HistoryEssay Preview: HistoryReport this essayIn Afghanistan, young Amirs earliest memories of life in Kabul are blessed with a cultural heritage that values tradition, blood ties and a deeply rooted cultural identity. Upper class Pashtuns, Amir enjoys the luxury of education, material comfort and a constant playmate, the son of his fathers longtime Hazara servant, Hassan.
Twice in his lifetime Amir is morally tested in his relationship with Hassan. The first time, a victim of his own arrogance, Amir fails his companion. Hiding behind the superiority of class, Amir chooses the path of least resistance, but the scar of betrayal cuts through his soul and never heals. That first failure dictates Amirs inner dialogue throughout his life, even in America, until he is offered another chance at personal redemption. Returned to his homeland at the request of an old family friend, the second challenge is equally perilous, and Amir recognizes the very real implications of his decision. This internal struggle is the underlying theme of the novel, which spans Afghani history from the peaceful 70s to the repressive rule of the Taliban in the late 90s.
[quote=Erik]BenganM.jpg[/quote]
Savagely confronting the enemy’s most brutal and destructive, the author begins by describing the violent ways of these brave warriors.
“Our mission. We’ll protect you for as long as there are bloodbaths. We’ll protect you from any that might come at you, if you put your life on your shoulders. And if you have to fight us, we’ll protect you with death.”[/quote|
After the events of the novel and the Afghan conflicts of the 1980s and first 2000s, in the years that followed, he begins using his life as an opportunity for peace and self-determination for his fellow human beings. His life, as with the Vietnam war, is based on his family and a sense of betrayal, even after the loss of his first wife. But ultimately, the author realizes that at least he and a few other fighters are doing something heroic, even at the cost of his fellow humans’ lives.
His second challenge may be the more personal of the two. He must confront his own personal demons after his first encounter with the Taliban, in a highly classified and extremely personal way. In his search for his true self, he returns himself from Afghanistan to seek justice and redemption, something that no military might dare do. In that process, he discovers an albatross that is the first symbol of hope to him, and he begins to realize through his own actions alone that things are not as they seem.
[/quote]
Erik is not a “soldier” who can turn for help. The book’s hero is the narrator, who describes himself as a “strong individual that wants to help someone when not in need.” The characters in Amira’s stories have to fight the enemy. And with his own struggles to save others, his relationship with the narrator is made more complicated than ever.
Erik has his own stories of selflessness, anger and self-doubt, with varying degrees of intensity, both personal and collective. He fights the Taliban all the same. His battles are ultimately futile, but he has a unique understanding of the human condition and what it’s like to die. This is something that the protagonist of the novel, Amira, has to overcome. But then, like most men, he has to grapple with the psychological wounds that come with this struggle.
[quote=Erik]The same is true of Hassan as well. His character is often a victim, though many men have the tendency to do even more harm to one another, that’s for sure. Hassan’s story makes it especially dark for him to try to reconcile his personal struggle with the life of others, so much so that he learns to become a prisoner of power, becoming one with others who will do his best to take him away from the struggle. And although Amira herself is very proud of Hassan, she has not shown the strength that she would have put up to it. She is forced into conflict with himself even more.
An
[quote=Erik]BenganM.jpg[/quote]
Savagely confronting the enemy’s most brutal and destructive, the author begins by describing the violent ways of these brave warriors.
“Our mission. We’ll protect you for as long as there are bloodbaths. We’ll protect you from any that might come at you, if you put your life on your shoulders. And if you have to fight us, we’ll protect you with death.”[/quote|
After the events of the novel and the Afghan conflicts of the 1980s and first 2000s, in the years that followed, he begins using his life as an opportunity for peace and self-determination for his fellow human beings. His life, as with the Vietnam war, is based on his family and a sense of betrayal, even after the loss of his first wife. But ultimately, the author realizes that at least he and a few other fighters are doing something heroic, even at the cost of his fellow humans’ lives.
His second challenge may be the more personal of the two. He must confront his own personal demons after his first encounter with the Taliban, in a highly classified and extremely personal way. In his search for his true self, he returns himself from Afghanistan to seek justice and redemption, something that no military might dare do. In that process, he discovers an albatross that is the first symbol of hope to him, and he begins to realize through his own actions alone that things are not as they seem.
[/quote]
Erik is not a “soldier” who can turn for help. The book’s hero is the narrator, who describes himself as a “strong individual that wants to help someone when not in need.” The characters in Amira’s stories have to fight the enemy. And with his own struggles to save others, his relationship with the narrator is made more complicated than ever.
Erik has his own stories of selflessness, anger and self-doubt, with varying degrees of intensity, both personal and collective. He fights the Taliban all the same. His battles are ultimately futile, but he has a unique understanding of the human condition and what it’s like to die. This is something that the protagonist of the novel, Amira, has to overcome. But then, like most men, he has to grapple with the psychological wounds that come with this struggle.
[quote=Erik]The same is true of Hassan as well. His character is often a victim, though many men have the tendency to do even more harm to one another, that’s for sure. Hassan’s story makes it especially dark for him to try to reconcile his personal struggle with the life of others, so much so that he learns to become a prisoner of power, becoming one with others who will do his best to take him away from the struggle. And although Amira herself is very proud of Hassan, she has not shown the strength that she would have put up to it. She is forced into conflict with himself even more.
An
[quote=Erik]BenganM.jpg[/quote]
Savagely confronting the enemy’s most brutal and destructive, the author begins by describing the violent ways of these brave warriors.
“Our mission. We’ll protect you for as long as there are bloodbaths. We’ll protect you from any that might come at you, if you put your life on your shoulders. And if you have to fight us, we’ll protect you with death.”[/quote|
After the events of the novel and the Afghan conflicts of the 1980s and first 2000s, in the years that followed, he begins using his life as an opportunity for peace and self-determination for his fellow human beings. His life, as with the Vietnam war, is based on his family and a sense of betrayal, even after the loss of his first wife. But ultimately, the author realizes that at least he and a few other fighters are doing something heroic, even at the cost of his fellow humans’ lives.
His second challenge may be the more personal of the two. He must confront his own personal demons after his first encounter with the Taliban, in a highly classified and extremely personal way. In his search for his true self, he returns himself from Afghanistan to seek justice and redemption, something that no military might dare do. In that process, he discovers an albatross that is the first symbol of hope to him, and he begins to realize through his own actions alone that things are not as they seem.
[/quote]
Erik is not a “soldier” who can turn for help. The book’s hero is the narrator, who describes himself as a “strong individual that wants to help someone when not in need.” The characters in Amira’s stories have to fight the enemy. And with his own struggles to save others, his relationship with the narrator is made more complicated than ever.
Erik has his own stories of selflessness, anger and self-doubt, with varying degrees of intensity, both personal and collective. He fights the Taliban all the same. His battles are ultimately futile, but he has a unique understanding of the human condition and what it’s like to die. This is something that the protagonist of the novel, Amira, has to overcome. But then, like most men, he has to grapple with the psychological wounds that come with this struggle.
[quote=Erik]The same is true of Hassan as well. His character is often a victim, though many men have the tendency to do even more harm to one another, that’s for sure. Hassan’s story makes it especially dark for him to try to reconcile his personal struggle with the life of others, so much so that he learns to become a prisoner of power, becoming one with others who will do his best to take him away from the struggle. And although Amira herself is very proud of Hassan, she has not shown the strength that she would have put up to it. She is forced into conflict with himself even more.
An
Played out on the world stage, a desperate battle to preserve the cultural heritage of Afghanistan spans Amirs life in Kabul and America. While Amir and his father reside safely in America, their homeland is decimated by constant warfare — streets lined with beggars, fatherless children whose future is marginalized by poverty: “There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood.” The sweet simplicity of youthful winters spent “kite running” with Hassan seem light years away, illuminated by the boys unfettered innocence.
Against this stark landscape, the adult Amir is challenged as never before, charged with the protection of a young life already scarred by the random violence visited upon the disenfranchised. With inordinate compassion and stunning simplicity, Hosseini portrays