The Kite Runner
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The Haunting Scene between Hassan and Assef in the Alley
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a really sad book but this scene was crucial
Wise 유리 wrote: "I think Assef is a psychopath."Agreed.
Aakansha wrote: "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 ..."I agree with you Aakansha. Years ago my book club (at the time) had a heated discussion about this scene. Some people were horrified and seemed to detest Amir's character for turning his back on Hassan in the alley. But he was just a little boy. How many children would be able to stop willingly step forward during an attack like that? And surely be attacked too? For me, his character was flawed and human. But I had empathy for him. And Hassan was truly beautiful and a rare kind of person.
Anna wrote: "Wise wrote: "I think Assef is a psychopath."I think that too"
I don't agree. He was afraid for himself, and tortured by guilt afterwards, so much that he could no longer be a friend. A psychopath has no conscience.
oops sorry - i got the names mixed up. Yes he was a psychopath.
I cried at this point.
I couldn't put the book down the entire time! I remember reading htis part and sitting on my back porch crying. So sad and painful!
I actually had to put the book down for a few days after I read this scene. However, it is the crux of the story. I do agree that it is "haunting."
i was genuinely constricted with a big lump in my throat.i could feel his pain and and couldnt stop myslf breaking into a fit of tears.
That scene was essentail to the book, but it hurt so bad. Diana, you said it best, it seemed all too real. I was so pissed off at Amir for being such a coward. And everything he did after that was fueling my hatred for this fictional character. That's what great books do, they make you feel.
how could Amir be such a coward and why did Hassan forgive him?
Very chilling. Made me very very angry :(
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..." He just stood there because he was a terriffied child who didn't know any better.
I cried. I hated Amir and assef !!! I was screaming "how could you!? You coward!!" I was so upset..I loved hassan. I really loved this book too. This book is truly beautiful.i love a book that leaves a lasting impression on me. I found myself thinking about the characters long after I closed the book.
We live in a world where cruelties are staged every single day, especially towards the unprevileged, and what Mr Hosseini portrays is only the tip of the iceberg.You are all shocked because the cruelty is done to an innocent child. In our cosy living rooms, we all sit and express our values on webpages like this. Instead is it possible to grow compassion in our hearts and express it to our fellow-beings? We ourselves are the Amirs..the cowardly,selfish lot..who stand witness to all atrocities without reacting..that's what I realised from reading this book..and I feel ashamed and a lot helpless about that...
I guess it isn't right to blame Aamir for what happened to Hassan or the fact that he could have stopped it from happening....he was a child at that moment...so, he couldn't be that brave.... I am not saying that what he did was right ny the morals, but atleast we gotta realize that he was a child only...
I wanted to spank Amir .Such a coward,cruel betrayal.
that scene stayed with me for days... horrible horrible
I don't understand why so many readers excuse Amir's behaviour on the grounds that 'cowardice' is excusable because he is only a child and therefore cannot fight.I agree that fear would be understandable - but the narrator (Amir) makes it clear that FEAR WAS NOT THE REASON. (After all, if he did not dare fight, he could have shouted for help, or run to fetch an adult.) The motive was pure selfishness.
The other boys 'punish' Hassan in that way because he refuses to hand over the kite. Amir does nothing to intervene BECAUSE HE WANTS THE KITE. Having the kite (and consequently his father's approval) is more important to him than saving his friend. Hassan's personal integrity and dignity do not really matter to him, because Hassan is "only a Hazzara".
Cowardice might be excusable. The fact that he is willing to allow another child to suffer in that way, simply in order to win his father's praise, is not.
The scene was a turning point in the book. What was even more gut wrenching was Hassan's nonchalance after the act. It was clear that he knew that Amir knew, yet he did not raise a question and tried his best to not showcase his pain.And then the drops of blood on the ground....*shudder*
I agree Chaitalee. That is what is so disgusting; Hassan accepts the view that he is "only a Hazzara", so that what he has been through "does not matter", as long as Amir is happy.Worst of all, there is Amir's persecution of Hassan, as he projects his own guilt onto his friend. Amir's behaviour is abominable, and his wallowing on self-pity over it later, as an adult, does not make it any more excusable.
Hey Alexandra, I'm glad that we are on the same page.Have you read Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns? It is not at par with The Kite Runner, but some portions do make your blood run cold.
No, I haven't, Chaitalee. Actually, I am not comfortable with Hosseini's writing, in "The Kite Runner". His own attitudes sometimes seem rather exploitative.It is obvious that he identifies with Amir, to some extent; he certainly expects us to sympathise with the narrator, and his petulance that the child, Sohrab, whom he has repeatedly betrayed, does not forgive him.
Also, as a writer, he seems to be dismissing Hassan, as just "Amir's Hazzara servant". He doesn't bother to make the character consistant. Sometimes Hassan is much wiser than his years, and nobly forgives Amir because he sees why he does something, at other times, at others he is the "simple peasant" with noble, foolish loyalty to his master's son. He is written simply as a foil to the character of Amir - his nobility counterpoints Amir's weakness of character. His own character is inconsistent - sometimes farsighted, sometimesstupidly naive - whatever is needed to show up Amir. The author shows no interest in Hassan as a character in his own right - the individual scenes are well-written, but together they seem inconsistent.
I don't like a writer cynically playing with my emotions. A scene that is completely implausible, added just to make a point, annoys me.
**SPOILER**
Do you remember when the father of one of the boys who abused Hassan tells 'Baba' how his son has been raped by by paramilitaries. Very poetic justice, of course. But the scene is completely implausible. The book has emphasised how Hassan cannot reveal what has happened to him because it woyld shame his father and Amir's. Do you really think an Afghan man would chat to another Afghan man about his son's shame? I don't. That it happened is plausible, the conversation is not. It's inclusion is clumsy audience manipulation - I did not like it.
**-**
How does "A Thousand Splendid Suns" compare, in your opinion?
I agree with your point of Hosseini siding with Amir. Perhaps he identifies himself with the character, seeing that he was forced to flee his country when the situation there became tense.As for how Hassan is portrayed, I did not find them in the manner you described. May be I wasn't as attentive back then. But yeah, I did feel that Hassan's presence could have been longer. But then, considering that the book is written in Amir's narrative, this might have been a conscious decision. Because despite the discrepancies in the character, Hassan still overpowered Amir.
As for the later point, ideally a man wouldn't talk to another regarding that act. But if the intention of the man is to shame him, there is a possibility. May be it was a hint to the possession of knowledge that Hassan was Amir's brother?
About a thousand splendid suns, the reason I did not enjoy it as much is because of the wretchedness of one of the two women in the book. Since you haven't read the book, I won't give out any spoilers, but as you go on reading, the realization that there lies no happiness in store for her makes you feel utterly helpless. And to know that this is what large number of women have to go through...
sad for hassan hatred for assef smh
I felt really bad for Hassan.I was so angry at Amir for not doing anything.
Hassan was my favorite character.
Haunting!! I guess no one saw that coming.
When will people stop judging each other and start thinking of the similarities that unite us instead:( ! This scene was the most catastrophic of all scenes described with utterly sad drama.. maybe just after or before the scene of Hassan's son in Asef's house after he grew up.. this child humiliation can't but passively drag the tears of your eyes...
Yeah, it bothered me most that Amir just watched and that he didn't say anything or tell anyone. Equally haunting, I thought, was the later scene with adult Hassan and Assef.
i could a friend be so coward :/ he left him there i hate amir in this part of the book :/
This scene really made me quite upset because Amir would not stand up for him. I understand that was a scary situation for both of them but for him to not even run off and get help was so cowardly. He sat there and watched his friend get raped. Hassan was practically his brother.
This scene kinda shocked me. It was even more shocking when amir didnt do anything to help. thats what shocked me the most.
Really brought out Amir's true character. The whole scene itself was disturbing and left me feeling uneasy. I was also very frustrated with Amir's cowardly behavior. Come on Amir, how many times has Hassan stood up for you?
This part in the book was very important because it pretty much sets up Amir's character for the rest of the book but I didn't really care about the scene overall because they're fictional characters and don't exist.
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I agree. The word they gave for him in the book was "sociopath" Pg. 38