If amir is going to redeem himself, hes got to come face to face with the meanest, darkest part of himself. Amir s fight with assef becomes the climax of the novel. The central character of the story as well as its narrator, amir has a privileged upbringing. He becomes an official in the taliban and takes hassans son from an orphanage. Kite runner khaled hosseini author on his new book duration.
As amir fights assef to save sohrab, he is ultimately fighting the darkest part of himself that betrayed hassan. It narrates the story of amir and his father, baba, in the town of kabul, afghanistan. Assef is an antagonist from khaled hosseinis 2003 novel the kite runner, and its 2007 live action film adaptation of the same name. The antagonist of the book, assef is a fundamental muslim who believes that all hazaras should be eradicated from afghanistan. The blue kite is an object which is in between hassan and assef in chapter seven, in the same way that in chapter five, amir is in between hassan and assef. He hated hazaras like ali and hassan and like hitlers extermination, believed in killing them all. He is first seen as a young boy around age seven or eight living in kabul, afghanistan with his father, half brother hassan, and ali who is thought to be hassans father. He is a barrier that amir has to conquer in order to feel at peace. What is the significance of amirs lip getting split. Hassan wont let the blue kite get torn or damaged by assef in the same way that he wouldnt let assef hurt amir in chapter 5, in my opinion the blue kite is clearly a symbol of hassan.
Assef and his gang demand hassan give him the blue kite he has retrieved for amir. Runner by khaled hosseini describes kite fights between local afghani kids, regardless of their social status. Assef emphasizes that wali and kamal are also present. The kite runner by khaled hosseini tells the story is about a pashtun boy named amir and his closest friend hassan, who is a hazara. The kite runner chapters 79 summary and analysis gradesaver. Khaled hosseini, the kite runner the banned books project. Hazaras are considered to be the dirt of the society. He was in amir s estimation the best kite runner around. The ultimate irony is that amir will come to see that his father is exactly like him. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the kite runner and what it means. And when the last kite was cut, all hell broke loose. Khaled hosseini by joy zaia the taliban went out of sight pg. During the fight between assef and amir, amir burst out laughing. Whats the difference between the kite runner the book and the kite runner the movie.
Summary when amir and farid arrive at the big house and compound in wazir. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Amir taught hassan how to shoot a slingshot when they were children. Sohrab is able to defeat assef by shooting a brass ball from his slingshot into his eye, drawing a parallel to the brass knuckles assef tried to use to threaten amir and hassan during their childhood.
Assef s role in the kite runner is the sum of amir s conflicts. Assef s house in wazir akbar khan was the setting for the fight between amir and assef. In the book the kite runner, what are some quotes with. Just as assef breaks out his brass knuckles during a confrontation with amir, hassan wields his sling shot to lob a rock at assef s eye. Assef told hassan that even amir considered him worthless, but hassan defended.
Both assef and amir look at sohrab and notice that he has a slingshot aimed at assef s face. For amir, it is his betrayal of hassan that stays with him more than anything in his life. How is amirs confrontation with assef specifically the fight. Amir and hassan are frightened, but ali embraces them and says it is just people hunting ducks. The highlight of the winter is the annual kitefighting tournament, when boys battle kites. When amir fights assef, he sacrifices his life to save sohrab just as hassan had sacrificed his life for amir. This struggle is a conflict between the kind of man that amir believes he is, and the kind of man that baba is. Amirs fight with assef becomes the climax of the novel. Hassan once saved amir from assef with a slingshot c.
Assef tells amir how he came to be a member of the taliban. The story begins in afghanistan in the 1960s, and follows amir, a pashtun and a member of the kabul upper class. As assef straddles amir s chest and is getting ready to beat him again, sohrab says, bas. You steal his wifes right to a husband, rob his children of a father. As when he says hassan being raped, amir s memory starts to jump around and the narrative breaks up, emphasizing the trauma of the event.
Assef says amir would not be as loyal to him, an ugly pet hazara. The brass knuckles return as another image from amirs childhood. His father, baba, is rich by afghan standards, and as a result, amir grows up accustomed to having what he wants. Get an answer for in the kite runner, what lessons did amir learn about life and humanity by the end of the book. He had carried the guilt of not helping his friend hassan for most of his life. What are 3 important symbols in the fight with assef and. I think this because of changes they had made in the movie version.
It was here that amir had to retrieve sohrab from and fight for the rights to keep him. Amir then describes the fight in flashes of swallowing teeth and blood, assef. As a child, he rapes hassan, a member of the hazara minority whom he looks down. Consequently, hassan chooses to suffer the consequences of assefs angerthus losing his innocence. Over the years, i had seen a lot of guys run kites. Assef is one of the more horrifying characters in the kite runner. Took out the part where it amir was laughing while being beat by assef. The method in which the two events tie in to the plot are very fitting. He spouts hatred, instills fear, and carries out his aggression with great joy, yet still stands as a reflection of our.
I believe that sin exists in two forms, theft and weakness. Amir saving sohrab from suffering as hassan did is seen as him. If i had not read the novel, i would probably have enjoyed the kite runner as a movie, without realizing the depth of the story that is so absent in the film. Amir s betrayal of hassan, babas betrayal of ali, and assef s betrayal of his people are the most notable.
Study guide for the kite runner by khaled hosseini summary. For a person who has never been in a fight his entire life, amir takes a severe beating. A fight ensues between amir and assef, and amir and sohrab manage to escape. Hassan, we are led to infer, is the kite runner of the books title, and amir tells us the. What is assef in the kite runner famous for answers. He lives in a above middle class house with two slaves, ali, and his son hassan. Both children grow up with a measure of privilege, and both children hurt hassana socially and economically disadvantaged hazarawhen they abuse this privilege. Amir happens upon a horrific scene in the alleyway while looking for hassan, who has just run down a kite, the crowning jewel of amir s kite fighting victory. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the kite runner, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. He had an innate sense of where the kite was going to land, after it had been cut loose from its flyer. Consequently, hassan chooses to suffer the consequences of assef s angerthus losing his innocence. Since hassan had told amir that he would bring him the kite, he is afraid of losing the kite to assef, because a broken vow would disappoint amir.
In his devotion to his father, amir sits by the door of babas study for hours. The fight begins and as amir remembers, he doesnt think he fought very well. Mar 21, 2012 rape is a prevalent theme in the kite runner. When amir travels back to kabul to rescue sohrab, he is forced to visit his past enemy, assef, who is a member of the taliban. Hassan was good with a sling shot and used it to defend amir threatening to make one eyed assef if he assef didnt back off p. Amir s courage to fight assef, shows that the power assef used to have decades ago has changed and is now in the hands of amir and sohrab. But amir laughs, because for the first time since that summer of 1975, he feels at peace and healed. Its easy to see just how central unrequited affection becomes in the kite runner. Assef becomes a member of the taliban who idolizes adolf hitler and abuses his position of power in order to demonstrate the political muscle of the men in charge.
The kite runner is a novel written in 2003 by khaled hosseini. I think the fight and beating that amir took was a cathartic experience for amir. At one point, he begins laughing and laughing which makes assef angrier and angrier. Its probably no coincidence amir has to confront assef in order to save sohrab. The entire portion of the film where amir goes to afghanistan is largely different than what is described in the book. A similarity between these two is that the root of the events in the book film is amir not saving hassan when he was being raped by assef.
Whats odd is that amir often identifies himself with assef, or with a talib executioner. The kite runner relationship and symbolism freebooksummary. Published in 2003 by riverhead books, it tells the story of amir, a young boy from the wazir akbar khan district of kabul, whose closest friend is hassan. Assef is a villain and is clearly associated with evil, but one of the functions of his character is to demonstrate the capacity of evil that is within all of us especially amir. The kite runner is about the price of peace, both personal and political, and what we knowingly destroy in our hope of achieving that, be it friends, democracy or ourselves. This passage is significant because this is the pivotal point in amir s life. It is his first novel, the second being a thousand splendid suns and his third being and the mountains echoed. From hassans actions, a large contrast in human nature is evident. Baba seems to have invited the world to amir s thirteenth birthday party, and assef is one of the guests. Rahim khan also shares babas deepest secret with amir. He is a violent sociopath who is driven to assert dominance over others in ways that include violating, harming and killing other people.
Amir amir s relationship with hassan amir in the beginning amir and soraya amir s redemption the rape of hassan by assef was reincarnated in the abuse hassans son received from assef years later. Luan gaines with inordinate compassion and stunning simplicity, hosseini portrays amirs impossible dilemma. The kite runner by khaled hosseini conflict mysparknotes. Hassan and his father also live with amir s family but are hazaras. Amir amirs relationship with hassan amir in the beginning amir and soraya amirs redemption the rape of hassan by assef was reincarnated in the abuse hassans son received from assef years later. Later amir would learn that the gunfire symbolized the end. A hazara is an ethnolinguistic group in central afghanistan, northern pakistan and iran, most of whom are shi. Not only is assef a villain, but he also symbolizes all villainy. He tries to make amir and hassans lives miserable as his own childhood creates the monster he is in the future. The kite runner parallel scenes flashcards quizlet. A brief section is a flashforward of amir after the fight, when he is slipping in and. Hassan is a hazara which is a group of people descended from the mongoloids. One of the most dominant themes is the idea of redemption for past wrongdoings. He is the reason for hassans rape as well as keeping sohrab.
In the book, amir begins to laugh during the fight because he couldnt take the pain any longer and stays in the hospital two. Its tough to understand exactly why amir doesnt help hassan. The guilt amir has been suffering from his childhood is finally lifted, and his mind is at peace. Amir and hassan used to hunt birds with a slingshot as children b. Assef has been molesting sohrab, and amir attempts to convince assef. What is the role of assef in the kite runner answers. Amir, a welltodo pashtun boy, and hassan, a hazara who is the son of ali, amir s fathers servant, spend their days kite fighting in the hitherto peaceful city of kabul.
Assef used to threaten amir and hassan with a slingshot d. However, the two major differences that affected me the most were how amir s fight with assef and amir taking sohrab back to america. People have stolen meaningless things from people, and also have stolen their lives. I feel as though the movie does not properly express just how much amir struggles for babas love, and how much of a meaningful character baba is in amir s life. The kite runner key events and quotes chapters 110. In the book the kite runner the fight between assef and amir has been coming for many years. That same night there is the sound of gunfire in the streets.
Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Amirs insomnia and the darkness that permeates this chapter symbolize the state and quality of amirs life. The kite runner cliffsnotes study guides book summaries.
By allowing hassans rape, amir fails hassan profoundly and fundamentally. Why does assef threaten in the kite runner answers. In the book the kite runner, amir and hassan grow up with each other. In the end of the book, assef is the man at the stadium in white with. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of afghanistans monarchy through the soviet military intervention, the exodus of refugees. The climax of the novel, in which amir is finally able to atone for his past, occurs in amirs fight against assef. Critical perspectives on khaled hosseinis the kite runner. Flying kites was a way to escape the horrific reality the two boys were living in. Discuss why amir starts to laugh while getting beaten up. It was downright eerie the way he always got to the spot the kite would land before the kite did, as if he had some sort of inner. Amir is from kabul, afghanistan, and is the only child of his rich family. The big deal kite to run is the tournament runnerup the last kite cut. In this lesson, we will examine the sociopathic bully, assef, who grows up to be a taliban official in khaled hosseinis the kite runner by looking at some quotes from the novel. But hassan was by far the greatest kite runner id ever seen.
Amir goes to collect sohrab from assef, who is described as tall and blond in the book with apparent german heritage but is entirely different in the story, and fights him for him then escapes, much different than what is told in the movie. The main characters in this story that come from a higher socioeconomic level are baba, a lawyer from the pashtun tribe, and his son amir. This book has changed and challenged many of my views on life. Assef is a kabul bully who ends up joining the taliban. Assef agrees to relinquish him if amir can beat him in a fight.
These prophetic words are uttered at the beginning of the book by assef, hassans attacker. Amir s courage to fight assef, shows that the power assef used to have decades ago has changed and is now in the hands of amir and sohrab sohrab is able to defeat assef by shooting a brass ball from his slingshot into his eye, drawing a parallel to the brass knuckles assef tried to use to threaten amir and hassan during their childhood. When amir returns to kabul to find sohrab he confronts assef demanding that he release sohrab. He taunts both amir and hassan, and ultimately he corners hassan in an alleyway and rapes him. Amir is the main character in the novelthe kite runner, and is the narrarator throughout the book.
This beating should have happened in amir s childhood. The kite runner study guide by keritheteacher includes 30 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. A summary of chapters 2223 in khaled hosseinis the kite runner. Assef, being in the dominant position in both hassans rape during the climax of the novel that onsets the flood of other events and sohrabs rape.
The brass knuckles return as another image from amir s childhood. Someday youll wake up from your little fantasy and learn just how good of a friend he is. Amir takes sohrab to a kite flying tournament, where they win. In khaled hosseinis the kite runner, several major themes arise. The inner turmoil amir wrestles with after betraying hassan drives the entire plot of the kite runner. The kite runner is the first novel by afghanamerican author khaled hosseini. The only thing he feels deprived of is a deep emotional connection with baba, which he blames on himself. Start studying the kite runner key events and quotes chapters 110. This song relates to the whole book really because amir is only concerned about himself and how things that happen will effect and impact his life. Threatens to use his brass knuckles in order to fight amir, because he is annoyed that amir has a. Hassan is a better kite runner than amir faster, more athletic, and with better instincts and amir struggles to keep up.
While two neighborhood boys hold down hassan, a nearlydemonic boy named assef rapes hassan. Such openness and warmth is a far cry from the baba of kabul. Amir is unable to explain to assef that for the first time since 1975 he feels at peace. Chapter 5 foreshadows how wicked assef truly is and where. The kite runner by khaled hosseini menu character list conflict themes khaled hosseini biography chapter 1 and 2 summary and analysis chapter 3 summary and analysis chapter 4 summary and analysis chapter 5 summary and analysis chapter 6 summary and analysis chapter 7 summary and analysis chapter 8 summary and analysis chapter 9 summary. Amir and his dad are members of a major ethnic group in the country, the pashtuns. Years before assef had raped hassan, amir s friend and unbeknownst to him at the time, halfbrother. The kite runner by khaled hosseini chapter 5 summary and. The kite runner is a very powerful book that deals with many complex political and personal problems. Years before assef had raped hassan, amirs friend and unbeknownst to him at the time, halfbrother. Differences between the kite runner book vs movie page 4. The kite runner, by khaled hosseini, and the film, the authordirector showed a few similarities and differences of the plot of the story. The protagonist, an afghaniamerican named amir, relays the story of his childhood.
He gives a biography of hitler to amir for a gift, he rapes hassan, and thinks god wanted him to live for a reason. The kite runners competed amongst themselves to see who could capture the most kites, with the most glory going to the boy who captured the last kite. Important quotes from the kite runner with analysis. In the kite runner, what lessons did amir learn about life. In one of the more moving passages of the book, baba warmly says to amir, after amir has just graduated from high school, i am moftakhir proud 11. What are 3 important symbols in the fight with assef and amir. The beating he takes from assef is a release from so much of that guilt. Amir s affection for baba, which isnt returned, in some ways drives him to betray hassan. The whole book is built on the idea that amir is jealous of hassan and the attention that amir s dad gives to hassan.
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