Looking Backwards So We Can See Everything
“Your past must die for your future to live.” (Dhliwayo) This is a quote from the philosopher and author Matshona Dhliwayo that says the past should be forgotten in order to make progress toward the future. In Khaled Hosseini’s, The Kite Runner, the main character, Amir, watches Hassan, his best friend and brother, get raped and does nothing to help him. The entire novel really just revolves around how Amir lives his life in the shame of his decision to do nothing when Hassan gets raped. This novel is the prime example for showing just how big of an impact the past can have on the present.
The rape of Hassan is an event that happens relatively early in the book but still has a major prevalence throughout this story. This is the first example of how the past contributes to the story as a whole. Hassan was attacked on the grounds of religion. “Shiites and Hazaras were persecuted” ("A Fragile" 2:12) in the Pashtun occupied city of Kabul, where he lived as a Hazara. Sadly, since Amir decides to leave his brother, he lives with the guilt for the rest of his life. This sets up a series of events that drive the plot forward. Astoundingly, the most noticeable effects of how this scene affects the story do not happen the day or year after Hassan gets raped; the most noticeable effects happens about 7 years later when Amir …show more content…
The most obvious and impactful flashbacks in the book were the “Alley Scene” in chapter 7, the “Blue Kite” in chapter 7, and Baba’s disapproval of Amir’s writing throughout his life. All of these combine to make a story that is engaging and emotionally taxing. All of the scenes from his childhood serves a purpose later on in the story. Knowing that, there is still one question that needs to be answered: “If we weren’t exposed to Amir’s past, how can we understand anything that happened in the
“Your past must die for your future to live.” (Dhliwayo) This is a quote from the philosopher and author Matshona Dhliwayo that says the past should be forgotten in order to make progress toward the future. In Khaled Hosseini’s, The Kite Runner, the main character, Amir, watches Hassan, his best friend and brother, get raped and does nothing to help him. The entire novel really just revolves around how Amir lives his life in the shame of his decision to do nothing when Hassan gets raped. This novel is the prime example for showing just how big of an impact the past can have on the present.
The rape of Hassan is an event that happens relatively early in the book but still has a major prevalence throughout this story. This is the first example of how the past contributes to the story as a whole. Hassan was attacked on the grounds of religion. “Shiites and Hazaras were persecuted” ("A Fragile" 2:12) in the Pashtun occupied city of Kabul, where he lived as a Hazara. Sadly, since Amir decides to leave his brother, he lives with the guilt for the rest of his life. This sets up a series of events that drive the plot forward. Astoundingly, the most noticeable effects of how this scene affects the story do not happen the day or year after Hassan gets raped; the most noticeable effects happens about 7 years later when Amir …show more content…
The most obvious and impactful flashbacks in the book were the “Alley Scene” in chapter 7, the “Blue Kite” in chapter 7, and Baba’s disapproval of Amir’s writing throughout his life. All of these combine to make a story that is engaging and emotionally taxing. All of the scenes from his childhood serves a purpose later on in the story. Knowing that, there is still one question that needs to be answered: “If we weren’t exposed to Amir’s past, how can we understand anything that happened in the