"The kite runner" analysis
Many believe that there is a part of good and a part of evil in each of us. Hosseini conveys in his novel "the kite runner" that some people have a natural tendency to express their bad side. Assef, one of Hosseini's charachter symbolizes those people. He carries a kind of madness, and is violent. Hosseini implies that being given a target for hate, and a morality for their actions, in this case religion, those people can become powerful. Assef is an example of how it is possible to reach power and abuse of it by avoiding to deal with justice as he joins a groups of terrorists. He evolves from a child who uses violence to make himself feared, and rule his neighborhood, to a Talibans who can freely and honorably commit crimes in the name of God.
This author introduces Assef to the reader when he firsts encounters Amir. Those are Amir's thoughts at the view of Assef "Assef crossed his thick arms on his chest, a savage sort of grin on his lips. Not for the first time, it occurred to me that Assef might not be entirely sane." The reader then directly discovers, from this simple description of Assef's appearance the type of character he is. He is just passively crossing his arms, but still gives an overall image of a strong, savage, not entirely sane person. The insanity recurs, it is often visible in Assef's eyes, and the grin is now linked to violence" I will never forget how Assef's blue eyes glinted with a light not entirely sane and how he grinned, how he grinned, as he pummeled that poor kid unconscious" Amir was marked by the time he saw Assef beating up a little kid. Assef is a bully that takes pleasure in hurting other kids. At this point, he is a child and violence is like a game that let's him express his madness. Other kids are scared by his attitude, no one dears to contradict him. This is one of Amir's thought about one of Assef' "friend", right before the rape of Hassan. "He wasn't afraid of Hassan, not really.