Flying kites is a passion of both Amir and Hassan and as they win the national kite fighting championship Amirs finally wins a spot in the heart of his torn father. But after this competition the kite takes on a very different significance to the boys as Amir witnesses Hassans rape but does not step in, in the fear the perpetrators will steal his victory prize and his father will see him as a failure. Ironically Amir not standing up to the boys meant that he had become “ The boy [I] his father was afraid he would become.” Amirs actions that day and his failings to step in and save amir switched the symbolism of the Kite from victory and happiness to a sign of betrayal and guilt. Amirs guilt means that he can’t stand to be in the same house as Hassan so he frames Hassan of theft and force his father to fire him. This is the last time Amir would see Hassan. But despite all of these adversities Amir many many years later finds his redemption as the novel closes, Amir and Hassan orphan Shrobha are flying a kite, again the symvolism has done a complete turn around and the kite signifies happiness and the fact that even in the worst of circumstances redemption is attainable. Significantly the roles have also reversed as Sorbha cuts a kite Amir runs it looking back over his shoulder he…
The story opens in pre-Taliban Kabul, Afghanistan. The protagonist, Amir, is recalling events from his childhood. He lived a lavish life with his father, Baba, and their servant, Ali and his son Hassan. Hassan and Amir grew up together and were almost like brothers, however Ali and Hassan belonged to the religious minority group, the Shias, and Baba and Amir, Sunni Muslims, superior. The different religious sects made it difficult for the boys to be real friends, despite their many character similarities and personal connection to one another. Hassan and Amir had a lot in common, such as the fact that they both grew up without a mother. Though they were raised with different beliefs, they were brought up together, and spent their entire childhoods making memories with each other.…
Amir is very selfish and only does things for his own benefit. He did not have the courage or strength to step in and save his friend in the alley from Assef. He made the choice to betray his friend. As Hassan stood his ground in the alley and chooses to honor his promise to Amir and return the kite to him, Amir stood silent at the end of the alley and watched the beating and rape of his friend Hassan. The following quotation emphasizes how Amir is unworthy of Hassan’s loyalty: “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 time in the past – and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran.” (82). Amir’s betrayal continues, as he later decides that he no longer wants Hassan and his father in the household, so he decides to set up Hassan and accuse him of stealing. “I went downstairs, crossed the yard, and entered Ali and Hassan’s living quarters by the loquat tree. I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it.” (110). Amir betrays Hassan by trying to have his friend fired for stealing. Hassan took the blame to keep Amir out of trouble. This…
After Amir wins the competition, Hassan goes to retrieve his kite, when he then gets into a brawl with Assef and his two other boys. When Amir goes to find Hassan, he sees how he is getting abused by Assef and decides not to do anything about. He thought to himself, “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” (Hosseini 77). In the end, Amir decided to run because he was a coward and only thought of the best for himself, not Hassan. Readers uncover irony within this section of the novel. In order for Hassan not to be raped, he had to give Assef Amir’s kite, which Hassan knew would help boost Amir and Baba’s relationship. So Hassan, being a great friend, sacrifices himself, just so that Baba can be proud of Amir for once. After the rape, Amir and Hassan become distant from one another. When the two are face-to-face, Amir wishes Hassan would punish him. For instance, he pelts Hassan with the pomegranates, because he wants Hassan to hit him back. Punishment, Amir feels, would at least begin to make up for the way he wronged Hassan. Hassan, however, will not retaliate, and that became the greatest torment for Amir. Since Amir is still filled with the guilt of leaving Hassan to be raped in the alleyway, he decided he has to put an end to this. Seeing Hassan everyday was a constant reminder of his wronged actions. So, Amir went into Hassan’s living quarters, lifted his “mattress and planted [his] new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it”, which made Baba believe Hassan stole all those items (Hosseini 104). Baba begs for Ali and Hassan to stay with them, but Ali makes the final decision that it would be best if they…
Amir's selfishness costs him his friendship with Hassan. From the beginning of "The Kite Runner" it is evident that Amir and Hassan's relationship was a very close one. However, Amir betrays Hassan and their friendship when Amir watches Hassan being raped by Assef. Amir makes no attempt to stop or prevent the rape. This can be contrasted to when Sohrab cuts himself with a razor when Amir makes the most effort that…
In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini the protagonist Amir has found himself in a collision with forces beyond his control and in his case his response to the collision can be described as morally questionable. We see this first on the day of Hassan's raping and years later with Assef and Amir last encounter.…
In the book, The Kite Runner, the main character Amir faced a conflict in which he has let down his friend. In chapter 7, the author shared that Amir ran away from the situation leaving Hassan hopeless…
As I read pages 77-78, even though I didn’t like it, I found out why Amir didn’t do anything to help Hassan. All his life, he wanted to make his father proud, and he knew with the blue kite he would accomplish that. This part of the book is similar to a window. I was looking into Amir’s hardest decision in life and why he did what he did. Through Amir’s eyes, Baba’s praise was more important than Hassan’s safety. It gave me a view of hardships I never (and hope to never) experience. Hassan was put into a situation just because his job is to serve and protect Amir. It also showed me the ending of an amazing friendship. Therefore, because of Amir’s cowardliness and selfishness, his relationship with Hassan designagrated.…
The overarching theme of Kite Runner is redemption. Taking that in the violence and misery incorporated in the book was necessary. With its use a realistic picture of Afghanistan and decisions that could lead to regret one almost forgets it’s a work of fiction. The violence, especially regarding the rape of Hassan and Sohrab, was written so detailed that it leaves scars on the reader. It fully captures the readers and embeds the feeling of guilt Amir holds, into ones conscience. It is almost as if the readers themselves is Amir instead of just following his story line.…
Amir betrays Hassan the most in the book. First, he allows Hassan to be assaulted by Assef. He does nothing to stop it and only worries about the kite when it is over. “He had the blue kite in his…
the kite, while Hassan feeds him the string. When Amir downs a kite, Hassan is his kite…
In today’s society many people make mistakes and either choose not to fix them, or never have the chance to. The Kite Runner is a fictional work by Khaled Hosseini. Hoesseini starts the book with a memory of Hassan kite running for Amir, which leads to a horrible mistake. Hoessini ends the book similarly with another scene of kite running, but this time Amir is running for Hassan’s son Sohrab. Hosseini frames the novel with two scenes of kite running to illustrate how Amir redeems himself.…
According to a study by the United States Department of Justice, more than 60 percent of American children were exposed to violence in 2009. In addition, according to this source, one in ten children witness their family member abuse another family member, and over 25 percent had been exposed to family violence in their life. In general, violence is a behavior which includes an action to hurt, harm, or even kill someone or something. Throughout this quarter, we were assigned to read and write a report on a novel “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. One theme that caught my attention is children and violence. One of the main characters, Hassan was physically abused by Assef and ended up getting raped. In the novel, Assef is a very violent child.…
Throughout The Kite Runner, Hosseini promotes the idea that friendship can be one sided, and one person can be more dedicated to the other. Prior to reading the book, I held a perfectionistic view that friendship was always equal between two people. However, the author created the more realistic view that there is always one person who is prepared to do things that the other isn't. In The Kite Runner, this is displayed with the two central characters, Amir and Hassan. From a glance, the boys' friendship appears equal, but it is when Amir reveals his inner thoughts, the reader understands how his dedication to Hassan is not as strong as Hassan's dedication to him. To illustrate, Amir narrates, '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. I ran.' This insight into Amir's depiction of the situation demonstrates that he cares more about his own safety than his friendship with Hassan. This line really poses the question to the reader, how much does Amir really care about Hassan, if at all?…
The sour stench of feces radiated from the boat, beckoning flies to cautiously hover in mid air nearby, not too close but close enough to indulge in the nasal nightmare; they are cowards, they are survivors. The flies slowly edge closer. They gain confidence in their motion, no one has interrupted their thirst for dead cells, the humps of meat in the boat lay limp. A young boy, flung on an upturn bucket, gradually opens his eyes, he feels the prickle of a fly as it lands on his leg. Swat! The fly gives a sickening crunch and twitches against the boys leg. He makes no attempt to clear the mess for fear he may keel over in the process. The swatting motion should have killed him but he needed to cling on to the shred of human dignity he had left.…