Assef

[Elayna]

Assef is the most static character in the book. Assef stayed in his moral instability his whole life. Although many people didn't have high expectations for the sanity of Assef, I didn't expect him to remain a closed-minded rapist for the rest of his life. Assef had an allegiance to evil and the things and people who stood for it. He proclaimed his fondness for Hitler in his youth even though his mother was German and didn't even support Hitler. On page 39 he describes Hitler as, "A great leader. A man with a vision. I'll tell Daoud Khan to remember that if they had let Hitler finish what he started, the world would be a better place now." He lives his life with a hate for Hazaras and "special feeling" for little boys. It is never stated bluntly that Assef raped Hassan's son Sohrab but it is very descriptively implied. Near the end of the story when Amir goes to get Sohrab, Assef makes a sexual gesture at the child and Amir calls it disgusting then on page 285 he asks,"How would you know? Have you ever tried it?" He even becomes a staple in his community that stands for and supports the closed-minded view of the way one should rule his or life. Overall he does not change at all mentally.