Conclusion
In the novel The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, the author employs a retrospective narrator exploring his childhood in order to explore the effect family situations, societal issues, and class differences have on children. In doing so, the child’s naïve interpretations illuminate their sense of powerlessness and bring forth an audience’s capacity for compassion. Amir acts as the central character of the novel as well as the narrator. As an adult, he reflects on his actions and understanding of the world as a child and how those shaped his perception of the world. The guilt he feels is evident in every layer of his life, from child to adult. The way in which it manifested in him as a child influenced his reactions to the …show more content…
It is ironic as Hassan is the one who experiences a terrible act of violence that rips his child innocence away while Amir’s cowardice and jealousy holds him back from helping his friend. Simultaneously as Amir loses Hassan, war begins plaguing his home and community. He watches the place he once loved turn into a place of destruction and fear. As a young child, war rips him from his home and eventually to America, leaving a painful and lasting scar. Looking back on his past, Amir wishes he could change his actions. However, child protagonists are often unable to force a change in the events around them and just watch everything unfold, illuminating their powerlessness. Instead, they are trapped acting as spectators, naïve participants in their current situation and environment. Thus, it is the tension in their inability to fix the wrongdoings that make their stories enlightening. Readers watch chaos unfold around Amir and frustrations only grow when his cowardice stops him from doing anything to help Hassan. Amir does not represent a superhero nor a brave heart, but instead a man recognizing past mistakes and working to absolve them. His childhood reveals many of the injustices and dark parts of humanity that are
In the novel The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, the author employs a retrospective narrator exploring his childhood in order to explore the effect family situations, societal issues, and class differences have on children. In doing so, the child’s naïve interpretations illuminate their sense of powerlessness and bring forth an audience’s capacity for compassion. Amir acts as the central character of the novel as well as the narrator. As an adult, he reflects on his actions and understanding of the world as a child and how those shaped his perception of the world. The guilt he feels is evident in every layer of his life, from child to adult. The way in which it manifested in him as a child influenced his reactions to the …show more content…
It is ironic as Hassan is the one who experiences a terrible act of violence that rips his child innocence away while Amir’s cowardice and jealousy holds him back from helping his friend. Simultaneously as Amir loses Hassan, war begins plaguing his home and community. He watches the place he once loved turn into a place of destruction and fear. As a young child, war rips him from his home and eventually to America, leaving a painful and lasting scar. Looking back on his past, Amir wishes he could change his actions. However, child protagonists are often unable to force a change in the events around them and just watch everything unfold, illuminating their powerlessness. Instead, they are trapped acting as spectators, naïve participants in their current situation and environment. Thus, it is the tension in their inability to fix the wrongdoings that make their stories enlightening. Readers watch chaos unfold around Amir and frustrations only grow when his cowardice stops him from doing anything to help Hassan. Amir does not represent a superhero nor a brave heart, but instead a man recognizing past mistakes and working to absolve them. His childhood reveals many of the injustices and dark parts of humanity that are