The Kite Runner is based on the nature of human evil. During week 2
l, we learned about Adolf Eichmann who was a member of the SS. He organized the
banishment of the Jews while the Holocaust was happening and was charged and
convicted with crimes against humanity. He was described as being
"shallow, remote, and thoughtlessness of his actions." These
qualities immediately reminded me of Assef. He is part German (like Adolf), part
Afghan and is one of the most crucial characters in this novel. I found that he
seems to adore the concept of Hitler, and brings him up when feuding with Amir
and Hassan. His character is very similar to those who were responsible for the
Holocaust. Assef represents the complete opposite character of Hassan, who is
kind, gentle and calm. On the other hand, Assef is easily angered and
depressed. He is an older boy living in the city who constantly bullies Hassan.
He is shallow and thoughtless, and this is proven when he rapes Hassan and captures
his son. Assef is seen as an evil character because of his actions and
corruptive attitude towards Amir and Hassan. When speaking to Hassan he says;
"Too late for Hitler. But not for us" (Page 35). He looks down upon
Hassan, like he is a child or an animal. Assef treats him like he should not
exist, making him feel unwanted. I find that he has no remorse for his actions,
or feel any kind of sympathy towards others. Assef's character represents the
kind of human evil that exists within someone's soul.
When Amir comes back to Afghanistan he finally meets Assef again and learns that he is part of the Taliban. This seems to resemble the Holocaust that happened over half a century before because there was a group that had power and control in which they abused this power and took the lives of many. These "superior" groups believed that they were superior to other groups of individuals and decided they weren't worthy to have the chance to live a fruitful life.
ReplyDeleteHowever, how do these groups get to where they are? In Assef's case, he was always regarded as a bully. When Amir was having his big birthday party, Amir noted that his parents seemed scared of their son. This demonstrated his authority at a young age. Assef resembles the three different types of bullying: verbal, physical and relational. First, he taunted Hassan, was racist towards him and tried to exclude him from his games. Also, he was provoked subtile gestures and later participated in the raping of Hassan. Relating to the the three apparent psychological advantages, Assef probably bullied because he wanted to have a sense of entitlement, to dominate over another person. Furthermore, he was an intolerant toward differences and believed that Hassan wasn't as good as himself because of the separation of religion and past history. Lastly, a liberty to exclude pertains to the psychological advantages of bullying because Assef knew he could secrete people because he had the power and no one was going to stand up to him.