The Kite Runner And Oedipus Rex Comparison Essay

In the novel The Kite Runner the text explores many different ways the relationships and people surrounding a person can shape one's self, this is most prevalent in Amir. During Amir's childhood, he is constantly vying for Baba's attention and affection. Amir's cowardice is seen through many different examples in the novel, mainly Assef and his violent actions bring forth his cowardice in many forms. Hassan is Amir's best friend in the beginning of the novel, he is also a role model to Amir.

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.

When Amir was looking for Hassan after the kite flying contest he is talking to someone asking if they had seen him. He refers to Hassan as “our servant’s son” (69). He and Hassan are best friends at home through their entire childhoods. Despite this, he still does not even refer to him as a friend to society; to the people around him Hassan is just his servant. Then later in the novel after he has witnessed Hassan getting raped, he does not want Hassan to be living with them anymore. He asks Baba “have you ever thought about getting new servants?” (89). He tries to exile his best friend for no reason at all even though they have been through everything together. This is the foundation of Amir showing this theme of exile towards Hassan, and it only gets worse. Hassan begins to notice what Amir is doing and tells him “I don’t know what i’ve done, Amir agah I wish you’d tell me. I don’t know why we don’t play anymore” (88). He ignores Hassan and shuts him out into exile even though all he has done is be loyal to Amir. Soon after Amir wants to completely exile Hassan and get him out of his home for good. Amir decides to frame him so he “lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted [his] new watch and handful of Afghani bills under it” (104). Amir lets Hassan take the blame for this act completely and exiles him out of his life forever. Hassan even writes to him but Amir does not respond. Amir exiles Hassan and shows the theme of exile through his actions toward Hassan throughout the

“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 spite of the fact that Hassan and Amir had been raised as brothers, Amir had never appreciated Hassan. Amir grew up envious of Hassan despite of having so much more than he did. Despite the two boys always being together and playing with one another, Amir never stood up for Hassan when the neighborhood kids had picked on him, he “ I ran because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he would 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. That’s what I made myself believe. I actually aspired to be a cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba.” (77) Hassan has always taken the blame for Amir, and Amir could not stand up for him. Amir had been attentive of Hasans disadvantages but instead of aiding him, Amir had decided to tease Hassan for them. Such as Hassan not being able to read or not knowing the definition of a

In chapter 7, Amir thinks to himself “ I had one last chance to make a decision…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 times in the past-and accept what would happen to me.” There has always been a part of Amir who saw Hassan like a brother, even though he did not admit it, not even to himself. There have been so many times that Hassan has saved him and Amir is thinking about repaying that favor. There is a part of him that wants to save Hassan; however, he knows that there will be consequences.

One of the most conflicting characters within the Kite Runner is Amir, the main character. He portrays himself in a very self-serving manor, which is key to understanding the persona that the author gave him. Many who read this could justify his actions to him being a child, and as everyone makes mistakes he is allowed to make mistakes as well. In Amir’s mind saying sorry does not mean voicing your apology, it means giving someone something, like a toy or clothes, but when he allowed the atrocity that happened to Hassan come to pass, he knew that he couldn’t make up for something like this. Instead of trying to make it up to Hassan, he instead doesn’t want to see him anymore, out of sight out of mind. Hassan is a Hazara, which immediately

Or I could run. In the end, I ran”(Pg.77, Hosseini). Amir never stood up for Hassan like a brother would do for another brother. If he only knew they had a close relation maybe he could have saved Hassan instead of thinking he’s just a Hazara. Because of Baba’s past he also never really opened up to people, and that really hurt the father-son relationship Amir was longing for.

As a child, Amir struggled with jealousy and ultimately that ruined his friendship with Hassan. He had always assumed that Baba had loved Hassan more than him because of his brave personality. In the time period of this novel, Amir was more favoured societally because he was Pashtun and not Hazara like Hassan. This added to the reason why he was jealous that Baba had favoured Hassan more than him. He felt Baba should love him more because he was Pashtun and his son. This racial tension in the country led to Hassan getting beaten and raped by a group of boys. Amir watched his supposed friend get harassed and he did nothing about it because in the moment he was only thinking of himself. Though Hassan had always stood up for him, the one time

In The Kite Runner, when Hassan went to run down the last kite that Amir had cut down he got into trouble with some neighborhood boys. Not giving up the kite Hassan was then sodomized by the boys while Amir watched on. Amir not being sure of himself caused Hassan his fate. Amir goes on to say, “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 times in the past-and except whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran.” (The Kite Runner, 77). He later goes on to say, “I ran because I was a coward.” (The Kite Runner, 77). This explains that if one is not comfortable with oneself then you should not rely on them to save you. Amir failed Hassan because he couldn't come to terms with

After Amir didn’t help Hassan, he felt guilty for not doing anything. I think Amir thought that the only way he could relieve his guilty conscience was to find out that Hassan wasn’t actually a good friend. In the end, by doing all those mean things to Hassan, it just made Amir feel worse. There were many reasons why Amir resented Hassan, and most were unimportant reasons. For one, he did not like the attention that Baba was giving Hassan, and that Hassan barely had to even try to get it.

To begin with, one of the most horrific ways that Amir abused their friendship was using Hassan in his own selfish ways to attain what he desires. Despite the fact that running away from the scene where Hassan was being raped was wrong in itself, Amir is thinking to himself, “Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay […] to win Baba” (77). Amir within those few short seconds had made up his final decision; Hassan was going to be the price he paid to uncover his own selfish pleasures while including winning the love of his father, Baba. In addition, he believed that the only way he would achieve what he wanted, the blue kite, was to sacrifice Hassan to any destruction that could possibly come his way. Without a

As a child Amir was continuously looking for the approval and acceptance of his father. He felt Hassan was creating the distance and lack of connection between his father and him. When Amir found Hassan in the alley being raped by Assef, he did nothing. He had the time to realize what he was seeing was a horrible, and that not trying to stop it was a cowardly thing to do, “quote.” but still he ran away and did nothing. Hassan had never betrayed Amir, he had always been by his side, and he had even chosen to protect Amir’s kite knowing his safety was at risk in the alley. Amir had the opportunity to stop thinking about himself and to protect his best friend. He could have chosen to stand up for the person that had always stood up for him, but

Amir had great influences on him as a child; Baba was a brave person, generous to everyone, and should’ve influenced Amir to be the same. On the contrary, Amir was selfish and chose not to stand up for his friend, even when the situation desperately needs it. This is not because of how he grew up, of his environment. Amir’s genetics made him to be fearful and mean, as shown throughout the book. “I knew I was being cruel, like when I’d taunt him if he didn’t know some big word. But there was something fascinating - albeit in a sick way - about teasing Hassan.” (Hosseini 54). Even though Amir had great influences growing up, Hassan took the brunt of his attacks and neglect. Near the beginning of the book, Hassan is raped in the alleys running a kite for Amir. Going after Hassan, Amir finds Hassan while this is going on but does not stop the rapist or stand up for his friend. Instead, Amir ran away and proceeded to abandon Hassan emotionally after the event. Baba was a brave man and would’ve stood up for Hassan, regardless of the danger to him, but Amir was not influenced nearly as much by his positive environment rather than his negative cowardice, or

The day of the kite fighting, Amir shows who he really is. While Hassan was getting raped by Assef, Amir just watches, acting like a bystander. The sad part is Amir could have stopped the rape. Amir is a coward for allowing Assef to rape Hassan. He does have a chance to intervene, but never does. Amir runs because he is a coward and wants to protect his own skin. After Amir runs he explains to himself why he did not help Hassan and why he ran exclaiming, “He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?” (77). Amir believes since he is Hazara it does not matter that Hassan was raped. He was poor, illiterate, and a servant and he did not matter in this world. When Amir believes he’s only a Hazara, he sounds like Assef. Assef thought Hitler was the greatest