In Khaled Hosseini’s thought-provoking novel, “The Kite Runner,” the author symbolically portrays cruelty by juxtaposing the violence of war during the deterioration of Afghanistan with the selfishness of the protagonist’s decision and his ensuing journey through self-realization, in order to depict the way redemption can be achieved only after cruelty has occurred.
He pulls upon many different events in order to lead to this conclusion, registering the complex nature of recovery and the importance of confronting sins of the past. Hosseini cleverly explores the breakdown of Amir and Hassan’s relationship and the historical events within Afghanistan in order to portray human cruelty, as well as illustrating hope for the future.
As cruelty is one of the most dominant themes in his book, Hosseini highlights how it leaks into all aspects of life while linking it to betrayal and redemption. Amir’s cruelty towards Hassan stems from his jealousy of the heart-filled affection that Baba gives hassan in comparison to the reproaching treatment he received, which makes Amir feel inadequate.
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Hosseini displays how baba’s special connection with amir is his form of redemption for his previous betrayal of hassan’s father and inherently hassan himself. The evil that is presented throughout the narrative is particularly targeted towards young children, going from Amir’s toying with Hassan to Sohrab’s loss of his parents at a young age, in order to establish the identity-forming impact that cruelty has starting in the earliest stages of life.
Hosseini specifically plots the story in the midst of war-time violence in Afghanistan, depicts a global evil that anyone is susceptible to. He then narrows down on a smaller scale by discussing the specific experiences of Amir. It’s only when facing Assef, who epitomizes human cruelty, that Amir can resolve his guilt. Not only does it address the impact that Assef’s inhumanity has on his life, but also examines his own selfishness and betrayal of Hassan. This multi-layer exposure displays the inevitable destruction of innocence starting from childhood, creating deep-rooted permanent trauma.
Throughout the continuation of the story, however, Hosseini clearly attests that despite hardship, redemption can be found through intentional action in order to reverse the trends of the past. Hosseini purposefully uses Amir’s journey to reflect Afghanistan’s struggle against the destructive forces of the Taliban, proving that cruelty can be overcome on a national as well as personal level.
Hosseini firstly depicts the cruelty of human nature through Amir’s early treatment towards Hassan in order to foreshadow the further cruelty that he displays later on, emphasising how cruelty exists within us all. This is highlighted when Amir and Hassan are confronted by Assef. In Hosseini’s novel, not a single character is able to avoid the impact of cruelty on their lives.
However, the varying way in which each individual reacts to the tragedies that they face speaks truthfully of their character. In the face of cruelty, Amir’s his lack of character is exposed when he fails to defend hassan on numerous occasions. When faced with the decision to help Hassan he chooses his own selfishness by deciding that acquiring Baba’s praise from retrieving the kite is more important than protecting his friend. Through the rape, Hosseini reveals the escalation of Amir’s cruel nature. Hosseini emphasises Amir’s cruelty through the act of leaving Hassan defenceless against Assef as Amir physically and mentally turns away from the rape.
Amir justifies his decision to leave Hassan by claiming “I actually aspired to cowardice because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right. Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba.” Hosseini reveals the cruelty of human nature by Amir leaving Hassan to be his ‘sacrifice’ in exchange for affection from Baba. The writer highlights this aspect to emphasize that everything in the world comes with a cost and sometimes people will take it even if it means making the most heinous sacrifices. This choice of cowardice fills him with insurmountable guilt that he carries for the rest of his life.
In contrast to this, Hassan’s reaction to the situation was one of loyalty and forgiveness towards Amir and humble restraint towards the perpetrator, Assef. His character, or lack of thereof, is used to bring out Hassan’s bravery, selflessness, and maturity. Throughout the many instances when Amir mistreats Hassan, Hassan never loses poise. This precisely is what eats Amir alive. This is the same internal conflict that Amir’s father (Baba) struggles with in relation with Ali, Hassan’s father.
While baba signifies his lack of decency and morality by having a baby (hassan) with Ali’s wife, Ali exemplifies unmatchable dignity by raising Hassan as his own. Hassan and ali’s nobility, constructed of dignity and values, is incomparable to Amir and Baba’s superficial nobility that hinged on wealth. Through the parallels between Amir and Hassan’s and Baba and Ali’s relationship, Hosseini prompts the reader to this conclusion in order to convey a statement about true character, something money can’t buy. This build up Amir’s guilt and motivates him to atone for his sins. It also foreshadows Amir’s true nature at the turning point of this novel.
Hosseini sets the stage of a gruesome rape scene filled with emotions and themes to make arguably the most important statement in his entire novel. What was so shrilling about this scene was not assef’s cruelty, that was expected, it was Amir’s inaction. Hosseini condemns the cruelty of a bystander over that of the oppressor himself. This scene unsettles anyone who reads it because it causes the reader to place themselves in Amir’s shoes and make the painful decision. To many the choice would have been clear and heroic in this exact context of the story, but when placed in a situation in their own life as dreadful as it was for Amir, many would fall in the same selfish trap. This is a universal statement that Hosseini portrays in the context of war. The war is caused by a fight for power at the expense of millions of lives. The cruelty inflicted by the war is comparable to the cruelty inflicted on hassan and once again Hosseini reveals the realization that bystanders of the war were more appalling than the taliban themselves.
Amir and Hassan’s characters are contrasted in a way that reveals the weakness and strength that defines their future. Even the characters who are the most evil, such as Assef, have also experienced some form of hardship and tragedy because of the war. This evens out the playing field, so that every character is put in a situation where he is forced to make a decision to reveals who they truly are. By depicting the impact of cruelty on everyone involved, Hosseini redefines strength and explores the character development that occurs from self-realization.
The presence of the Taliban in the latter stages of the novel demonstrates how the cruelty of human nature can be amplified via the collective belief and view of a leading organisation. Afghanistan is portrayed at the beginning of the novel as a Western influenced and peaceful country. However, as Amir and Hassan’s relationship deteriorates, so too does the state of Afghanistan due to the Taliban, reflecting the powerful and destructive influence of cruelty. The key point in the novel where Taliban cruelty is shown is when Amir watches a football match and there is a public stoning at half time.
Hosseini shows the change in Afghanistan by the reaction of the crowd when the executioner enters the pitch. In the old Afghanistan, everyone would have been shocked by the ability for a human being to exert such brutality on another. However, Hosseini states that “The sight of him drew cheers from a few spectators”. The Afghan people had become so used to the violence of the Taliban that they no longer felt any empathy towards a man and woman being executed for adultery. Hosseini therefore shows the wider effect on society by one group’s extreme cruelty.
Crucially, Hosseini chooses Amir to confront his guilt by standing up to Assef, his childhood bully and the instigator of the cruellest act within the novel. The author symbolically creates Assef as the epitome of the cruelty of human nature. Despite his convincing exterior as a high ranking Talib, Amir sees past the front and reveals Assef’s truly hypocritical nature. His cruelty is clearly evidenced in the scene of the rape, which he carries out for seemingly no other reason than his desire for self-empowerment. This hypocritical acts is backed up by his western styled clothing which being a part of the Taliban is against their beliefs.
The John Lennon styled sunglasses represent that he does not share the same ideas as the Taliban and is only in it for the power. From an early age we see Assef’s need for power which is reflected symbolically in the brass knuckles he wears. They require very little skill for maximum damage and are quite underhand when used in a fight. As seen later on during the stoning, Assef uses these acts of cruelty as ‘public justice […] education en masse’. Even as an adult he is still a bully and this is why it is particularly fitting that Amir must confront Assef to relieve himself of his guilt and in doing so confronts the cruelty of human nature.
As exhibited in the kite runner, cruelty is an aspect that is universally present, but the actions taken in the face of it expose one’s true character. Through Amir’s first person narrative, Hosseini juxtaposes his personal journey in overcoming guilt with the deterioration of Afghanistan and the rise of the Taliban. Evil is the first step towards a journey of redemption but it is up to the individual to make the decision to go down that path.
By the end of ‘The Kite Runner’ Khaled Hosseini has clearly explored the different ways in which the cruelty of human nature can manifest it. By setting this novel in Afghanistan and dealing with actual historical events he cleverly forces the reader to see the collective impact of cruelty on individuals and wider society. Through Amir’s journey to redemption, Hosseini clearly suggests that we cannot escape our pasts and that the cruelty of human nature can be overcome if we confront it.
