Analytical Essay On The Kite Runner

People of the United States are lucky enough to be protected by laws and and a common morality which says acts of violence will not be tolerated regardless of who the perpetrator is. Other countries, such as Afghanistan, experience an extremely different way of life. Some Afghans are raised to respect others and show kindness even in the worst of situations, but many are raised to be hateful and cruel, treating people they think to be below them as if they are nothing more than animals put on this earth to be abused and slaughtered. In Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” the differences between these to upbringings are glaring. Assef is a man who was raised, ever since he was young, to believe that he was superior to others all because of his Pashtun heritage. Amir, although also a Pashtun, has love and respect for all people, regardless of ancestry. Both men were raised in a war torn country by wealthy parents, but because of what they were taught they turned out incredibly different. Assef has an utter lack of feelings of humanity and compassion, but Amir manages to hold on to who he was raised to be; a compassionate man who treated all humans with respect. Assef was raised as most Pashtun boys were. Because he was praised by the Afghani culture due to his dissent, he grew to view himself as more important than others. …show more content…
Because Assef fostered such animosity in his heart from such a young age, he grew into a cold-hearted, inhumane man with no regard for human life if it didn't follow the standards he placed. Amir is a kindhearted man who would never hurt anyone if he didn’t need to. Being in a place like Afganistan can bring the worst out in people. Inhumanity is normalized there, allowing people to commit aberrant acts with little to no repercussions. Afghani people make a choice; do they want to live like Assef, or take the harder path and live as Amir