Preview

Rape In The Kite Runner

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
580 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Rape In The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner enunciates how we become products of who we are when young. Amir, to win his father’s approval allows for the rape of his friend, Hassan to occur. In the process he becomes an insomniac. However Amir is able to redeem himself by rescuing Sohrab from further abuse by the Taliban. Similarly, Baba is never able to overcome his guilt of not acknowledging Hassan as his son, and thus leads a tormented life. Assef too, being a child with treacherous views grows to be a member of the Taliban.
Amir, to win his father’s approval allows for the rape of Hassan to occur and becomes an insomniac as a result. Amir, believing Hassan is the ‘price (he) (has) to pay’, allows him to be raped, causing him to carry an enormous amount of guilt and shame with him, until he seeks redemption, forcing him to become an ‘insomniac’, as he is no longer able to be at peace with himself. By moving to America, Amir believes he can ‘bury (his) memories’ and forget the traumatic events of the winter of 1975. However, the amount of guilt Amir is carrying with him for not correcting his wrongdoings is what forces him to eventually return to Kabul and seek redemption. Amir, who is a ‘coward’ when a child, remains …show more content…
Baba, because of his childhood, is never able to bring himself to admit that Hassan is own son and as a result is a ‘tortured soul’. Throughout his childhood, Baba growing up with Ali, becomes aware of the social inequalities between them, and this affects his inability to claim Hassan as his own son. Baba grows up with a sense of superiority at being a Pashtun, which is the biggest reason holding him back from owning up to his actions. As it is a ‘shameful situation’, Baba does much charitable work in order to achieve redemption, but nothing he does is able to overcome his guilt and shame at not giving Hassan the life he deserves, as a
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Janie Crawford, By Hurston
    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Janie Crawford, By Hurston

    Amir’s father, Baba, sees the cowardice that Amir possesses and the constant need he has for his father’s approval. As the story progresses, Amir witnesses an act of evil in the aftermath of the kite running festival. He sees Hassan, his only friend, being raped by Assef, the town bully. Overwhelmed with horror and fear, Amir flees the scene, leaving his faithful friend behind. As a young boy, he seeks redemption for having abandoned his friend by seeking out physical pain as punishment. Amir narrates, “I hit him with another pomegranate, in the shoulder this time...‘Hit me back, goddamn you!’ I wished he would. I wished he'd give me the punishment I craved, so maybe I'd finally sleep at night. Maybe then things could return to how they used to be between us”(Hosseini, pg 92). Amir longs for forgiveness and to share the bond they once had. This incident serves as a lesson to Amir that redemption requires much more than encouraging Hassan to throw a pomegranate at his chest. While Hassan is a loyal friend, who might have recognized Amir’s attempt at redemption, Hassan refuses to participate. This failure at redemption leads to Amir distancing himself from Hassan, and the two continue to grow farther apart. The theme of redemption re-appears when Amir receives a phone call from his old friend, Rahim Khan. As Rahim finishes his conversation with Amir, he says, “Come. There is a way to be good again” (Hosseini, pg ). Without the prodding from Rahim, Amir may have never overcome the regret of his cowardly mistake. Even though he has grown and matured into adulthood, he realizes that his past is still a heavy burden. It is not until Amir returns to Afghanistan that he succeeds in finally securing atonement. After hearing the news of Hassan’s death and the fate of…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    How Does Hassan Show Loyalty In The Kite Runner
    • 1364 Words
    • 6 Pages

    How Does Hassan Show Loyalty In The Kite Runner

    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…

    • 1364 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Kite Runner: Guilt and Redemption
    • 1522 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Kite Runner: Guilt and Redemption

    Baba’s primary guilt is that he sleeps with Ali’s wife, Sanaubar and she bares a son, Hassan. This guilt prompts Baba to build an orphanage and to strive to do what is right when he can.…

    • 1522 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Kite Runner Analytical Essay
    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Kite Runner Analytical Essay

    Baba is very defense because he feels as if he is being accused of stealing by the Nguyens. This section of the chapter withholds more meaning than is on the surface. Baba is also really upset because in Afghanistan, he was known and respected by all, and now in America he is constantly trying to prove himself. In a way, this feeling is good and humbling for Baba. However, this feeling can also be scaring and unhealthy for people. For example, Amir felt as if he had to prove himself constantly during his childhood. This did not prove to be helpful in his life. At the end of the scene, Amir apologizes for his father’s behavior and adds “My father is still adjusting to life in America.” Amir says it meaning Baba has not become accustomed to America’s traditions and ways of society. However, Baba is having trouble accepting his position in…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Is Hassan's Loyalty In The Kite Runner
    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages

    What Is Hassan's Loyalty In The Kite Runner

    This is shown after the incident, when Amir had turned an insomniac, as his dreams had brought back memories of Hassan. The significance of this is that, it shows that Amir still have some moral grounds and is displaying some form of remorse, unlike Assef. Even whilst being a successful novelist in America, Amir had found it in himself to repent for his sins, embarking on a journey to Afghanistan to save his nephew. In spite of Amir's actions, we can see that the events of that cold winter day in 1975 had brought forth both the best as well as the worst in Amir. On the other hand, whether he has atoned for his sins or not is up to our own…

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Amir's Selfishness In The Kite Runner
    • 962 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Amir's Selfishness In The Kite Runner

    Amir is essentially a selfish character who needs to redeem himself. At the beginning of the book, Amir witnesses the rape of Hassan. Towards the end of the book Amir brings Hassan's son to America after Hassan's death. Collecting Sohrab and bringing him home to America has challenges which Amir must face in order to redeem himself.…

    • 962 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Guilt In Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner
    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Guilt In Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner

    Where he failed to take action as a child, he now has the chance to do the right thing as an adult. Family friend, Rahim Khan telephones Amir and tells him to come to Pakistan. Amir realizes that Rahim Khan knows of his betrayals to Hassan for he said, “Come. There is a way to be good again” (202). Even though it was twenty-six years later, Rahim Khan understands that Amir can atone for the past by helping Hassan now. Meeting Rahim Khan, Amir learns that the Taliban has killed Hassan and his wife yet Hassan’s son, Sohrab has survived. Amir further learns that he and Hassan share the same father making Sohrab his nephew. The way for Amir to make amends for his past actions is to go back to Kabul despite the danger and rescue Sohrab from an orphanage: “Hassan had loved me once, loved me in a way that no one ever had or ever would again. He was gone now, but a little part of him lived on. It was in Kabul. Waiting” (239). Amir knows that he will never have a friend as loyal and loving as Hassan again. The best way he can repay Hassan is by helping Sohrab. Amir must be selfless and possibly sacrifice his own family’s happiness and his life to find Sohrab: “I have a wife in America, a home, a career, and a family. But how could I pack up and go home when my actions may have cost Hassan a chance at those very same things?” (238). If Amir acted differently when he was younger, Hassan may still be alive today. Amir…

    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Character Analysis: The Kite Runner
    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Character Analysis: The Kite Runner

    Baba is an idealistic character. Throughout the book he is descried to be this morally driven person, who sees the world in black and white. Amir states that “my father molded the world around him to his liking.”(15) This would show how Baba was seen as driving force through the young Amir’s eyes. In more ways than one Baba affected the people around him. He was displayed to the soldier who donned the armor; however, he himself hid secrets. Despite knowing that Hassan was his son, he carried to his grave the truth of his birth. Not once did he tell Amir of his true relations with his son, nor did he try to attempt. In a way Baba is a hypocrite who preached that thievery is the worst of sins, but stole the opportunity for Hassan to live a better life. However with that in mind Amir did grow to atone for his sins, because he was his father’s son. In the end Amir took it upon himself to purge the sins his father started and he…

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sacrifice In 'The Kite Runner'
    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Sacrifice In 'The Kite Runner'

    He is selfish, demanding, cowardly, disrespectful and jealous. He does not seem like the type of person that will do something for another out of the kindness of their heart. He always thinks about himself and what he wants. He has never sacrificed anything for the people he loves. Growing up with the memory of Hassan’s rape still fresh in his mind like a situation that has just unfolded has finally opened his eyes and makes him realize he needs to be brave for once in his life. So Amir acts. He goes back to Afghanistan to find Hassan’s son, Sohrab. Rahim Khan’s advice, “There is a way to be good again” (pg.2) helps Amir to put his feelings into action. Assef, now a Taliban officer, beats Amir up badly, but this, heals Amir of his wrong doings from the past and he takes Sohrab back to America with him to live a good life. Amir finally puts someone before himself after all the sacrifices Hassan has made for him in the past. This shows the love and sacrifice he makes for Hassan’s child knowing it is the only way he can ever repay Hassan for the years of mistreatment in their…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Kite Runner Rhetorical Analysis
    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Kite Runner Rhetorical Analysis

    Throughout this novel, there are several different events of betray depicted, mainly between Amir and Hassan. However, one of the most significant example is when Amir etches Hassan as he gets raped by Assef. Amir states, “I had final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan the way he stood up for me all those times in the past-and accept whatever would happen to me if I could run, In the end, I ran. It shows that Amir had a chance to save Hassan, however he ran out. (68)” It shows that Amir is a coward, and he runs always runs away from his problem. Furthermore, he backstabbed Hassan by not standing up, nor fighting Assef to help save him. Another example of betrayal is portrayed by Amir. After the rape incident that happened to Hassan, Amir did not speak up for him. As Amir thinks about the alleyways, and is constantly reminded about Hassan rather than speaking up for him, he wanted Baba to dismiss, both of them so they can move on with their own lives. Amir states, “I went downstairs, crosses the yard, and I 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” (9.21-22). Therefore, this shows now Amir lied and told Baba that Hassan stole the watch and money, when he was once betrayed, and deceived Amir. However, Hassan consistently stays loyal to Amir, and tells Bab that…

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mistakes In The Kite Runner
    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Mistakes In The Kite Runner

    He becomes aware of Baba’s betrayal to Ali, recognizing that his father and he were very much the same and the way he saw Baba as a kid was a false perception of his father. Amir realizes that betrayal is an evil thing and will haunt one until redemption is reached, like it once did with Baba, and now himself. Baba, however, did not have to be too hard on himself, for he tried to redeem himself throughout his entire life, although he made an immense mistake and had an affair with Ali’s wife, resulting in the birth of Hassan, Baba was sincerely sorry and was an honorable man who acknowledged his wrongdoing. Amir’s father was a prime example of a man who was worthy and honorable, he made a mistake, but an honorable man has several…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Kite Runner: Role Of Fathers
    • 1807 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The Kite Runner: Role Of Fathers

    This came about when Baba’s darkest secret was revealed by Rahim Khan. The secret was that Baba had slept with Ali’s wife Sanaubar and impregnated her, making Hassan his child. Amir went through a series of mixed emotions at this revelation. Initially the news made Amir furious. He thought of his father as a hypocrite due to all of the lessons he had thought him in his past. Baba once told Amir, ‘There is only one sin – ‘and that is theft…When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth.’ (Pg.225) Due to this lesson, Amir couldn’t help but think that Baba’s theft was the worst kind of stealing, since “the things he’d stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honor.” (Pg.225). As Amir reflected on his father’s deception and betrayal, he started to see himself in a similar way. Amir realized that his father was more like him than he ever knew and this is when their relationship made the final shift. He saw how much they were one and the same. His feelings towards his father finally changed. “Baba and I were more alike than I’d ever known. We had both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for us.”(Pg.226). Amir finally realizes that Baba was a man who also made mistakes and lived with regret. He recognized that the negative behaviors he had witnessed from his father, came from the struggles he had while trying to deal with the guilt and failures of the past. In the same way Amir had also suffered from the terrible things he had done. The big difference is at the end of the day Baba was a better man than Amir was, but Amir knew he had time to change this. From here on, Amir took on the task of redeeming both his and Baba’s mistakes. He agreed to go on the search for Hassan’s orphaned son Sohrab and to take care of him and raise him like he was his…

    • 1807 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Kite Runner Thesis
    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Kite Runner Thesis

    In the alley, when watching transfixed as Hassan is tortured and humiliated by Assef, Amir opts to “[run]. [He] ran because he was a coward. [He] was afraid… maybe Hassan was the price [he] had to pay, the lamb [he] had to slay, to win Baba”. Knowing full well that Hassan would have gone to any length to protect Amir, for his perpetual loyalty never faltered, Amir fails to help the one who was always by his side in his time of need. For purely egocentric and self-protective reasons, and the fleeting gain of Baba’s attention, Amir betrays Hassan in an appalling manner, severing the ties of allegiance and brotherhood once holding them together.…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Rape In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Rape In To Kill A Mockingbird

    The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, tells the story of two children and their father who is defending an African-American man that is put on trial for rape in the 1930’s. One of the main characters is Scout, who is the narrator of the book, her brother Jem, and their father who is a lawyer named Atticus. Tom Robinson, a black man, is being put on trial for raping Mayella Ewell, a white women. The setting of the story is Maycomb County Alabama in the 1930’s. Atticus is the man defending Tom Robinson and is the father of Jem and Scout who are the two main characters. We see the story through Scout’s eyes and how she and her brother deal with challenges that come upon them giving the reader perspectives of their lives. Lee reveals…

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Betrayal In The Kite Runner
    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Examples Of Betrayal In The Kite Runner

    Have you ever made a decision that makes you question whether if it was right or not? In The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, the main character, Amir makes a decision that doesn't only impact him but also his half-brother Hassan. A major role is played by Amir when he ignores Hassan’s need for help, as he is raped by Assef, and tries to receive love and affection from his father, Baba. Through many trials, Amir has to get rid of the guilt from the past, and face the consequences of the present.…

    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics