Amir And Hassan Character Analysis
Amir and Hassan From the very beginning, there was a clear divide in how Amir and Hassan held themselves. First, it is very noticeable that Amir and Hassan are treated differently because of where they descended from. Since Amir is considered “pure” and Hassan is not Amir does not experience the hate that is given to Hassan throughout the book. Secondly, Amir and his father are wealthy whereas Hassan and his father live in a hut in Amir’s backyard showing how Hassan's people were usually poorer than those who were “pure” according to the Taliban. Lastly, because Amir’s father has money he is able to get a good education, but Hassan has no formal education due to his father’s financial status.It can be inferred throughout the book that Hazaras’
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are uneducated because they are seen as a lesser class. The way that Amir and Hassan live their lives gives the reader insight into the division of Afghan society at the time. The divisions that the boys experience will go on to shape the outcome for the rest of their lives. As the Taliban began to take over Afghanistan, an obvious racial divide began to form. The very first glimpse into that divide is in the second chapter of the book. In the military barracks that Amir and Hassan took a shortcut through to get home, a guard stopped the boys(7). The guard specifically told Hassan that he “knew his mother” and that he “took her from behind” by a creek nearby. As the boys walked away, the guard yelled after them “What a tight little sugary cunt she had!” as if to get one last jab in. The division is obvious in this situation, Hassan is being taunted by the guards because he is ethnically Hazara. The impact that this has on Hassan will cause him to always be extra aware of who he is around and the potential prejudices that one might have towards his skin color. Another way that the racial divide is vividly shown in the book is when Hassan is raped(75). The notion of rape is not at the forefront of the chapter, but as the argument progress between Hassan and Assef things take a turn for the worst(71-72,75). At first it seems that Assef and his friends are targeting Hassan because he got the losing kite in the final showdown of the kite-fighting tournament, but it becomes quickly known that he is also being targeted because he is Hazara. The events leading up to the rape and evidently the actual rape occurring, changed the way that both Hassan and Amir live their lives from then on. Hassan will be forever haunted of the terrible thing that happened to him that day but also comes face to face with his demons when he sees Assef and his friends at Amir’s birthday party(100). That encounter only bloodies the wound more than it already is. For Amir, he lives with the never ending feeling of guilt that he never helped Hassan when he was being raped(75). The guilt he feels ultimately leads Amir to make it look like Hassan stole from him, thus altering how Hassan will live his life even more than the events that had already taken place(104). It becomes very obvious early on that Amir’s father has quite a bit of money.
From one of the earliest points of the book, the author gives the reader a tour of Amir’s house(4-6). By the descriptions in the book, Amir’s house is a site to see in the area that he lives. As he leads the reader through the house, he takes them to the back of the garden where a servant's hut is located, another sign that Amir’s father is wealthy, this is the home of Hassan and his father. It is said that Hassan was born in the same hut that he lived in during this part of the book(6). With the obvious wealth difference between families, it can be inferred that Amir’s father may not be as frugal with his money whereas Hassan’s would be. This view shows how the boys will eventually live their lives but it also reinforces the stereotype that the Hazara are lesser in more ways than one. The wealth disparity between the two families also gives Amir a way to frame Hassan(104). The reason why money is was important in setting up Hassan is that everyone knows that Hassan doesn’t have a lot of money, and sometimes people who don’t have a whole lot of money can be taken as untrusting. With that view Amir was able to devise his plan to get Hassan out of his life in such a way that no one would ever think twice about what happened. This reinforces the prejudices that people had against Hassan’s people in ways that could really hurt one’s
reputation. Education is something that many people take for granted in today’s society. In the book, Amir is shown attending school(19). He says that at his school, all of the kids play a game with poems, he brags that he once beat the class all by himself. It is never mentioned throughout the book that Hassan has ever attended school. The reader can get an idea of Hassan’s level of education when he asks Amir what a republic is and if it the word means he and his father will have to move away(37). With that one example it is easy to tell that Hassan doesn’t really know general meanings of a lot things especially words, whereas Amir has some sort of idea even if it is wrong it is closer to the answer than Hassan. Another example of how education impacts how the boys live their lives is when Amir and his father move to America(125). Amir graduated high school in 1983, though the oldest in his class by far he received a good education(131). There is no mention that Hassan and his father moved to America with Amir but later on in the book, Rahim Khan tells Amir how Hassan died. One can infer that Hassan never moved out of Afghanistan, a reason why he never moved out of Afghanistan even though it was being controlled by the Taliban could be that he never was really educated about all of the things that were happening. Staying in Afghanistan was not a smart choice for anyone who was being targeted by the Taliban but as stated earlier, many a stereotype of the Hazara was that they were not very educated. Hassan only knew what he had grown up with, so he basically had no choice but to stay in Afghanistan. The education that the boys received or the lack thereof ultimately impacted the rest of their lives. Amir received opportunities that he never would have gotten if he was still in Afghanistan, and Hassan was killed due to not know what was really going on. The way that both of the boys were brought up were very much along the lines of the stereotypes that were given to them based on their skin color. The paths that they took ultimately came down to how society viewed their race as a whole. The divisions in Afghanistan that applied in general to everyone fit into both of the boys’ upbringings and how they continued their lives. Showing both radical ends of the spectrum, gave the reader a perspective of the real divide that was going on during that time.
are uneducated because they are seen as a lesser class. The way that Amir and Hassan live their lives gives the reader insight into the division of Afghan society at the time. The divisions that the boys experience will go on to shape the outcome for the rest of their lives. As the Taliban began to take over Afghanistan, an obvious racial divide began to form. The very first glimpse into that divide is in the second chapter of the book. In the military barracks that Amir and Hassan took a shortcut through to get home, a guard stopped the boys(7). The guard specifically told Hassan that he “knew his mother” and that he “took her from behind” by a creek nearby. As the boys walked away, the guard yelled after them “What a tight little sugary cunt she had!” as if to get one last jab in. The division is obvious in this situation, Hassan is being taunted by the guards because he is ethnically Hazara. The impact that this has on Hassan will cause him to always be extra aware of who he is around and the potential prejudices that one might have towards his skin color. Another way that the racial divide is vividly shown in the book is when Hassan is raped(75). The notion of rape is not at the forefront of the chapter, but as the argument progress between Hassan and Assef things take a turn for the worst(71-72,75). At first it seems that Assef and his friends are targeting Hassan because he got the losing kite in the final showdown of the kite-fighting tournament, but it becomes quickly known that he is also being targeted because he is Hazara. The events leading up to the rape and evidently the actual rape occurring, changed the way that both Hassan and Amir live their lives from then on. Hassan will be forever haunted of the terrible thing that happened to him that day but also comes face to face with his demons when he sees Assef and his friends at Amir’s birthday party(100). That encounter only bloodies the wound more than it already is. For Amir, he lives with the never ending feeling of guilt that he never helped Hassan when he was being raped(75). The guilt he feels ultimately leads Amir to make it look like Hassan stole from him, thus altering how Hassan will live his life even more than the events that had already taken place(104). It becomes very obvious early on that Amir’s father has quite a bit of money.
From one of the earliest points of the book, the author gives the reader a tour of Amir’s house(4-6). By the descriptions in the book, Amir’s house is a site to see in the area that he lives. As he leads the reader through the house, he takes them to the back of the garden where a servant's hut is located, another sign that Amir’s father is wealthy, this is the home of Hassan and his father. It is said that Hassan was born in the same hut that he lived in during this part of the book(6). With the obvious wealth difference between families, it can be inferred that Amir’s father may not be as frugal with his money whereas Hassan’s would be. This view shows how the boys will eventually live their lives but it also reinforces the stereotype that the Hazara are lesser in more ways than one. The wealth disparity between the two families also gives Amir a way to frame Hassan(104). The reason why money is was important in setting up Hassan is that everyone knows that Hassan doesn’t have a lot of money, and sometimes people who don’t have a whole lot of money can be taken as untrusting. With that view Amir was able to devise his plan to get Hassan out of his life in such a way that no one would ever think twice about what happened. This reinforces the prejudices that people had against Hassan’s people in ways that could really hurt one’s
reputation. Education is something that many people take for granted in today’s society. In the book, Amir is shown attending school(19). He says that at his school, all of the kids play a game with poems, he brags that he once beat the class all by himself. It is never mentioned throughout the book that Hassan has ever attended school. The reader can get an idea of Hassan’s level of education when he asks Amir what a republic is and if it the word means he and his father will have to move away(37). With that one example it is easy to tell that Hassan doesn’t really know general meanings of a lot things especially words, whereas Amir has some sort of idea even if it is wrong it is closer to the answer than Hassan. Another example of how education impacts how the boys live their lives is when Amir and his father move to America(125). Amir graduated high school in 1983, though the oldest in his class by far he received a good education(131). There is no mention that Hassan and his father moved to America with Amir but later on in the book, Rahim Khan tells Amir how Hassan died. One can infer that Hassan never moved out of Afghanistan, a reason why he never moved out of Afghanistan even though it was being controlled by the Taliban could be that he never was really educated about all of the things that were happening. Staying in Afghanistan was not a smart choice for anyone who was being targeted by the Taliban but as stated earlier, many a stereotype of the Hazara was that they were not very educated. Hassan only knew what he had grown up with, so he basically had no choice but to stay in Afghanistan. The education that the boys received or the lack thereof ultimately impacted the rest of their lives. Amir received opportunities that he never would have gotten if he was still in Afghanistan, and Hassan was killed due to not know what was really going on. The way that both of the boys were brought up were very much along the lines of the stereotypes that were given to them based on their skin color. The paths that they took ultimately came down to how society viewed their race as a whole. The divisions in Afghanistan that applied in general to everyone fit into both of the boys’ upbringings and how they continued their lives. Showing both radical ends of the spectrum, gave the reader a perspective of the real divide that was going on during that time.