in social class set Amir and Hassan apart. Although Hassan was Amirs servant. They were best friends. For an example, during an incident in the beginning of the book, Amir said,"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." (7.137-139) Amir is faced with the choice of doing the right thing in helping Hassan or doing nothing to protect his reputation. He is contemplating the decision and the outcome of his decision. His choice in involving himself into protecting Hassan lead to Hassan's sexual abuse. His selfishness cost him his happiness. Amir would would later feel guilt...
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...Guilt and the search for redemption are two very important themes in “The Kite Runner”, as the reader watches Amir, the main character, deal with his guilt over the betrayal of a friend and the lengths he would go to gain forgiveness. Amir has always felt guilty over the loss of his mother. She died giving birth to him and he sees himself as his mother’s killer, the one who took Baba’s “princess” away form him. Amir believes that this is the reason why his relationship with his father is so strained and spends most of his childhood attempting to win his father’s love and forgiveness. His constant need of Baba’s approval is what drives Amir to want to win the kite fighting competition, to show Baba that he could also be a winner and make him proud. Amir is convinced that if he brings Baba the blue kite he will finally forgive him for his mother’s death and truly accept him. In his search for redemption Amir commits a terrible crime when he watches his friend Hassan get raped but does nothing about it. Instead of standing up to his friend and try to stop Assef from raping Hassan he hides and after pretends he never saw anything. He tries to justify his actions by saying that if he had intervened he would have gotten hurt, but he knows that the real reason why he did not defend Hassan is that he would have lost the kite and with it Baba’s love, so he sacrifices his friend for the approval of his father. “I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real...
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...In his tremendously bold and thought-provoking novel ‘The Kite Runner’, Khaled Hossieni leads his audience down the path of a young boy growing up in Afghanistan and his road to find redemption. At the beginning of the novel, we find a grown man named Amir, still struggling to overcome his ‘shameful past’ of sins, lying and betrayal. As we are transported into the world of Amir in his home town of Kabul in North-East Afghanistan, we experience his life story; from early childhood, where he flew kites daily with his Hazara friend Hassan, to his adulthood in America where he struggled to live in the poor conditions with his ill father. Amir’s wrong-doings back in his childhood forever haunt him and the secrets of his past drive him to seek redemption and endeavor to find amends for his sins. Amir’s childhood consisted of mockery and disloyalty to Hassan. Even after moving away to America with his father, Amir finds it difficult and cannot bury his guilt. Amir’s return to Afghanistan in order to ‘be good again’, is a mere act of selfishness as his only motivation for returning was to relieve himself of the remorse that he felt for many years. In the beginning, Amir and Hassan’s friendship seems unbinding and they are practically inseparable. Whether flying kites out in the streets or reading books by the pomegranate tree, the two young Afghani boys did everything together. Hassan’s unyielding loyalty and willingness to serve Amir is truly astonishing and yet Amir tends never to...
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...Role of Conflict and Power Paper Shaun Weems March 4, 2016. BSHS385 Andrea Winston The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, is a novel about power, justice, and both internal and external conflict. The feelings of jealousy and selfishness are continually shown by at least two of the main characters throughout the story. This is also a story of cultural power brought on by the influences of the Taliban within the Afghan society. Power is a constant theme throughout the novel and ties closely with the conflict in the characters. Amir, is the central character and is shaped both in character and intellect by power. He is privileged and wealthy, but also steeped in jealousy and cowardice. He is selfish and guilty of abhorrent behaviors. The one positive strength Amir has in his friendship with Hassan. Considered best friends this is a friendship that is generally one-sided with Hassan showing the loyalty and trust. There is an ongoing conflict for this friendship because Amir shares paternal heritage with Hassan. Hassan was born into servitude and thus Baba, the boys’ father, cannot lay claim to Hassan’s heritage. The Afghan traditions and culture pose a conflict for Baba regarding Hassan. Hassan for his part is loyal, forgiving, and an all- around pleasant person to be with. The two boys are drawn to each other naturally. Hassan is the family servant and never wavers in his loyalty to the family even with the knowledge that he should be considered part of it. At the...
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...I stare down at the crumbs of shattered glass and trails of punch. I was mad that I was not crowned Homecoming Queen and smashed the punch bowl onto the floor. I ruined the night for both teachers and students with my selfishness. Now people are gone and I am alone staring at the mess I created. As I do this, I notice my new white shirt is blemished with red blotches. Apparently the impact of the smash was so hard, the punch somehow managed to reach me. I take it off, disgusted-- it is the evidence of my crime, a token that will trigger bad memories to flow in my head. But instead of tossing it, I decide to use it to clean up the damage. After glass and punch are off the floor, I then decide I might as well clean the entire gym-- all with that stained shirt. Cleaning will not bring back the night, but it will ease the pain I caused. At least now the Associated Student Body will not have to clean the gym themselves. If there is one lesson I learned from Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, it would be just that: “There is a way to be good again,” (2). Though it is Rahim Khan who verbalizes it, polar characters Baba and Amir are the ones who demonstrate that no matter how severe a sin is committed, redemption is possible and the pursuit of reaching inner satisfaction and peace can live on. In the novel, there is a tale that Baba once wrestled a black bear in Baluchistan with his bare hands. Whether it is valid or not, it acts as a metaphor for what Baba can and would do. No matter...
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...Though The Kite Runner is consistently focused on the relationships between male characters, there are some women who play important roles and that allow the reader to view differences between the Afghan and American societies as they pertain to women. Perhaps the most obvious differences in societal behavior are shown in Sanaubar, Hassan’s mother; Soraya, Amir’s wife; and Jamila, General Taheri’s wife and Soraya’s mother. Sanaubar was Hassan’s mother and Ali’s wife for a time. Though Sanaubar was infamously immoral in her youth and abandoned Hassan just after he was born, she proved herself a caring grandmother to Sohrab when she reappeared later in the novel. Sanaubar’s character provides a parallel between Afghan and American society. Sanaubar’s leaving shows that even in Afghan culture there are women who abandon their families out of selfishness or fear. From what is said about Sanaubar, too, shows that infidelity and seduction are also not foreign to places such as Afghanistan. It was said once of Sanaubar that, "I have heard that Sanaubar's stride and oscillating hips sent men into reveries of infidelity." This quote suggests that Sanaubar was very beautiful and, like many American women, used her looks as a tool to use men. Amir’s wife, Soraya is perhaps the most important woman in the novel. She is steady, intelligent, and always there for Amir when he needs her. She can be strong-willed like her father, General Taheri, and deplores the way women are often treated...
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