The Kite Runner
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The Haunting Scene between Hassan and Assef in the Alley
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Vithuuna
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rated it 5 stars
Feb 25, 2013 12:07AM
I felt so sad and cried my gut out. Tears just kept pouring and I couldn't bring myself to read more of it that day.
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This is an amazingly haunting scene, and may be one reason why is it so shocking is that all of us (though may be in a less direct or less harsh way) have been witnessing any kind of abuse and silent about it, may be afraid of the strong or not caring enough about the weak. If that scene teached me something, it is to try to never be passive about some one being abused in any way
I understand your feelings, Vithuuna! however, think about how assif died, & at who's hand.Nihal - I agree with your philosophy.
Very disturbing and sad, it was a huge twist in the story, especially when amir watched his friend get raped, reallyyy really shocking and almost heartbreaking
there was so much sadness in the book.
Yes there was a lot of sadness in the book. Ed I agree that there is some consolation when you think of how Assef died, but what it means to me is that Assef got what he deserved and justice was served, but then did Hassan deserve what he got and that is where I feel that life has been unkind to him and feel so sad.
I thought what Assef did was a bit...extreme. I know he's a sociopath, but he's a CHILD.
What made me surprised was how Hassan could stand it.
Throughout the whole book Hassan remains a sort of Jesus figure. He is selfless to the point of stupidity. How he manages to remain so loyal of Amir remains a mystery.
After reading that scene, I just hated Amir. I understood his fear; no one really wants to stand up to a bully, especially when he is outnumbered, but still...I felt that he was a little self-centered. After all, it was always Hassan who defended him, who was loyal to him, who did everything for him..., and he just leaves him there!! I got SO mad!! But I was also disturbed...I stopped reading it for the night. And the next day, at school, (since this is the book I'm reading for book club), I told my friend that Hassan was man-raped...her face was like O.OI think that what upset me the most was the absolute loyalty Hassan showed throughout it all. To make matters worse, I think that Amir got more tortured when he found out that Hassan was actually his HALF-BROTHER!!!!! And the straw that broke my camel's back -- Hassan's son, Sohrab, suffered a worse fate; orphaned, put in an underpayed orphanage and prostituted for food and shelter, and living in a country controlled by the Taliban...
I was just SO riled up! >.< ! And ASSEF !!!! That freaking SOCIOPATHIC SADISTIC RAPIST !!!!!
And am I the only one who realized that Hassan was right? They may have had to call him "One-Eyed Assef" after that shot into his left eye by Sohrab? I was laughing like..."hahaha Assef! retribution!!! *mwahahaha*"!!!!
Hi to all kite runner's lover... i'm one of u...@nick : what Amir did disgusted me too, but he's still a child... i truly understand why he's so scared of what happen. of course he'll be very scared that Assef did the same thing to him... :(
but, the fact that Hassan knows about Amir standing there doing nothing, but he still cares so much for him is make my heart breaks... Hassan is really a brave kids! :'(
at first it disgusted me, but amir was wired that way; a scared creature on the inside, never in a fight. and a really bad (or good?) guilty conscience. while it wouldn't make things right with hassan (now dead), amir felt a sense of responsibility towards hassan's son; through which imo he found peace.
Pushkar wrote: "at first it disgusted me, but amir was wired that way; a scared creature on the inside, never in a fight. and a really bad (or good?) guilty conscience. while it wouldn't make things right with has..."maybe not really a complete peace, but i'm sure they figured out the way someday. by the way, i love the fact that the author gives us open ending about realtionship between sohrab and amir. makes us wondering what will happen next... :)
thinking about that for days ... frightening :((
It was horrific, very disturbing. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS is this authors other book and it shows how terrible wives are treated.
Niloofar wrote: "thinking about that for days ... frightening :(("Agree, after I read this part I was in deep shock, it was haunting scence. I could see the grim images...
The book was written very visually. I created each and every scene in my mind. This particular incident was not nice to imagine. It gave me chills and scared me to core......
I felt this part of the novel highlighted Hassan's loyalty and sincerity towards Amir; although it was disturbing to read especially after gaining an emotional attachment to Hassan's character.
I was very disturbed by this scene. It looked like a death! Hasaan's death! Amir's cowardice made me feel disgust for him! I felt revolted by this scene!
When i read that scene I felt so bad for Hassan but very pissed off at how cowardly Amir acted.
I didn't stop crying for a quite a bit
I was so angry that Amir did nothing but who knows what someone would do in that position. Still pissed that he was so mean to Hassan. At least I would have told someone or gotten Assef in trouble
That scene really made the novel more interesting. It showed the loyalty of hassan, evilness of assef and showed the cowardice of amir.
Krys wrote: "It's just as disturbing, if not more, if you've read that scene from the graphic novel version. The blood just solidified the gore of the rape."Oh NO! There is a graphic novel version of this book! I would never ever want to set my eyes on that :o(
I was so sickened by that scene! I was angry at Amir for not doing anything, angry at Assef for being a demon, and heartbroken for Hassan. It was so hard to process that portion of the book. My stomach was in knots. Unforgettable... in a bad way.
I don't think I've ever been more heartbroken or disturbed by a book than when I read that part.It was just bloody awful and wretched for both Hassan and Assef
it seriously haunted me! it was very disturbing.
Throughout the novel, Amir has not been the model friend to Hassan and I see it more as an extension of his original character and circumstances (desperate need for love from his father and racism in Afghanistan) than an isolated event. Also in all other instances Amir has never had to stand up against anyone else as Hassan always does it for him.As for Assef, he represents everything that’s wrong with Afghanistan at that time but I think during this scene I definitely felt more anger at Amir’s cowardice.
Whilst the scene was terrible for obvious reasons, it really propelled the story along and allowed Amir to atone not only for standing by the rape but also for all the previous slights at Hassan, since he accepts Sohrab as his son and he is a Hazara.
this scene has, in a way, tortured me! I expected so many other violent methods to punish and torture Hassan, but not this one!! It occurred to me that Assef has turned himself into a homosexual for awhile just to satisfy his racist nature!!
Shocked me. Amir seeked redemption afterwards. But his cowardice had changed Hassan's life forever that day, never to be changed back to how it was before.
It gave me the chills too... also made me mad at Amir and it really indicated Amir had no courage at all when he was young, til even in his present days.. But eventually this scene was remade into the present day, having Amir face his fears again and then redeemed himself.
I enjoyed the Kite Runner. It was well written and very graphic. But we have to remember that although a great deal of the narrative could have been based on fact; it was after all a work of fiction.
That scene was almost too much to handle. Hassan was such a sweet, angelic child. The fact that Amir didn't do anything almost bothered me more. It was very alarming.
Yes this scene was very hard to read. I was conflicted as I read, because I felt awful for Hassan. It must have been traumatizing. However, I don't think it's right to call Amir a psychopath. He was a child, he was scared, he felt helpless against the bullies, and he (as many young children) was entirely self-interested. It's not the fault of his cowardice, it's the fault of the follies of youth.
I read this book last year and it was a good story, but that part in the alley is truly disturbing as mention. I can not imagine this situation being performed by a child! The story proved that Assef was psychotic all his life. This part of the book is why I refuse to watch the movie. I want to know how it was handled.
Michael wrote: "I enjoyed the Kite Runner. It was well written and very graphic. But we have to remember that although a great deal of the narrative could have been based on fact; it was after all a work of fiction."Yes. The fact that it is fiction helps some, but the part that truly makes me ill when I read these things, is that I know that somewhere out there, this is NOT fiction. Awful things like this happen everyday, and children do indeed do horrible things to other children. A book like this paints such a vivid mental picture of the ugly side of human nature, that I can't help but SEE it, feel it, and be reviled by it.
The darkest part of the book and not nice to read.
After this scene it was difficult for me to feel any sympathy for Amir. Pure coward! Even in the end when he decides to take the little boy with him, the slow process in which he finally makes that decision just screams he is still a coward. It is a fantastic book though.
Haunting? It was the typical hack-writer's establishment of "Here is how even very dense readers will understand that this character is uncomplicatedly evil, with no redeeming characteristics, and utterly inhuman not just in this scene but all the time throughout his life or for as long as the novel needs such a brain-dead childish device to satisfy the hidden proxy hate that some readers need to feel superior to other people" as is commonly found in matter appealing to those who enjoy books that reduce humanity to black and white evil-versus-good formulations no more nuanced than those of the Taliban. You liked this book? Congratulations on your sensitive ability to hate gay child-molesting tyrants. But, hey, that's easy. What new ambitions will your hate find next? It'll be something; manipulable minds like yours always find something, and always feel justified. If you fell for this calculated schlock, what will you not fall for? At one point he was acting like such a cliche'd Hollywood supervillain, I thought he should be petting a cat. Then, true story, two paragraphs later he strokes the arm of a sofa "like a cat." Sheeesh.
Gregsamsa wrote: "Haunting? It was the typical hack-writer's establishment of "Here is how even very dense readers will understand that this character is uncomplicatedly evil, with no redeeming characteristics, and..."How sad is your life that you feel the need to attack people through the form of a question and or discussion thread. I even agree with the logical side of your statement, but the fact that you felt the need to call other people mentally inadequate is a little hypocritical for a keyboard warrior.
Then imagine it in the movie.
The impact was huge and I just couldnt stop crying. And that's the author's success.
I am amazed that so many people let Amir off the hook over this! Yes, cowardice in a child IS understandable... but Amir eventually admits his real reason: if he does anything, he will lose the kite (and hence the rare sensation of having his father respect him)!Hassan got into this situation because he valued keeping the kite for Amir above his personal safety. And Amir, too, values the kite above his friend! He rationalises that Hassan IS "only a Hazara" and that, therefore his personal dignity does not matter, and his suffering is just his 'natural lot in life'.
Amir's crime is not primarily cowardice, but selfishness.
In some ways he is worse than Assef. Assef is racist (& brutal) towards an ENEMY. Amir is racist (& tolerates brutality) towards his FRIEND!
And I do not see the adult Amir as any better than the boy. Through cowardice, he breaks his promise to Sohrab & returns him to a situation of danger. And his emotional response to Sohrab's elective mutism at the end is still primarily selfish: not "how badly traumatised is this boy?" but "why won't he love ME?"
It was heart-wrenching and stayed with me for a long time ...
Tamara wrote: "It tortured me because I was screaming at Aamir for him being a coward. I usually like cowards, but he's evil. I was sad for Hassan. He was my very favorite character. I didn't want him to die at end."That is exactly how I felt!
This scene was unbelievable, I really couldn't beleive what my eyes were reading at that time!! Hassan was literally a kid, and was getting abused in front of his brother. Hassan was very innocent he didn't deserve any of that. This scene really proved all there characters later and what they really are. I can't believe how cruel and disturbing people can be!!!
Diana wrote: "this part of the book was soo disturbing and hard to read! i could not believe that aamir could just stand by and watch as hassan was being abused! and i was amazed at hassan's soul, spirit and ki..."
My heart was racing so fast while I was reading that part. And then right after that when hassan says "For you, a thousand times over", my heart was completely shattered. And i knew that this is one of the books that will stay with me for an eternity!
Diana wrote: "This scene gave me chills, I didn't know whether to cry or to be angry. It seemed all too real; I could almost hear the hissing as the warm blood fell onto the cold snow. Assef was a psychopath but..."They both were kids after all. Had he gone there to protest, he would have been victimized by Aseef too! No kid would ever dare to stand up to such bullies when he could actually see what terrible people they really were.
it's been awhile since i read that book but that scene is by far the most vivid, it's the scene that stops me from reading it again. It's just too depressing poor Hassan and the author really captured the greatest down fall of Amir. Throughout the rest of the book I didn't know whether to hate him or pity him because he was so aware of how weak he is and he never fixed things between himself and Hassan. Poor Hassan.
Even though I was warned about the graphic scenes, it still surprised me.
I did however, feel very refreshed by the details given. The novel takes place in a 3rd world country, so really..anything of this nature is quite possible and probably reality.
We're just fortunate to be living where we are.
I did however, feel very refreshed by the details given. The novel takes place in a 3rd world country, so really..anything of this nature is quite possible and probably reality.
We're just fortunate to be living where we are.
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