Oedipus Rex And The Kite Runner Analysis

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.

In his essay, “Introduction to Oedipus the King”, Bernard Knox supports free will by stating that Oedipus’ downfall was not caused by fate. According to Knox there is not a doubt that, “Oedipus is the free agent who, by his own self-willed action, discovers that his own predicted destiny has already been fulfilled” (86). He clearly states that Oedipus is responsible for his free actions during the play. He insists that Oedipus’s made the decisions to discover the truth about himself.

In both Sophocles’ play, Oedipus Rex, and Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, the themes of fate as well as death are explored in different ways and treated differently to accomplish the author’s purpose. The theme of fate is in Oedipus Rex when he finds out who his parents are and is present in The Kite Runner when Amir finds out how close Hassan and him really are. The theme of death is present in Oedipus Rex when he kills his parents and present in the Kite Runner when different members of his life die. Both of these themes have different significance to the authors and their works. Those are two themes present in Oedipus Rex and The Kite Runner.

“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.

Ancient Greeks cared deeply about the pursuit of knowledge. Although the truth was often a terrifying concept, they still saw it as a critical virtue. The theater was one way in which the ideas of knowledge and truth were examined.

What similarities could current fiction novels possibly have with old Greek drama? Greek dramas and current day novels have more in common than anyone realizes. For example, there are many similarities between Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. These similarities show how writing and entertainment have not completely changed despite how long it has been. One of the most important similarities is the theme. This essay will explore these two works by looking into the similar themes, how the themes are treated, and the importance of similar themes.

Themes are one of the most recognizable aspects one can collect from pieces of literature. Themes can be similar through, even in the most opposite works of literature. With The Kite Runner being a historically fictional novel and Oedipus Rex being a Greek play, one main theme can be extracted from these two very different works. The overall theme of betrayal is very apparent in both pieces. The author’s treatment of the theme is displayed directly through the character’s dialogue, thoughts, their actions. The author’s treatment of this major theme is significant because it sets the overall tone and mood for both pieces.

Everything in life happen for a reason and there is nothing that can change the past. Events that have happened in the past tend to influence the future. In The Kite Runner hassan gets rapped as a young child when his best friend could have helped prevented it, but then his best friend Amir feels guilty and tries to make it up to him. In Oedipus Rex Oedipus is told he will murder his father and marry his mother and does this without knowing and he tries to prevent this but cannot. Both The Kite Runner and Oedipus Rex display the theme of fate throughout both stories while using it in different ways and the significance of the theme in both stories is different too.

Even as literature has multiple genres, themes can still parallel each other regardless of appearing in two altogether varying works very different authors of distinctly separate time frames conceive and write. Even as The Kite Runner is written as a work of historical fiction and Oedipus Rex develops a well known and praisable Greek tragedy, a theme of betrayal places itself throughout both. Literature demonstrates that morals can genuinely be learned through any method. In both pieces of literature, betrayal is a shared and understood theme throughout, the discourse and contemplations of each character magnifies the author’s treatment of the theme, and the author’s

In each of the literary works, a major event occurred in order to determine the fate of each character. In The Kite Runner after the kite running tournament, Amir begins to worry for Hassan. He finds him trapped in an alley surrounded by Assef, Wali, and Kamal. Amir witnesses Hassan getting molested, “ I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had. But I didn’t” ( Hosseini 73). The way Amir describes this event makes it life changing as he mentions his life turning out differently if he had done something to change it. In Oedipus Rex, the major event occurs when Oedipus finds his mother dead. At this point in the story, Oedipus finds out that his mother is his beloved wife. Oedipus knows about the prophecy and eventually, it all becomes true. With both of his parents died he begins to feel guilt like Amir did with not saying anything to stop Assef. Both characters in each literary work eventually take this guilt to realize what needs to be done in order to make things right.

According to a poll taken by The Washington Times, 52% of Americans believe in fate. (Harper 1). Many people trust in destiny because it is a way to believe that when they're brought upon an arduous decision, there result is already destined to happen whether they made the right or wrong choice. In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles they both challenge their characters through unfavorable decisions that in the end are already planned out by fate. The prevalent theme of fate in Oedipus Rex and The Kite Runner expresses a quote said by Tony Robbins, “ It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped”(Anderson 1).This quote can ultimately explain by which the characters change from beginning to end due to their fate, how they dealt with their understanding of their fate, and the possible result by which their fate didn’t occur.

“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.

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.

Sophocles Oedipus the King is a tragic play which discusses the tragic discovery of Oedipus that he has killed his father and married his mother. The story of Oedipus was well-known to the Athenian's. Oedipus is the embodiment of the perfect Athenian. He is self-confident, intelligent, and strong willed. Ironically these are the very traits which bring about his tragic discovery. Oedipus gained the rule of Thebes by answering the riddle of Sphinx. Sophocles used the riddle of the sphinx as a metaphor for the 3 phases of Oedipus' life and to further characterized him as a tragic man. The Sphinx posed the following riddle to all who came to obtain the rule of Thebes: “What is it that walks on 4 feet and 2 feet and 3 feet and has only one voice, when it walks on most feet it is the weakest?” Oedipus correctly answered “Man” and became the king of Thebes. This riddle is a metaphor for the life of Oedipus. As a child man crawls on his hands and knees this is the four feet to which the Sphinx refers. Also, man is at his weakest as a small child. He depends solely on others for his nourishment and well-being. Oedipus was the child of Jocasta and King Laius who was taken to the mountain by a Shepard to be killed so the omen of the god Apollo that Laius' son would kill him and lay with Jocasta would not come true. Oedipus was the weakest of his life at this point.

In the novel The Kite Runner and in the play Oedipus Rex there are similar themes that compare to each other, which gives a better understanding of their writing. Both pieces of literature have the themes of Betrayal and Redemption. Betrayal could be defined as the failure to meet the expectations of a relationship for one's personal gain, which is continuously approached in both writings. It is shocking to find out that both main characters have similar decisions to make in completely different situations.