Connection: The Kite Runner and Harry Potter

When you first hear Harry Potter and The Kite Runner, you must be thinking,"How in the world are these two related?" One's about Harry saving the wizarding world (my five word summary definitely doesn't give enough credit to the well crafting of the book) while the other's about Amir trying to get redemption and closure for his actions, or lack of. However, if you look close enough, there is a definite connection and relation between the two due to their characters.


Voldemort/Assef
The relation between Assef and Voldemort is rather clear-cut. They are both the villains of the novels. But it goes beyond that in their 'structure of evilness.' Voldemort uses both fear as well as gain to attract his followers, or Death Eaters. They fear that if they don't join him, bad things will happen to them or they will be killed. He also promises them that if they join him, when evil triumphs, they will be honored in society. Assef uses similar tactics. Wali and Kamal are afraid that it they don't follow Assef's orders, they will end up in trouble next. This is demonstrated in the rape scene when they think it's wrong to rape Hassan, yet Assef convinces, or forces, them to hold Hassan down. They do so because it's rather Hassan than themselves. Also, Assef uses personal gain to convince Wali and Kamal, just like Voldemort. Since he's a Pashtun and in the higher social class, Wali and Kamal follow so they can also be looked upon, whereas if they were 'defending' or even 'friends' with a Hazara, they would be spat upon in their society. Both characters, Voldemort and Assef, should inform each other by showing that ruthless leaders don't always tell the truth to get to their position. Peter Pettigrew had to sacrifice himself after he transfigured back into a human to make up for lost years with Voldemort. But in the end, the good side triumphed anyway. Kamal experienced a similar case because was raped and killed too, showing that evil isn't the right way. And Sohrab shot Assef with a slingshot in the eye, so it shows that he was toppled, just like Voldemort.

Draco Malfoy/Amir
Malfoy and Amir have a more complicated relation. What is the balance of good and evil in each of the characters? Malfoy was supposed to kill Dumbledore according to Voldemort's plan, but he couldn't because he didn't have the guts to commit such a horrible crime. However, he didn't do anything to stop Snape from killing Dumbledore because he was too afraid of what would happen to him. This was a similar case for Amir. He didn't actually rape Hassan, but he didn't do anything to help or stop it either. In addition, both set up the scenarios for the crime to take place. Malfoy protracted (vocab word!) Dumbledore's stay in the Astronomy Tower, and this bought time for the Death Eaters to arrive. In the same way, Amir set up Hassan because he had to be rescued by Hassan, which built up tension between the two sides. In the end, because Assef couldn't do anything to Amir, he did it to Hassan instead, as a reaction to what he felt about Amir and his hatred. The two characters can learn to balance their actions with their environments, which can lead to a better outcome, with a more positive effect. They should inform that one's actions do play a large role, and that one should think before they act, so a drastic change doesn't negatively affect the lives of those around them.

'Good Wizard'/Hassan
One problem with Hassan's relation to a Harry Potter character is how they are viewed. I began typing Harry, but realized that Harry is looked up to as a hero, while people in Afghan societies would've looked down on Hassan according to the novel. He could be Harry in the sense that he keeps on saving Amir and getting him out of trouble, but I didn't think this covered all sides of the relation. So I tried to connect him to Ron next. Unfortunately, the problem here was that Ron and Harry are best friends, and I didn't see Amir as the benevolent/rescuer from the Dark Wizards sort of character. So I guess if anything Hassan would be like Neville Longbottom (except that minor detail that Hassan isn't clumsy). He always has his friends' backs in the end, just like Neville, who although couldn't execute everything perfectly, he worked hard, and came through for his friends. Then I say an even better relation between the characters. Neville could've been the chosen one. Hassan could've been the 'chosen one' too. Neville could've grown to save the wizarding world and be the hero in the end. Just like Hassan. He was also Baba's son, so he could've been the perfect son in all the ways he is, as well as being 'socially correct' too, for lack of a better term. This insight is quite important because it shows that there are deeper connections beyond the obvious that I learned through digging around a little, as well as you may not look to be the obvious choice or talented one, but inside everyone, there is something that is worth a whole lot more. There's always a star-like quality, even though you may not be the prized possession or main hero.

Best of Week: The Kite Runner 9/14-9/18

Culture in The Kite Runner
In my opinion, one of the most important things we talked about this week is about the culture that is shown in the book. For example on page 38 it says, "Years later, I learned an English word for the creature that Assef was, a word for which a good Farsi equivalent does not exist: 'sociopath.'" I believe this quote tells a lot about the culture, by showing that there isn't an equivalent and that such a thing doesn't exist in their culture. Does this mean that such a drastic condition for a person doesn't exist? Is Amir over-emphasizing the use of the word sociopath? This also shows the power of words, which relates to my last post about Hassan learning new words and working hard to better understand the culture through reading.

Another instance when culture plays a large role is when General Taheri throws out Amir's story. It's important that Amir didn't say anything or pick up the story in his presence because in this culture, more so than others, respecting elders is so important, and Amir realized it was important to respect Soraya's dad. If he didn't then he probably wouldn't have gotten Soraya's hand in marriage when he asked for it from the General. This also demonstrates the connection between micro and macro, because it shows how Hosseini put these micro characters into the macro-ness of the world if you will, and then moved them to a new setting. Yet, the macro-ness of their culture affected their lives so much, that they integrated it into their new surroundings. Although it may have be a micro part compared to the larger surroundings and American culture they were surrounded by, it was a large part of their daily life, which shows how culture was practiced, especially when they live in an Afghan community in America.

Finally, culture is shown as a struggle throughout the novel in Hassan and Amir's friendship. There is such a large gap between Hazaras and Pashtuns that Amir can't make up his mind whether or not they are friends. It shows that there is a large cultural division between the two groups and how that plays into their daily lives. It shows how the two groups cannot quite be seen in public, which Assef makes very clear. Culture therefore, plays an important role throughout The Kite Runner in various ways.

Carry It Forward: The Kite Runner

"Just because something is hard, doesn't mean you shouldn't try; It just means you should try harder."
-Unknown

While reading The Kite Runner, a I noticed a constant theme about irony and curiosity. Through Hassan's actions, I learned about not giving up and working hard, which is a theme I will carry forward. Hassan is illiterate but he constantly shows a growing interest in Amir's stories. He continuously asks questions and tries to comprehend new words in order to expand his vocabulary. Hassan doesn't give up on the stories just because he might not know a word, in fact, that pushes him and gives him the drive to learn what it means. For example, on page 28, it says, "But despite his illiteracy, or maybe because of it, Hassan was drawn to the mystery of words, seduced by a secret world forbidden to him." This shows that Hassan wanted to better himself by learning more and becoming a more knowledgeable being. Later in the passage, it explains how Hassan was able to solve the riddles more quickly than Amir. This shows that even if you have everything handed to you, you might not be right. Hassan wants to learn because he is so curious to see what he is missing out on. He makes a conscious effort to learn, whereas Amir just tries to trick Hassan. Amir isn't working hard to learn, he just wants to make Hassan feel inferior.

This is also shown through irony. Hassan's curiosity after reading Amir's story. On page 34, it says, "It appeared that on the same night I had learned about one of writing's objectives, irony, I would also be introduced to one of its pitfalls: the Plot Hole. Taught by Hassan, of all people....illiterate Hazara?" His innocence and curiosity allowed him to teach Amir something important every writer should know, even though Amir thought Hassan was being rude since he learned something from an uneducated servant. If Amir doesn't learn these skills and try to improve his writing, he can't get better, and that's because he isn't working towards it. Through curiosity, Hassan wanted to learn more. He worked hard to learn more, which I think is definitely an important topic to carry forward. By working hard, you can improve your skills and get new talents. This can allow you to become better at things you want to improve in. If Hassan gave up on stories because he couldn't read, he would lose his creativity and problem-solving skills. But because his curiosity allowed him to want to know more, he learned more words and life lessons through the tales. This shows the benefits of working hard, because if you give up, you can never become better. If you constantly work hard and put in effort, you will have a better shot at achieving your goals and will learn more through your experiences, even if you aren't successful every time.