In The Kite Runner the motif “nang and namoos” means “pride and honor” which are emotions many people of Afghanistan strive for. In Afghanistan, the one thing that should be hidden from anyone is shame. It is shown throughout the novel that the characters try to achieve “nang and namoos” because in their culture that is what is important to them. Three characters who show what it means to have nang and namoos are Hassan, Baba, and Amir. To elaborate, Hassan displays nang and namoos when he stands up to Assef in order to keep the kite for Amir. “Even from where I was standing, I could see the fear creeping into Hassan’s eyes, but he shook his head. ‘Amir agha won the tournament and I ran it for him. I ran it fairly. This is his kite” (Hosseini,
…show more content…
“That was when Baba stood up. It was my turn to clamp a hand on his thigh, but Baba pried it loose, snatched his leg away. When he stood, he eclipsed the moon light. ‘I want you to ask this man something,’ Baba said. He said it to Karim, but looked directly at the Russian officer. ‘Ask him where his shame is” (Hosseini, 2013, p. 115). Baba’s way of nang and namoos is by keeping up his reputation of being strong and having “a black glare that would ‘drop the devil to his knees begging for mercy” (Hosseini, 2013, p. 12). If Baba did not stand up to the Russian officer he would have shame and would bring dishonor to himself, in his culture he would have been seen as a coward. Also, Amir also has nang and namoos when he decides to not leave Afghanistan without Sohrab. “I remembered Wahid’s boys and… I realized something: I would not leave Afghanistan without finding Sohrab” (Hosseini, 2013, p. 225). Amir does not show a lot of nang and namoos throughout the novel but he tried by attempting to get accepted by his father. Amir is doing this, only this time he wants Hassan’s, as well as his own, acceptance. There is no set way to show nang and namoos, one just has to show pride and honor. In brief, Hassan, Baba, and Amir show nang and namoos in similar but unique ways because of the importance of honor and pride in
“That was when Baba stood up. It was my turn to clamp a hand on his thigh, but Baba pried it loose, snatched his leg away. When he stood, he eclipsed the moon light. ‘I want you to ask this man something,’ Baba said. He said it to Karim, but looked directly at the Russian officer. ‘Ask him where his shame is” (Hosseini, 2013, p. 115). Baba’s way of nang and namoos is by keeping up his reputation of being strong and having “a black glare that would ‘drop the devil to his knees begging for mercy” (Hosseini, 2013, p. 12). If Baba did not stand up to the Russian officer he would have shame and would bring dishonor to himself, in his culture he would have been seen as a coward. Also, Amir also has nang and namoos when he decides to not leave Afghanistan without Sohrab. “I remembered Wahid’s boys and… I realized something: I would not leave Afghanistan without finding Sohrab” (Hosseini, 2013, p. 225). Amir does not show a lot of nang and namoos throughout the novel but he tried by attempting to get accepted by his father. Amir is doing this, only this time he wants Hassan’s, as well as his own, acceptance. There is no set way to show nang and namoos, one just has to show pride and honor. In brief, Hassan, Baba, and Amir show nang and namoos in similar but unique ways because of the importance of honor and pride in