Preview

Parallelism In The Kite Runner

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
940 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Parallelism In The Kite Runner
How Amir Comes to Be a Fully Grown Person Becoming a fully developed person does not just have to do with developing physically. One’s majority can only be approved of if there is mental, moral advancing as well. In the book “The Kite Runner”, Khaled Hosseini guides us through the maturing of the narrator, Amir through parallelism. A grownup Amir faces parallel situations to what he had experienced in childhood. These situations are ones that Amir regrets and wishes to forget, due to their destructive consequences. So when Amir encounters their mirroring situations, he counters them in a mature and developed way, with actions he was too young to carry out before. Literary features like irony, action and characterization join with parallelism …show more content…
Although the actions are the same, their intentions are ironic. The dictions they use when describing the situations are similar, because they both use “planted” and “fistful” (Hosseini 242). However, readers know that adult Amir is trying to do good by helping, because he did the action right after he realized that Wazid’s family gave him food out of respect, meaning that their children didn’t get to eat. It might be a small gesture, but it is a sizeable and a caring deed to Wazid’s. Readers can see that the child Amir was meaning bad because he was being very devious, which readers can tell by the repetition of “waiting” and dictions such as “tiptoed”, ”listened” and “shameful” (Hosseini 104). The author used situational irony to show that he has developed to be a considerate person, and is able to make amends by thinking about others. This differs a lot from when he hid money into Hassan’s mattress, when Amir was being cowardly and greedily. Also, by carrying out good deeds to others, Amir is starting to redeem his wrong doings, an important idea in the …show more content…
In the corner of the alley, when Amir sees the older boys surrounding Hassan, he is very nervous. He “doesn’t breath out”, “exhales slowly”, “feels paralyzed”, “just watched”, ”bites the fist”, and “runs” (Hosseini 77). This shows his cowardice as a young child, but it also signifies his low depth of loyalty for his friend. Amir does everything he can to earn Baba’s love, and it blinds him of his and Hassan’s brotherhood. Thirty years later, Rahim Khan tells Amir “there is a way to be good again” (Hosseini 226). He tells Amir to rescue Sohrab from Afghanistan to mend the cycle of sins that Amir’s family committed to Hassan’s family. Amir’s decision to find Sohrab is the first real step he takes to atone his past. The decision he made will impact Sohrab’s life forever, so it shows that Amir is willing to think of someone other then himself. Since the setting is in Afghanistan, where it is very deadly and violent, Amir’s decisions can be seen as very brave. Amir also developed because he chooses his instant thought rather than the choice he comes up with after thinking for a long time about it. Running away at the alley was a decision based on long thinking, and Amir has regretted for his whole year. Finally, his decision proves that he is loyal to Hassan, even though he showed it at the last chance

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Amir’s father, Baba, sees the cowardice that Amir possesses and the constant need he has for his father’s approval. As the story progresses, Amir witnesses an act of evil in the aftermath of the kite running festival. He sees Hassan, his only friend, being raped by Assef, the town bully. Overwhelmed with horror and fear, Amir flees the scene, leaving his faithful friend behind. As a young boy, he seeks redemption for having abandoned his friend by seeking out physical pain as punishment. Amir narrates, “I hit him with another pomegranate, in the shoulder this time...‘Hit me back, goddamn you!’ I wished he would. I wished he'd give me the punishment I craved, so maybe I'd finally sleep at night. Maybe then things could return to how they used to be between us”(Hosseini, pg 92). Amir longs for forgiveness and to share the bond they once had. This incident serves as a lesson to Amir that redemption requires much more than encouraging Hassan to throw a pomegranate at his chest. While Hassan is a loyal friend, who might have recognized Amir’s attempt at redemption, Hassan refuses to participate. This failure at redemption leads to Amir distancing himself from Hassan, and the two continue to grow farther apart. The theme of redemption re-appears when Amir receives a phone call from his old friend, Rahim Khan. As Rahim finishes his conversation with Amir, he says, “Come. There is a way to be good again” (Hosseini, pg ). Without the prodding from Rahim, Amir may have never overcome the regret of his cowardly mistake. Even though he has grown and matured into adulthood, he realizes that his past is still a heavy burden. It is not until Amir returns to Afghanistan that he succeeds in finally securing atonement. After hearing the news of Hassan’s death and the fate of…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    He has to find the way to earn forgiveness for himself and gain back some of his respect as a human being. He has too choose whether to continue being a coward like he was in the alley or stand up and take responsibility for his betrayal. In the second quote Hassan gives another example of hiss undying loyalty towards Amir and their relationship as more of brothers than master and servant. Amir does not give the same amount of respect or trust to Hassan even though Amir repeatedly betrays Hassan and breaks their relationship. He lives in his adult life reliving his mistakes towards Amir in his old homeland and had wished he wasn’t such a coward and stood beside Hassan as he did for…

    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Amir is very selfish and only does things for his own benefit. He did not have the courage or strength to step in and save his friend in the alley from Assef. He made the choice to betray his friend. As Hassan stood his ground in the alley and chooses to honor his promise to Amir and return the kite to him, Amir stood silent at the end of the alley and watched the beating and rape of his friend Hassan. The following quotation emphasizes how Amir is unworthy of Hassan’s loyalty: “I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan – the way he’d stood up for me all those time in the past – and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran.” (82). Amir’s betrayal continues, as he later decides that he no longer wants Hassan and his father in the household, so he decides to set up Hassan and accuse him of stealing. “I went downstairs, crossed the yard, and entered Ali and Hassan’s living quarters by the loquat tree. I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it.” (110). Amir betrays Hassan by trying to have his friend fired for stealing. Hassan took the blame to keep Amir out of trouble. This…

    • 1364 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through the use of parallel events along with themes, such as the journey towards adulthood and the search for redemption, Khaled Hosseini portrays a guilty Amir in search of redeeming himself and paints a story of "friendship, fathers, sons, betrayal, tribute and redemption" ("Novels which explore the struggle for modern identity"). Throughout the novel there are many parallel events that show Amir's quest to redeem himself, from his desire for acceptance in Baba's eyes to his guilt about Hassan's rape. These events put the novel in motion as it sets up Amir's want for redemption early in the book.…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Where he failed to take action as a child, he now has the chance to do the right thing as an adult. Family friend, Rahim Khan telephones Amir and tells him to come to Pakistan. Amir realizes that Rahim Khan knows of his betrayals to Hassan for he said, “Come. There is a way to be good again” (202). Even though it was twenty-six years later, Rahim Khan understands that Amir can atone for the past by helping Hassan now. Meeting Rahim Khan, Amir learns that the Taliban has killed Hassan and his wife yet Hassan’s son, Sohrab has survived. Amir further learns that he and Hassan share the same father making Sohrab his nephew. The way for Amir to make amends for his past actions is to go back to Kabul despite the danger and rescue Sohrab from an orphanage: “Hassan had loved me once, loved me in a way that no one ever had or ever would again. He was gone now, but a little part of him lived on. It was in Kabul. Waiting” (239). Amir knows that he will never have a friend as loyal and loving as Hassan again. The best way he can repay Hassan is by helping Sohrab. Amir must be selfless and possibly sacrifice his own family’s happiness and his life to find Sohrab: “I have a wife in America, a home, a career, and a family. But how could I pack up and go home when my actions may have cost Hassan a chance at those very same things?” (238). If Amir acted differently when he was younger, Hassan may still be alive today. Amir…

    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    He is selfish, demanding, cowardly, disrespectful and jealous. He does not seem like the type of person that will do something for another out of the kindness of their heart. He always thinks about himself and what he wants. He has never sacrificed anything for the people he loves. Growing up with the memory of Hassan’s rape still fresh in his mind like a situation that has just unfolded has finally opened his eyes and makes him realize he needs to be brave for once in his life. So Amir acts. He goes back to Afghanistan to find Hassan’s son, Sohrab. Rahim Khan’s advice, “There is a way to be good again” (pg.2) helps Amir to put his feelings into action. Assef, now a Taliban officer, beats Amir up badly, but this, heals Amir of his wrong doings from the past and he takes Sohrab back to America with him to live a good life. Amir finally puts someone before himself after all the sacrifices Hassan has made for him in the past. This shows the love and sacrifice he makes for Hassan’s child knowing it is the only way he can ever repay Hassan for the years of mistreatment in their…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bpromg

    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Babas lack of love and affection towards Amir has proven to change Amir into a boy that is constantly in search for his fathers love. Amirs best friend,” Hassan” is always there to protect him when he gets into fights because he is too timid to stand up for himself. Baba is reluctant to praise Amir because he feels as Amir lacks courage and is a coward in many situations. For example; when Assef was disturbing Amir, Hassan had to take out his slingshot and threaten Assef to leave at once because Amir was too scared to do anything about it in that situation. “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.”…

    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Amir climactically achieved redemption with Hassan when he rescued Sohrab from Assef and brought him to America at the end of the narrative. Although Amir wasn’t able to prove his final loyalty to Hassan himself, he was able to prove it to Sohrab, who was suffering in a way parallel to his father. This is supported by Rahim Khan in his phone call telling Amir to come back to Afghanistan, because “There is a way to be good again.” Amir’s loyalty was tested later in the book, when the American embassy said that Sohrab couldn’t be taken to the United States with him. Amir could have just given up then and left Sohrab in Pakistan in another orphanage. However, he worked to find a way to bring Sohrab to America. When faced with troubles, Amir stayed true and loyal to Hassan, letting him achieve ultimate redemption.…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Amir was listening to the phone conversation, Rahim Khan says “There is a way to be good again” (script) This phrase morally affects Amir. He decides to go to Pakistan; even though, Rahim said “very bad time now” (script) When he is heading to meet Rahim, the taxi driver says “it is terrible what’s happening in your country”. Amir put himself in danger to go Afghanistan to rescue his friend’s son. Amir watches the stone to death punishment carried out by the Taliban in the stadium in Kabul. He urged to meet the Taliban authority consider as life threatening situation. When Amir rescue Soharb from Taliban, he is beaten, wounded but he focuses on his mission to Afghanistan. When he returns to California, he plays with Sohrab as he played with his friend Hassan. Amir said to Sohrab “do you want me to run that kite for you? For you, a thousand times over”. (script)The same phrase Hassan said to Amir earlier. This indicates sacrificing his life for his friend’s son Soharb gives him complete redemption.…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout this novel, there are several different events of betray depicted, mainly between Amir and Hassan. However, one of the most significant example is when Amir etches Hassan as he gets raped by Assef. Amir states, “I had final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan the way he stood up for me all those times in the past-and accept whatever would happen to me if I could run, In the end, I ran. It shows that Amir had a chance to save Hassan, however he ran out. (68)” It shows that Amir is a coward, and he runs always runs away from his problem. Furthermore, he backstabbed Hassan by not standing up, nor fighting Assef to help save him. Another example of betrayal is portrayed by Amir. After the rape incident that happened to Hassan, Amir did not speak up for him. As Amir thinks about the alleyways, and is constantly reminded about Hassan rather than speaking up for him, he wanted Baba to dismiss, both of them so they can move on with their own lives. Amir states, “I went downstairs, crosses the yard, and I entered Ali, and Hassan`s living quarters by the loquat tree. I lifted Hassan`s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under” (9.21-22). Therefore, this shows now Amir lied and told Baba that Hassan stole the watch and money, when he was once betrayed, and deceived Amir. However, Hassan consistently stays loyal to Amir, and tells Bab that…

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the beginning of the novel, Amir is a young selfish child who cares about himself and only himself, which is evident by the choices he makes. His obsession to please Baba, his father, causes him to betray his best friend, later known to be his half-brother, Hassan. Hassan was raped by Assef, the novel’s antagonist, because he was protecting the kite Amir yearned for to satisfy Baba. Amir later confesses, “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (Hosseini 7). As a consequence, Amir lives with an abundant amount of guilt, in which he tries to avoid, but as the years crawl by, he is unable to find tranquility. His guilty conscious troubles…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Amir resembles Baba because he too takes up redemption for the awful things he did. He understands the great danger Sohrab is in. He risks his life to help Sohrab; this shows loyalty to Hassan. Even though Sohrab is not Hassan sa his son shows that Amir is loyal to him. He would do anything for Hassan to make up for his childhood. After finding Sohrab, Amir comes face to face with Assef, Hassan's rapist. “Another rib snapped, this time lower. What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in the corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this… My body was broken – just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later – but I felt healed” (Hosseini 289) This scene depicts the acceptance that Amir finally faces. He starts coming to terms with his past because he feels at peace over the fact that he is finally getting justice for Hassan. That he is brave enough not to run away just as Hassan would stay to fight. Amir sacrifices everything for Sohrab just as Hassan did for him once. Amir finally shows the love for Hassan that was given to…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Once Amir gets some answers concerning Baba's transgression, he feels as if his whole life has been a cycle of disloyalty, even before he sold out Hassan. Be that as it may, having an essence of treachery himself does little towards recovering Amir. At the point when Assef very nearly murders Amir, he feels "mended," as if now that Assef has hurt him, he is recovered. He even tells Farid that in the room with Assef, he "got what he merited." In the end, Amir figures out that discipline is not what will recover him from his wrongdoing. It is not in any case sparing Sohrab. Keeping in mind the end goal to offer compensation for his transgression and Baba's before him, Amir must eradicate the lines of segregation he has lived with all his life…

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kite Runner Thesis

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Out of pain, shame, confusion, and wishing never to have to see Hassan’s face again after such deceit, Amir “ [lifts] Hassan’s mattress and [plants] his new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it”, further willing to cause unbearable anguish and disgrace to Hassan as well as Ali. By framing Hassan for stealing his presents, Amir is……

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Amir makes many mistakes as a child that follow and taunt him for twenty six years. In The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseni, Amir betrays his family-friend, Hassan when and after he was raped. Amir continues this betrayal because of his insecurity about his relationship with his father. Amir eventually drives Hassan away and regrets it until he redeems himself by finally doing the right thing. Hosseni uses the literary devices of epiphany and flashback through the character of Amir to explain the jealousy and insecurity of Amir and Baba's relationship.…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays