Analysis Of The Kite Runner And Oedipus Rex

While Amir is lying in the dark, with nothing but his own thoughts, he feels that his guilt is taking over his life. He realizes that he is going to get away with his betrayal and yet he feels terrible. He decides that the only way he is going to live with his remorse is to ignore Hassan, blot him out, so he does not have to think about his sin. Amir’s guilt is so great that he cannot bear to have Hassan under the same roof, so he commits another sin. He lies to his father and accuses Hassan of stealing. “…I took a couple of the envelopes of cash from the pile of gifts and my watch, and tiptoed out…I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it…I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long

In Amir's desperate attempt to get out from under feelings of crushing guilt, he planted his birthday present of a watch and some money under Hassan's mattress and told Baba. "I knocked on Baba's door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies." (pg.104) But when Hassan replied "yes" to stealing, Amir "flinched, like I'd been slapped. My heart sank and I almost blurted out the truth. Then I understood: This was Hassan's final sacrifice for me." (pg. 105) Amir said he loved Hassan in that moment, more than he ever loved anyone but he didn't tell the truth. He remained silent hoping that the stealing would get them fired and he could "move on, forget, start with a clean slate...be able to breathe again." (pg. 106) However, Baba forgave Hassan for stealing, to Amir's complete shock, but Ali insisted they leave anyway and that broke Baba's heart.

As well as his need to recognize the past not hide from it. “I became what I am today…because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realise I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last 26 years” (1), this quote provides evidence that Amir has reflected his past mistakes and chooses to define himself as a result of them. Later in the novel, Amir finds a form of redemption for his inaction that night in the alleyway when he chooses to return to Afghanistan and save Hassan's only

It is amazing how two literary works from different time periods and different cultures can portray the same theme. A major theme in both The Kite Runner and Oedipus Rex is the limits of free will. The way Khaled Hosseini portrays the theme in The Kite runner is the way that the majority of Pashtuns treat the Hazaras, they are either treated as objects that people can do whatever they want with, they are treated as second class citizens or they are servants to the Pashtuns. In Oedipus Rex, the way that the theme is portrayed is that Oedipus is bound to a prophecy that he heard when he was a child.

“Who am I?” This has become the essential question asked in each literary work The Kite Runner and Oedipus Rex. Striving to find who they are the characters, Oedipus and Amir, try to figure out what they have become through their separate journeys. Most of their conclusions rely on the fact that both characters continue to look back into their past. The constant theme in both the novel and the tragedy is continuously looking into the past. Both characters constantly look at the past in ways such as their relationship with their father, the wrong choices they have made, and the secrets that lie in the family.

After he nearly convinces himself Hassan is “not [his] friend,” Amir is ashamed for neglecting his best friend in pursuit of his own safety. By portraying Amir’s guilt, the author displays Amir’s conflicted feelings for Hassan—the person who he has always treated “like a brother”—thus highlighting his inability to be decisive. Hosseini seems to believe that, although humans make mistakes, the following guilt can strengthen a person’s relationships in the long-term, provided they avoid making similar mistakes in the future. Later in the story, Amir and Hassan have a second encounter with Assef when Hassan is raped, but Amir simply watches the scene as a bystander, traumatized and scared to stand up for his friend. Amir continues to carry the burden of guilt for the rest of the novel and expresses his frustration by attempting to cut ties with Hassan. In chapter 9, Amir frames Hassan for stealing by placing his birthday money and his watch under Hassan’s mattress. When Baba finds out that Hassan had “stolen” from Amir—as Amir had planned— Hassan shockingly admits to stealing the watch and money, even though he was not responsible. However, Baba forgives Hassan, leaving Amir in a

After letting Hassan get raped by Assef, Amir cannot stand the guilt he feels. Every time he and Hassan cross paths, Amir is reminded of what happened. To finally stop the constant reminder, Amir “ … lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it … Then I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies” (Hosseini 104). Amir’s actions result in Ali and Hassan leaving Amir, Baba, and Kabul. Amir would never see Ali or Hassan again. Many years later on his way back to Kabul, Amir makes a stop at Wahid’s house. Wahid is the older brother of Farid, the man that has been driving Amir to Kabul. Wahid is very poor and can barely afford to feed his family, but offers Amir the last of their bread and vegetables. Wahid’s three sons stare as Amir eats, and Amir assumes they are looking at his watch. He gives his watch to the boys as a gift. Before leaving, Amir leaves another gift. “ … I did something I had done twenty-six years earlier; I planted a fistful of crumpled money under a mattress” (Hosseini 242). As a child, Amir gave up his watch and money to frame his friend. As an adult, he gave those items up to show gratitude and appreciation. Amir achieves redemption again by making up for the bad deeds he did during his

The guilt that Amir feels due to his destroyed relationship with Hassan haunts him throughout his entire life. First, Hosseini uses the scene of Hassan’s rape as a haunting source of

Amir feels if he gets rid of Hassan he does not have to be reminded of what happened each and everyday. In the book Amir says, “ I lifted Hassan's mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of afghani bills under it” (Hosseini 104). Amir done this so it would look like Hassan had took Amir's stuff & stole it , which wasn't the case. Amir is truly trying to find away to hide his guilt deep deep down , or get rid of it.

One day he decided to put his watch under Hassan’s mattress and accused Hassan for stealing it. Hassan as a loyal friend, confessed for stealing. As Amir said, “Hassan knew. He knew I had betrayed him and yet he was rescuing me once again, maybe for the last time (Hosseini 111).” Constantly Hassan kept rescuing and redeeming Amir because Amir cannot stand up for himself just like the incident in the alley. This last situation made forced Hassan and his father to leave their home and out of Baba and Amir’s

Beneath the Kite “Stab the body, and it heals, but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime. ”- Mineko Iwasaki. The Award winning novel “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, touched many hearts. Its about love, trust, and unfortunately betrayal.

In a matter of just a few months, the relationship between the two boys had disappeared. They were never the same two people after that day. Amir feels like he has lost his morals, fathers trust and everything in his life has just crumbled to the ground. Amir’s birthday has passed and he has been gifted a watch and some money. Amir had chosen to plant the birthday gifts he received under Hassan’s mattress and frames him for theft.

Hosseini shows that it is Amirs immense guilt that drives him to want to make things right and to earn redemption. We learn the basis Amir's guilt through his memories. It is caused by a lack of response at a time when his loyal servant and close friend Hassan is in trouble. Amir makes a conscious decision to hide in the distance and just watch, not because he was afraid. He sacrifices Hassan in order to earn his fathers attention and affection. This decision results in Hassan suffering though a traumatic experience and is the root of Amir's lasting regret.

One triumphant day, Amir won the local kite fighting tournament and finally earned Baba’s praise. Hassan ran to retrieve the losing kite, which was considered a trophy, and told Amir “For you, a thousand times over”. When Hassan finally obtained the kite, he was cornered by Assef and his friends. Assef was the neighborhood bully and had tortured Amir and Hassan for years. When Hassan refused to give up the kite, Assef beat and raped him. Amir watched the whole thing but didn’t interfe because he didn’t want to lose the respect of his father. The guilt ate Amir alive. “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.” Soon after the incident, Amir tried to distance himself from Hassan and Hassan and his father eventually leave. A couple years later, Amir and Baba flee to America to escape the war in Afghanistan. Amir graduates and gets married but even after all those years;

In the play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus unknowingly murders his father and marries his mother. When Oedipus discovers this he is disgusted with himself and decides to go into exile. The Misanthrope is a play about the self-exile of the main character Alceste. Challenged in court, he refuses to take back the criticism of a sonnet written by a powerful nobleman. Alceste and Oedipus are both convicted by their knowledge of the truth. Although, the United States grants asylum to more refuges than any other country, there is one man who has decided to self-exile.