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  • Essay / Cruelty and Abuse of Power in "The Kite Runner"

    Abuse of power can be defined as an abuse of one's authority for one's own personal gain or a lack of action when it is within one's power to act against something negative. Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner takes readers on an eye-opening journey of peace and war in Afghanistan through the eyes of the young Afghan protagonist, Amir. In his novel, Hosseini emphasizes the abuse of power through his characters and using various literary techniques to depict the manner in which power is abused. He achieves this thanks to Baba, who steals Ali's wife and deprives Hassan of the right to his identity; Amir, who takes advantage of Hassan and allows himself to be exploited; and Assef, who exercises control over others, including Hassan. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Being one of the richest men in Kabul, Baba is described as noble and respected by society. However, Hosseini points out that status can be misused and used to justify wrongdoing. He brings this out by using irony in Baba's words to Amir: "There is only one sin, only one." And it's theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft… When you kill a man, you steal a life,” Baba said. “You are stealing the right of a wife from her husband, the right of her children to a father. When you lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness... There is no more miserable act than stealing! Baba is described as firmly respecting this rule, however, this is ironic because he himself is a thief, and according to Amir, "the worst, because the things he had stolen were sacred: I have the right to know that I had a brother, from Hassan his identity and from Ali his honor. In a sense, even Baba tolerates discrimination against the Hazara by refusing to recognize his son with a Hazara woman, Sanaubar. Hosseini uses the rule of three to create a big impact on the audience. He reminds readers that even though Baba grew up with Ali, he abuses his position to stir up trouble. Hosseini reflects on this through Ali's use of dialogue: “But, Agha sahib, tell them who was the architect of the misdeed and who was the poor worker? Using affectionate Farsi expressions such as "Agha Sahib", meaning "friend, sir", and contrasting with his gentle reminder of the truth, Hosseini uncovers Ali's underlying pain for readers so that the term understands the magnitude of Babas' betrayal. Although Baba stole Ali's wife, Hosseini shows that Ali can only forgive him as a friend and servant. Neglecting his own son, Baba holds much power over Amir, so much so that Amir can no longer laugh: “Baba's stony eyes looked into mine, and just like that, I was laughing no more. » This treatment of his son forces Amir to conclude that Baba “hated me a little”. The author uses pathos to please the reader and empathize with the young boy. It shows that Baba abuses his power over many people, including his own family. As a young boy, Amir is subjected to society's discriminatory views that Pashtuns are superior to Hazaras. These opinions blind him because Amir asserts that “I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara” and that “nothing was ever going to change that.” Nothing". Although he is fed by the same "nurse", Amir's cruelty towards Hassan reflects his belief in his "ethnic" superiority. He takes advantage of the fact that Hassan is illiterate and mocks him when he does not understand the meaning of the word "imbecile", wondering: "after all, what purpose does a servant use for writing?"internal monologues to reflect on his offensive attitude towards the “Hazara”. Amir takes advantage of Hassan's loyalty and wonders if he would "eat dirt" if asked. Even though he knew he was abusing his power, he says, “there was something fascinating – albeit in an unhealthy way – about teasing Hassan. A bit like when we played insecttorture. Except now he was the ant and I was holding the magnifying glass. Hosseini takes the opportunity to foreshadow Amir's major betrayal. Furthermore, the writer foreshadows Amir's betrayal through a narration where Amir states that "the next time I saw him shamelessly smile like that was twenty-six years later, in a faded Polaroid photograph ". By using these techniques, the author emphasizes that misuse of one's power can have a negative impact on an individual's life. Additionally, Hossieni uses the pomegranate tree to reveal the changes in their friendship throughout the novel. Initially, the pomegranate is full of life, with leaves “dancing” in the breeze. But after Hassan's rape and Amir's inaction, the tree becomes a symbol of bitterness, guilt and anger. Hosseini calls this fruit "overripe pomegranate fruit", to emphasize Hassan's wounds caused by a new betrayal. The writer foreshadows future events by revealing to readers Amir's internal monologue: "I had one last chance to make a decision...I could walk into that alley, defend Hassan – the same way he had me defended all these times. in the past… Or I could run. Finally, I ran. This internal monologue leads the reader to reflect on the definition of abuse of power. Amir's failure to use his power changes their lives forever. It is not only Baba who depicts the cruelty of human nature, Hosseini uses rhetorical questions to address society's discriminatory views when Amir reassures himself: "He was only a Hazara, is isn't it? Amir believes that "nothing was free in this world", which suggests that Hassan was the sacrifice he had to make to win Baba's affections. But, by satisfying his desires, he perpetuates society's prejudiced view that Hazaras are inferior to Pashtuns. Unlike Amir, Hassan is presented as the “perfect” servant, the caricature of loyalty. Indeed, as Hosseini suggests, Hassan has been conditioned to accept his subservient place in society and suffers quietly. In silence, Hassan suffers an indignity, which only deepens Amir's guilt. Ironically, Hosseini juxtaposes this rape scene with the slaughter of a sacrificial lamb during the Muslim festival of Eid-e-Qorban through Amir's flashback and using terms such as "resignation". Before this event, Assef had questioned Hassan: “before you sacrifice yourself for him, think about this: would he do the same for you? Although Hassan has been oppressed many times, he remains loyal to Amir, his best friend. Despite betraying Hassan, Amir quickly forgets all this when he enters his father's "thick, hairy arms." By using a gentle tone on these words, Hosseini suggests that it is often easy for Pashtuns to forget the harm they inflict on others. Similar to Amir, Assef is also raised in the unjust views of society. Being the villain of The Kite Runner, he symbolizes all evil. There are several instances in the novel where he abuses his power to a very high degree. Claiming to know the new president of the Afghan Republic, Assef declared: “I will ask the president to… rid Afghanistan of all the dirty Kasseef Hazaras.” Hosseini uses terms such as "rid" and "dirty" to reflect on the biased education in which Pashtun children are..