The Significance of Violence
Rape and war are both present in The Kite Runner, a novel, by Khaled Hosseini. The scenes displayed in the book are dramatic, vivid, and extremely violent. This novel focuses on Amir's experiences with these horrific events, and these violent scenes help shape Amir's life. Khaled Hosseini purposely put these acts of violence into the book, because they have symbolic significance and progress the story. The violence of rape and war in The Kite Runner are the reason why the search for redemption happened.
Rape is by far the most meaningful act of violence and has the most significant scenes of violence in the novel. There are many different occurrences of rape in the novel as well. Without the scene where Assef rapes Hassan, Amir would have never had to be redeemed. Amir witnessed, “Hassan didn’t move. Didn’t even whimper. He moved his head slightly and I caught a glimpse of his face. Saw the resignation of it. It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb.” (Hosseini 75-76). If this violent rape scene had not existed, Amir would have gone home with the blue kite that Hassan had run for him and also the kite fighting tournament victory. He also would have felt the approval of his father. Because of this, he probably would have been overjoyed and happy for the rest of his life. However, because he ran away in Hassan’s time of need, Amir begins to feel extremely guilty, and he cannot feel the approval from his father. Later in the book, as Amir and Baba are on a truck fleeing to Pakistan, Karim says, “the soldier wanted a half hour with the lady in the back of the truck.” (Hosseini 115). This woman was almost raped, until Baba stood up to the soldier. This scene reminds Amir of what he had done and his guilt grows. Within hours of this Amir learns of the rape of a boy he knew named Kamal. Once again Amir's guilt grows, and this guilt sends him on a life-long path to find redemption. Without these scenes of rape, Amir would not have been feeling guilty, and he would still be in Kabul living with Hassan. When Amir moves to the United States and finds out that Hassan has been murdered and his son Sohrab has been left an orphan he feels as if this is his ticket for redemption. Saving Sohrab could somewhat compensate for the mistake he made with Hassan. It turns out that Sohrab was being held captive and has been raped many times by the same man who raped Hassan decades earlier. The similarity in situations between Hassan and Sohrab are ironic, and it makes Amir's rescue of Sohrab even more meaningful and redeeming. If Sohrab had not been raped, the significance of saving him would not have been as high
both because of Sofia's death and because he is the father of Hassan. While Amir is unaware of the second of these reasons he feels that his father is not as warm to him as he would like” The most important father-son relationship in The Kite Runner is that between the protagonist Amir and his father Baba, a highly successful Kabul businessman. From Amir's descriptions of his father at the beginning of the book, it is clear that he respects him greatly: "He motioned for me to hold his hat for…
about the ways Hosseini tells the story in Chapter 9 ? (21 Marks) Baba's "half-hearted" invitation receives a "half-hearted" thank you from Amir, indicating that they are more alike than either is willing to notice or acknowledge. Winning the kite fight has not changed Amir or his relationship with Baba. In fact, it has made everything worse. The depths of Amir's desperate actions are revealed. It is one thing to be a passive observer of events and do nothing to attempt to stop them, but being…
Character Profiles – The Kite Runner Amir The central character of the story Brought up being wealthy because of his father, Baba. Amir feels that he is not good enough for his father and that he is a letdown. He thinks Baba wishes that Amir were more like him. Though Hassan is Amir’s best friend, Amir feels that Hassan, a Hazara servant, is beneath him. He mocks Hassan’s ignorance, for instance, or plays tricks on him because Hassan cannot read. Amir’s character changes after allowing Hassan…
In general terms, Amir is unable to escape his feelings of guilt in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. He makes many cryptic comments in the first few chapters of the book regarding what his guilt might be about, but it is not until chapter seven that we learn the specific cause of his guilt. The opening line of the novel is heavy with import, as Amir writes: I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975. I remember the precise moment, crouching…
Hauntings of the Past and Decisions that Impact Lives Negatively: An Exploration of Theme in The Kite Runner It is ironic how children are unable to comprehend the long term consequences of their actions. Still, the past can linger and tends to haunt people despite how hard society tries to use distractions to avoid negative memories. This is displayed vividly in the bildungsroman novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. As much as Amir feels he cannot conquer the past, he displays the ability to…
books, films are a great way to administer foreshadows and flashbacks we might not understand well by reading. The film “The Kite Runner” directed by Marc Forester was created after the book “The Kite Runner” by Khalid Hosseini in which helps us understand more what happened in the book by giving us out more details and information to understand the plot. The film “The Kite Runner” was produced in 2000. Its setting was in San Francisco, California flashbacking to the years 1978 to 1979 in the capital…
The Kite Runner Essay Violence. Shown in many ways. Shown by many people, but affects everyone. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini two characters are greatly affected by acts of violence, Hassan and Amir. The significance of violence shown towards Hassan, through rape, and Amir, through abuse, affects the two differently. Having violence brought upon you is not a welcoming feeling, or at least it should not be, but to Amir it was. Although Amir feels relieved Hassan feels broken. In the…
Rachel Weimann ENG 111-01 3/13/2013 Summary of the Kite Runner Outline In the Kite Runner the overall theme of redemption is constantly present. The story is narrated through Amir; (except for chapter 16) who is recalling his childhood in Kabul Afghanistan in 1975 until current day. The main characters include Amir, a young upper class boy and his father Baba; a wealthy business man. Amir and Baba have servants in their house which are Ali and his son Hassan. The novel is divided into three…
1. Summary In this novel - “The Kite Runner” , the author Khaled Hosseini portrays the character Baba as an evident paradox. As we pass through the plot, the real Baba was exposed gradually. During Baba’s prosperous days in Afghanistan, Baba has a famous nickname “Mr. Hurricane”(Pg.13). At that time, Baba seems admirable and unreachable- he wrestled a bear, clusters crowds around him, runs a successful business, builds an orphanage, despises the laws, and radically defines the world…