Abuse In The Kite Runner

While the two are having fun the infamous bullies of the neighbourhood show up: Assef, Wali and Kamal. Assef has fascist features and truly believes Afghanistan is for the Pashtuns, the true Afghan race, and not for the Hazaras. He wants to punish Hassan for being a Hazara and beat Amir for being a Hazara’s friend. At this moment Amir freezes and the only thing he can think about is saying that Hassan is his servant, not his friend. He doesn’t say it but he doesn’t have the courage to stand up for him and Hassan either. Hassan however, takes his slingshot when Assef puts on his brass knuckles and fends off the bullies. Amir is aware that if Baba will know about this incident, he would have been proud of Hassan, but be ashamed of Amir for not protecting Hassan and

In the classic novel The Kite Runner, Amir actively fights for the end of prejudice and acceptance for all throughout his own journey of redemption and self-discovery.  When going back to face his past, Amir confronts and fights Assef who is on a mission to rid Pakistan of all Hazaras with ethnic cleansing; the author uses Assef's horrifying views as a symbol of prejudice against others.  When conversing with Assef about his repulsive past, Amir says to Assef, "What mission is that? " I heard myself say. "Stoning adulterers?

Sexual abuse can be hard to define because of the many different forms it can take on, the different levels of frequency, the variation of circumstances that can occur. Until a child is fit to function as a self-supporting and informed adult, we have an obligation not to take advantage of their lack of power or protection to inflict damage, or demand submission to acts that are not in their own best interests within. Children are being abused every day in different countries. While commonly accepted wisdom had been that childhood sexual abuse results in long lasting negative outcomes.

Cruelty is something that eventually causes agony in the best of us. In The Kite Runner, the author uses cruelty in the novel to push the story and characters in a new direction. Cruelty acts as a driving force for the protagonist, Amir, and the people he interacts with. The author does this by placing the characters in unfamiliar situations and forcing them to react to those situations. Initially, Amir is placed in an unfamiliar situation when his friend, Hassan, is abused. His actions while he is in this situation set off a chain reaction forcing the characters to navigate difficult situations. Throughout these difficult situations, Amir grows emotionally as a result of the cruelty around him.

Something that extremely irritated and disturbed me in chapters 6 through 9 was how Amir had the audacity (when he was a child) to treat Hassan incompetently, not considering him as a friend, nor entitling him as one verbally to others. He never stood up for Hassan and never has. He admitted that he "always envied his natural athleticism" (Hosseini 53). Amir just wants to be acknowledge by Baba, but he knows he never will because he isnt the athletic nor strong-minded son his father wanted, however Hassan was. Its so insulting of Amir to say "I had been mean to Hassan [and] almost apologized, then didn't" (Hosseini 60). It just goes to show that even though he felt guilty he didn't let Hassan be aware of it. This scene portrays how insecure

Victims of sexual assault suffer from a wide variety of mental and emotional issues throughout their lives as a result of the experience. Results can range from depression, anger, feelings of loneliness, and difficulty when trying to formulate relationships of trust (Hyde 45). Victims experience a wide variety of psychological issues as a result of sexual crimes, which they will have to carry with them throughout their entire lives. Also, “Psychological problems can start later in life with changes in behavior- vague fears, feeling unprotected and helpless, nightmares, bedwetting, sleeping problems, fear to loss parents approval/love, need to please others, poor self esteem, anger, depression, withdrawal from activities, daydreaming, difficulty concentrating, behavior problems” (Hyde 47).

Baba says these words to Rahim Khan while he is talking about Amir at the end of Chapter 3, and the quotation reveals important traits in both Amir and Baba. With these words, Baba sums up one of Amir’s major character flaws—his cowardice—and Baba shows how much value he places in standing up for what is right. Baba is reluctant to praise Amir, largely because he feels Amir lacks the courage to even stand up for himself, leaving Amir constantly craving Baba’s approval. Amir’s desire for this approval as well as his cowardice later cause him to let Assef rape Hassan. The quotation also foreshadows the major test of Amir’s character that occurs when he

Being sexually abused is a very traumatizing experience, and this form of victimization at a young age only amplifies the situation. The mortifying nature of child sexual abuse often brings along with it changes in the victim's life. Some of the numerous short term effects (problems that impact them while they are still at a young

Following Amir witnessing the rape of Hassan he felt as if he was in a situation where he was forced to keep the fact that he witnessed it happening hidden from everybody. Amir was terrified to face the consequences of not having the courage to stick up for his best friend, but he soon found out that being forced to live with this was a much worse fate. Even directly after it had happened this was clear, “I was glad I didn’t have to return his gaze. Did he know I knew? And if he knew, then what would I see if I did look in his eyes? Blame? Indignation? Or, God forbid, what I feared most: guileless devotion? That, most of all, I couldn’t bear to see” (Hosseini 78). Soon

Cruelty eventually causes agony in the best of us. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the author uses cruelty in the novel to push the story and characters in a new direction. Cruelty acts as a driving force for the protagonist, Amir, and the people he interacts with. The author does this by placing the characters in unfamiliar situations and forcing them to react. Initially, Amir is placed in an unfamiliar situation when his friend, Hassan, is abused. His actions set off a chain reaction forcing him to deal with his decisions. Throughout the novel, Amir grows emotionally as a result of the cruelty around him.

Cruelty is an important factor in two themes in The Kite Runner. One of those themes involves experiencing pain and how that pain shapes who character will become in the future. This theme is exemplified in the alley scene when Amir witnesses his servant and friend, Hassan, being sexually assaulted by the neighborhood bully, Assef. The horrendous acts of cruelty Amir experiences that day are completely paradoxical to anything he has encountered previously in his life. Up until this point, the only cruelty Amir has had to experience is that of his relationship, or lack thereof, with his father. As the story continues, Amir considers himself to be cruel for not even attempting to help Hassan in his time of need. He even references this experience in the first paragraph of the book by saying “I became what I am today at the age of twelve… crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley near the

Amir is jealous of Hassan’s physical abilities, the fact Hassan has never shown a sign of cowardice, and his loyalty. Although these attributes are for Amir’s behalf; Amir is never grateful such as the moment Hassan got himself injured defending Amir and that lead to Baba questioning Amir, begrudgingly Amir answered, “’He fell down.’” (Hosseini 22). Amir’s sense of inferiority becomes subconscious.

In the book The Kite Runner, original social status is proven to create barriers in life regarding the aspects of friendship, mindset, and adaptation to change as we observe Baba’s and Amir’s life journeys in order to discover how it affects these aspects. Amir’s friendship with his hazara servant’s son Hassan takes a sudden toll as he ultimately comes to believe that traditional and historical beliefs outweighed true friendship as he was a young child. The mindset of Baba does not adjust when he and Amir are forced to move to America, as he still believes he possesses the same amount of power as he did in Afghanistan. While living in America, Baba never fully adapts to the American culture and way of life as he continues to live and

I laughed” (289). This quotation portrays how Amir was beaten by Assef snapping Amir’s ribs, splitting his ribs and breaking his jaw. However he believes he should have received this years back when he was given a choice to save Hassan. Therefore, it showed he was accountable for his actions after, Hassan had done so much for him in the past. His physical beating helped heal him psychologically.

Amir stumbles upon an alley. In the alley, he sees the Hassan trap by three boys named Assef, Kamal, and Wali. All they asked of Hassan is to give up the blue kite. However, Hassan’s loyalty and friendship toward Amir prevented Hassan to give up the kite. As the tension built, Assef lets Hassan have the kite, but in-return he does unthinkable. Assef rapes Hassan as Amir watched unnoticeably from the alley (Hosseini 62-66). This was Amir’s chance to prove his true friendship by stepping in to save Hassan. Instead, Amir ran “because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he could do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt. That’s what I told myself as I turned my back to the alley, to Hassan” (Hosseini 68). According to Amir, “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (Hosseini 68). “He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?” (Hosseini 68).