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In the end, I ran.” (Khaled Hosseini 139). These are the words of Amir, a young Afghan living a privileged life in 1960’s Pakistan. This pivotal moment in Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, shows Amir’s cowardice towards helping his Hazara servant, and half-brother, Hassan. Hassan is one of the main protagonists in the story, both ignorant and loyal, his innocent nature contrasts
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His relationship with Amir is complex, often going beyond the boundaries of the standard servant-master bond. They were “kids who had learned to crawl together, ... and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that.” (6). However, as they were growing up Amir began to notice Baba’s preference for Hassan. He quickly resents Hassan and passive-aggressively attacks his intelligence. “I played another little trick ... on Hassan. I was reading to him, and suddenly I strayed from the written story. I pretended I was reading from the book … Hassan, of course, was oblivious to this. To him, the words on the page were a scramble of codes, indecipherable, mysterious. Words were secret doorways and I held all the keys.” (25). From that, we can see how Amir is using his intelligence to subtly insult Hassan’s ignorance. Amir’s petty resentments are emphasized because of his half-brother’s innocent nature. This can cause the reader to be sympathetic towards Hassan and start despising …show more content…
Amir “was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi'a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing.” (4.4-5). The young Pashtun’s conflicted feelings towards Hassan is clearly portrayed in this quote through his bleak realization that their difference in social stature will keep them apart. Though Hassan is completely devoted to their friendship, Amir feels a sense of superiority towards his “friend”, and he sometimes tests his power in the form of passive aggressive verbal attacks. He perceives Hassan as a “loyal Hazara. Loyal as a dog.” (72). Amir’s selfish nature contrasts Hassan’s total dedication to his master. The young slave often sacrifices himself for Amir, the selfish teenager who stood by and watched a raping occur to his “friend.” Menial tasks like preparing breakfast and catching the blue kite show Hassan’s self-less nature. In return, Amir alienated him and plotted his banishment from the estate. The young Pashtun’s actions left him to be perceived as a cruel master, compared to his “saint-like”
His relationship with Amir is complex, often going beyond the boundaries of the standard servant-master bond. They were “kids who had learned to crawl together, ... and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that.” (6). However, as they were growing up Amir began to notice Baba’s preference for Hassan. He quickly resents Hassan and passive-aggressively attacks his intelligence. “I played another little trick ... on Hassan. I was reading to him, and suddenly I strayed from the written story. I pretended I was reading from the book … Hassan, of course, was oblivious to this. To him, the words on the page were a scramble of codes, indecipherable, mysterious. Words were secret doorways and I held all the keys.” (25). From that, we can see how Amir is using his intelligence to subtly insult Hassan’s ignorance. Amir’s petty resentments are emphasized because of his half-brother’s innocent nature. This can cause the reader to be sympathetic towards Hassan and start despising …show more content…
Amir “was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi'a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing.” (4.4-5). The young Pashtun’s conflicted feelings towards Hassan is clearly portrayed in this quote through his bleak realization that their difference in social stature will keep them apart. Though Hassan is completely devoted to their friendship, Amir feels a sense of superiority towards his “friend”, and he sometimes tests his power in the form of passive aggressive verbal attacks. He perceives Hassan as a “loyal Hazara. Loyal as a dog.” (72). Amir’s selfish nature contrasts Hassan’s total dedication to his master. The young slave often sacrifices himself for Amir, the selfish teenager who stood by and watched a raping occur to his “friend.” Menial tasks like preparing breakfast and catching the blue kite show Hassan’s self-less nature. In return, Amir alienated him and plotted his banishment from the estate. The young Pashtun’s actions left him to be perceived as a cruel master, compared to his “saint-like”