Identity In The Kite Runner
The Kite Runner: The Significance to Identity Herbert Chang
Block E English
Mr. Wall
Who are we as individuals? This is a question that we contemplate, often yet unsuccessfully, without arriving at a definite answer. Our identities are a unique and complicated thing- not only are they influenced by many factors, they are also constantly evolving as we move from goal to goal, aspiration to aspiration. What makes each of us unique in personality is our different background and experiences, the most notable factor our families. Since the day we were born, our families have influenced us, both directly and indirectly, ingraining cultural, gender, and religious beliefs into us. In The Kite Runner, the ingraining of identity due to family …show more content…
Because Baba was privy that Hassan was his illegitimate child and could not openly care for him, he “took it on [Amir] instead- the socially legitimate half.” Baba abused his power on Amir due to his guilt towards his affair with Sanaubar, trying to turn him into a soccer loving, Buzkashi watching son- his own image. The abuse of power manifested in many incidents later on due to this premise, primarily in the form of one holding knowledge over someone else. Amir abused Hassan in his literacy; he tricking Hassan into thinking “imbecile” meant “smart.” Baba abused Amir due to his knowledge of his affair, Amir abused Hassan due to the latter’s illiteracy; similarly, the guilt he would feel about such an incident with reflect on what Baba felt when abusing …show more content…
After getting a new bike for his birthday, Khaled Hossiene had Baba say “we [Amir and Baba] could go for a ride.” It was “an invitation, but only a half-hearted one.” Even though both Amir and Baba, despite their “different spheres of existence,” tried very hard to bond, yet again would the presence of Baba’s own hypocrisy bar them from connecting. Amir’s jealousy as a kid germinated from Baba’s abuse towards Amir in conjunction with Baba’s partialness towards Hassan. As a child, Amir’s aspiration was to please Baba, and every time he tried, despite success, it did not last. After winning the kite fighting tournament, the brief bliss experienced between them disappeared when Amir asked about “getting new servants.” At most, only a temporary bridge was built between them, broken by Baba’s knowledge of Hassan’s parentage. His identity drowned again and again in Baba’s disappointment.
“A look of disgust swept across his rain-soaked face. It was the same look he’d given me when, as a kid, I’d fall, scrape me knees, and cry. It was the crying that brought it on then, the crying that brought it on now. “You’re twenty-two years old, Amir! A grown man! You…” he opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, reconsidered. Above us, rain drummed on the canvas awning. “What’s going to happen to you, you say? All those years, that’s what I was trying to teach you, how to never have to ask that
Block E English
Mr. Wall
Who are we as individuals? This is a question that we contemplate, often yet unsuccessfully, without arriving at a definite answer. Our identities are a unique and complicated thing- not only are they influenced by many factors, they are also constantly evolving as we move from goal to goal, aspiration to aspiration. What makes each of us unique in personality is our different background and experiences, the most notable factor our families. Since the day we were born, our families have influenced us, both directly and indirectly, ingraining cultural, gender, and religious beliefs into us. In The Kite Runner, the ingraining of identity due to family …show more content…
Because Baba was privy that Hassan was his illegitimate child and could not openly care for him, he “took it on [Amir] instead- the socially legitimate half.” Baba abused his power on Amir due to his guilt towards his affair with Sanaubar, trying to turn him into a soccer loving, Buzkashi watching son- his own image. The abuse of power manifested in many incidents later on due to this premise, primarily in the form of one holding knowledge over someone else. Amir abused Hassan in his literacy; he tricking Hassan into thinking “imbecile” meant “smart.” Baba abused Amir due to his knowledge of his affair, Amir abused Hassan due to the latter’s illiteracy; similarly, the guilt he would feel about such an incident with reflect on what Baba felt when abusing …show more content…
After getting a new bike for his birthday, Khaled Hossiene had Baba say “we [Amir and Baba] could go for a ride.” It was “an invitation, but only a half-hearted one.” Even though both Amir and Baba, despite their “different spheres of existence,” tried very hard to bond, yet again would the presence of Baba’s own hypocrisy bar them from connecting. Amir’s jealousy as a kid germinated from Baba’s abuse towards Amir in conjunction with Baba’s partialness towards Hassan. As a child, Amir’s aspiration was to please Baba, and every time he tried, despite success, it did not last. After winning the kite fighting tournament, the brief bliss experienced between them disappeared when Amir asked about “getting new servants.” At most, only a temporary bridge was built between them, broken by Baba’s knowledge of Hassan’s parentage. His identity drowned again and again in Baba’s disappointment.
“A look of disgust swept across his rain-soaked face. It was the same look he’d given me when, as a kid, I’d fall, scrape me knees, and cry. It was the crying that brought it on then, the crying that brought it on now. “You’re twenty-two years old, Amir! A grown man! You…” he opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, reconsidered. Above us, rain drummed on the canvas awning. “What’s going to happen to you, you say? All those years, that’s what I was trying to teach you, how to never have to ask that