Thursday, April 2, 2009

Fishbowl #2 (Chapter 8)

Happy Fishbowl Thursday!

A Few Reminders:
-The outer circle is expected to partcipate at least five times on the Live Blog discussion.
-Hit F5 to refresh the blog.
-Respond to individual's specific questions. Do NOT leave random comments.
-The hot seats are avaliable for your participation in the inner circle...if you have a comment please get up and add it to the discussion! Let's see you add to the discussion in the hot seats today!
-Have fun!

117 comments:

nilec said...

Do you think Amir admires Assef a little after seeing that Assef is even more dominant than his own parents?

samh said...

I agree with April that the difference in religion has put stress on the realtionship between Amir and Hassan. This goes back to the idea of who is better than the other.

Jake H said...

I think that the part of their friendship that put the most stress on their relationship it the fact that, like what April stated, is their different religions. Also, the fact that he just stood their watching his "friend" get raped. That changed the way they are able to be together much more difficult.

Allie~J said...

I think from the question that meagan asked that Amir has always been a little bit of an outsider so whenever he wants to hang out with someone and feel important then he plays with Hassan to make himself feel better and not as lonely.

JasonV said...

I believe that one of the main reasons Hassan and Amir's friendship is under stress is because of the rape scene. Even th
ough I'm not 100 percent sure that Hassan saw Ali watching it happen, but even is Hassan doesn't know Amir will always know and feel uneasy around him, causing underlying tension in their relationship. There are many other reasons though.

Nicole said...

The things that stressed Amir and Hassan's relationship are:
1.) Baba's preferance for Hassan
2.) I agree with April that their religion playes a huge part of it, but also their "class." Servant vs Master.
3.) The rape and Amir's life altering decision

annies said...

The things that put stress on their friendship is not just one thing but the way that they're both in different religions, and Amir is rich while Hassan is his servant. And I agree with Lia when she says that they just push their jealousy aside.

jamieG said...

In my opinion, the most stress has been caused through there religion. Like blacks and whites one fought, Ali doesn't want to be made fun of for being good friends with Hassan. Ali doesn't have the personal strength to fend Hassan as his friend.

Pye said...

Amir is the factor that has put the most stress on the relationship. His jealousy, fear, and need to be better than Hassan has put Hassan in a dificult place because he wants to be loyal to Amir but Amir pushes him away.

georged said...

According to , the biggest strain on Amir and Hassan's friendship is religion and social classes. I disagree. I think it is Amir's ego that gets in the way of their friendship. He is always trying to best Hassan and thinks he is better, so he thinks he cannot be friends

Nicole said...

Nile: I don't think so. I think it makes Amir sick to his stomach to know that he has that power. That the grownups are under his control and won't be able to do anything about Assef and his attitude.

KatieW said...

I don't agree with the inner circle when they said that Amir has more knowledge than Hassan. Even though Amir is the more educated one out of the two and Hassan looks up to him a lot, I think that Amir has the book knowledge while Hassan has the people and real world knowledge.

Allie~J said...

GOing off of April but then why does Hassan keepbeingloyal to Amir? Is it just because he knows he's his servant and not really his friend?

adamc said...

I do think that Hassan did see him but i think that he lost respect for him but he still thinks that they are still friends so he forgave Amir. But he is hurt about it.

Anonymous said...

I agree with April and Leah about how Hassan and Amir's friendship survives. I think that they both want alot of the qualities that the other one has, like Hassan wants knowlege and Amir wants to be as "good" as Hassan. I think that this causes them to push down their emotions and that stresses their friendship, and the rape scene only makes it worse

samh said...

I don't think that Amir has more knowledge than Hassan. I think that they just are knowledgeable in different areas.

ddenton76 said...

No I think that Amir actually fears Assef alot more because he knows what Assef will do if sombody crosses him

Macy D. said...

I think that the part of their friendship that puts the most stress on their friendship is their religion. Amir and Hassan both believe different things so that can cause problems sometimes. Also, Amir is rich and Hassan is poor and their servent. So it is much different.

JasonV said...

Amir is rich and Hassan is poor, and they are both full of different types of knowledge. Hassan is more street smart and Amir is more book smart. They will never be able to agree on everything completely and that could ultimately jeopardize their friendship because they just aren't the same type of people , at all.

nilec said...

I think that the biggest thing that puts stress on their relationship is the difference in their personality. It is something that annoys Amir more than it does Hassan.

Pye said...

Amir is bothered by the fact Baba bought Hassan a kite because he is constantly vieing for his fathers attention.

jamieG said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jake H said...

I think the reason that Amir is bothered by the fact that Baba bought Hassan a kite is because he wants to be loved by his father and feels that he has to strive to be the best, and earn his fathers attention.

Emma said...

I also agree with April, their friendship is effected most by the different religons the most. It puts stress on their friendship because one feels more dominent over the other and their religons separate them into a higher and lower class. Also the fact that Hassan is Amir's servants son also causes some problems because of the feelings of dominance.

annies said...

I agree with Lia when she says that both of the boys know what happened because Amir didn't say anything but Hassan doesn't make up a story for why Amir "couldn't find him."

Anonymous said...

I agree with Adam that Hassan did see Amir in the alleyway, and I think that the only reason that he still has any respect for Amir is his loyalty to him, even though Amir doesn't seem to have much loyalty to Hassan.

NowlanS said...

I believe that the main reason Hassan and Amir's friendship is struggling is because of the cowardice and guilt Amir holds. Amir conceously gave into the cowardice and caused him a huge amount of guilt. This guilt then turns into anger. Anger towards Assef and even anger towards Hassan.

georged said...

Shay asked why Amir is upset about Hassan getting a kite as well. It is because of Amir's jealousy. Amir seems to think that because he is of a higher class that he is more deserving of Baba, and Baba's gifts than Hassan. Hassan is pretty much the son that Baba never had and this makes Amir mad.

jamieG said...

Yes, i do think Hassan saw Amir at the alley, it describes a look Hassan gave and that informed Amir that he did notice him. I think that Hassan knows Amir more than most people because he had some what of a understanding when Amir didn't help him. He knew that Amir didn't have enough confidence to confront the situation.

samh said...

I think that the reason Amir is bothered by Baba buying Hassan a kite too is because Amir is striving for Baba's attention and he feels like since he is Baba's son, he should be the only one getting things from him. It also bothers him because he feels like Baba likes Hassan more than he likes Amir.

Pye said...

Jason I disagree, I dont think that Hassan is street smart at all, he is just blindly loyal to Amir even though he is ungrateful for Hassans help.

ddenton76 said...

I think that Baba wants Amir to have some of Hassan's traits but I think he is still proud to have Amir as a son

Nicole said...

Allie: I think's it's got a lot to do with the fact that they grew up together. That he kind of admire's Amir and his talent for writing. If Hassan did see Amir he probably thought "I can't blame him for running. It's scary." And he uses thoughts like that in hopes to make their relationship better een though he's in such emotional pain.

KatieW said...

I agree with Lia when they talked about Baba wanting Hassan as a son instead of Amir. Baba appreciates the qualities that Hassan has as a person and wishes to see them in Amir more, but he still cares for Amir and just doesn't show it often.

adamc said...

I think the reason that it bothered Amir so much that his father also bought Hassan a kite is because he feels that his father loves Hassan more and that he has to earn his fathers love.

JeniC said...

Nicole, I like the list and I hope that you'll save it. I have read ahead and there are more things that happen later in the book that you will be able to add to it.

A few things that you can add to your list now;
-Amir feeling higher than Hassan because he can read.
-Both fathers paying "extra attention" to eachothers son. Not just Baba favoring Hassan, but when Ali gives Amir a little bit of extra attention.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Mark that Baba would like to be able to treat Hassan more like a second son. Because he is his servant, and they are different religions and races, it would not be acceptable for Baba to totally treat Hassan as a son. But since he does treat him very well and as much as a son as he can, it makes Amir very jealous.

Macy D. said...

I think Amir didn't go and help Hassan when he was getting raped. Because he was scared and didn't know what would happen to him. Even though Amir and Hassan are friends, Amir didn't want to risk his life.

allison t said...

Allie-
I think that Hassan is still loyal to Amir after the rape even though he saw him and he did nothing because he knew how much of a shock it was to Amir to see something like that and since they have been life long friends Hassan has faith that Amir had both of their best intrests in mind, meaning that instead of two people getting hurt just one person did.

JasonV said...

I agree with the inner circle that Baba would prefer to have Hassan and Amir as sons instead of choosing one over the other, because they both have unique qualities that differentiate themselves from one another and they both fill a specific part in Baba's heart; although it is unclear which part of his heart holds more love.

annies said...

I agree with Lia when she says that Baba doesn't wish Hassan was his son, he just likes the qualities of Hassan. Baba only likes the almost "manly" aspect of Hassan while Amir likes to read books and write. So Baba and Hassan have more to bond over than Baba and Amir.

Emma said...

I agree that it bothered Amir that Baba bought Hassan a kite because he wants his father to love him and pay attention to him. The biggest reason he was happy after winning the Kite contest was that he hoped Baba would give him more attention and like him more.

nilec said...

Answering Megan's question, I don't think that Amir's actions in in the alley are justified by his desire to get the kite he won. He shouldn't sacrafice the person that has always been there for him in order to please the person he can barely hold a conversation with.

Pye said...

I think Hassan saw Amir when he was getting raped. If he didnt see it he wouldn't have not retaliated when Amir was throwing the pomagranates.

michellev said...

If I was in the situation that Amir was in I wouldn't be thinking about how to make my dad like me more, or how I was gonna go get the kite, later in the book you can see the Amir was affected by this, he probably didn't want to see Hassan get raped. Even if I hated someone, I wouldn't want to see them that person get hurt like that, and Amir and Hassan are friends. If I was Amir I would be scared too, I wouldn't know what to do.

Jake H said...

I think that Baba would rather have Hassan as a son because the way Baba acts around Hassan is much more father like then the way he does to his own son.

Meghan, I think it does have to do with Baba's father because Ali and Baba grew up together making them more like brothers. So to Hassan is more like a son to him based on pass relationships.

Nicole said...

I agree with Meghan. Amir wants Hassan to not be loyal to him because he feels such guilt. He feels like he should be punished. He wants forgiveness from Hassan, no matter what kind.

NowlanS said...

Amir was bothered by Hassan also getting a kite from Baba mainly because he wants to feel special to his father and he envies the relationship that Hassan and Ali have. Amir is trying to make up for the lack of emotion in his relationship with his father by envying Hassan.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Megan that Amir is so guilty about what he saw in the alley. I think that's why he wanted Hassan to show some anger and show some dis-loyalty, because Amir realizes that he is not deserving of Hassan's loyalty after what happened in the alley.

Allie~J said...

I agree with Meagan that Amir just wants Hassan to fight back and to not just let him roll things off his back.Amir just wants him to not be so loyal to him.

samh said...

I think that Hassan did see Amir in the alley way and I think that Hassan didn't really expect Amir to do anything about the situation because he didn't have the confidence to do anything about it.

Pye said...

I agree with Meghan, Amir has become an insomniac with guilt and he knows that he doesnt deserve the undying faith and loyalty Hassan gives him.

KatieW said...

I agree with Megan when she talks about why Amir throws rocks and things at Hassan after what happened in the alley. Amir feels like he does not deserve the loyalty Hassan has for him and tries to provoke him into doing something in order for that guilt to go away.

Macy D. said...

I disagree with George, I think the reason why Amir wanted Hassan to throw a pomegrante at him was that he didn't want to feel the regret of not helping him. He doesn't want to feel the guilt. So he felt like he had to be hit, to learn his lesson.

KaleighD said...

I don't think that Baba would rather have Hassan be his son over Amir. There are certain qualities that he likes in Hassan because he is more athletic and fits Baba's standards better but besides the fact that Amir's not athletic I think the only reason why Baba likes Hassan more is because he can't stand to look at Amir without thinking of his wife and how she died.

annies said...

I agree with Meghan when she says that Amir doesn't want Hassan to be so loyal to him because Amir wasn't loyal to him in the alley. If Hassan was not so loyal to Amir, he would have given the kite to Assef and that would have been the end of it. But since he is so loyal to Amir, he kept the kite and pretty much got raped because of his loyalty.

Nicole said...

I'm not so sure if Hassan did see Amir or not. Because when Amir didn't come out of his room Hassan asked "what did I do?"
It makes it sound like he didn't see it.
However I'm not sure.

jamieG said...

One thing that you really notice about Amir is that he can't just admit to his feeling's. When he is throwing the pomagranit at Hassan he want's him to hurt him back. Hassan in general is just a good person, he knows nothing else and doesn't really look as though he wants to.

samh said...

I agree with the inner circle in that Hassan is so loyal to Amir because it is his duty. On top of that though, because they are such good friends, Hassan feels it is necessary to be loyal to his friend.

Emma said...

I agree with Megan, Amir feels really guilty about what happened in the ally. He was pelting Hassan with pomogranants because Hassans loyalty bothers him because he feels he doesn't deserve it, especially after watching and letting his friend get raped.

allison t said...

To answer Elizabeth's question, Hassan is always loyal to Amir no matter what Amir does because that is all Hassan has known his whole life and he fears that if he shows that he is not loyal even for a second he will loose all he has known and had for his whole life.

adamc said...

I don't think he should because yes they are friends but Hassan still is his servant so i don't think it would really be appropriate.

KatieW said...

I do not agree with the inner circle when they were talking about why Hassan did not do anything back when Amir was tormenting him. I do not think it was because he didn't want to lose his place as a servant or do anything wrong, I think he is just a good person and knows Amir must be going through something and that doing anything back to Amir would not help anything in the situation.

JasonV said...

I agree with John that the author probably wouldn't have included the pomegranate scene if Hassan hadn't seen Amir watching him get raped. The author probably put it in their as a surreptitious hint of what has happened and what will.

alenav said...

I think that Hassan's true colors are going to come out soon. He has been hiding behind a mask that hides what he has really been feeling.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Nile when he says that Amir should not sacrifice his best friend, Hassan, (weather he totally realizes Hassan is his only friend or not) for Baba. Amir has spent his whole life trying to please Baba, and it only makes him upset and less able to stick up for others. I think that he should value Hassan's amazing loyalty and friendship more than a man who it's hard to tell if he even cares much for Amir

Nicole said...

I can't completely agree with Meghan. Hassan does indeed stand up for other's well, but he tries to stand up for himself. Like when he tried to fight Assef and them. He tried to fight them but he was outnumbered.

nilec said...

Sam, I agree that Hassan saw Amir in the alley. I disagree that Hassan didn't expected Amir to do anything. I think that is the reason Hassan has been staying away from Amir. And when he does try to contact Amir it is to find a reason for why Amir didn't help.

NowlanS said...

Hassan has an extreme amount of loyalty. He knows what trust and love is with the relationship he has with his father. Hassan understands what loyalty is and what friendship is all about. Amir does not have a loving relationship with his father and does not really nderstand loyalty.

JeniC said...

I honestly think that Amir and Hassan could be such good friends, is because they both have their streangths. Amir and Hassan can play off of eachothers qualities (Amir's education, Hassan's "servent" skills, etc.)
What happens when they change things about their personality? Like when Amir just stood and watched Hassan with Assef? It can change their friendship because they now have different qualities in them and may not be able to play off of eachoter as much.

Well that makes sense to me anyways.

ddenton76 said...

I think that Hassan is just embarrased and Amir just wants to avoid a awkward situation. But over all I think that they are still friends

Macy D. said...

Yes, I think Amir and Hassan still care for each other after the rape. Even though Amir feels horrible for not sticking up for Hassan, I still think they will remain friends. It might take a while to get that closeness back.

annies said...

I agree with Meghan again when she says that Hassan is better at sticking up for other people than sticking up for himself, which is why what happened in the alley. I also agree with April when she said that when they're not talking about it, it's making things between them worse.

georged said...

Elizabeth asks why Hassan has such unwavering loyalty even when Amir tests it. I think that this is simply because Hassan is one of those few people that is simply good. Even though Hassan does not always think the nice thing, shown by when his expression slightly wavers. Hassan just has so much better self control than Amir, because of his upbringing as a servant. Hassan has always looked up to Amir since he was born.

Allie~J said...

Off of Brian, but I don't think that Amir has the right to be friends with Hassan and that Hassan should stand up for himself and tell Amir what he thinks and that they should talk about what happened. AMir should tell Hassan about what he thinks and how he did see him and Assef. They should try to be friends again but I think Amir needs to relize that they were best friends and Hassan needs to stand up for himself.

Emma said...

I think that after the rape Amir feels really guilty so he tries to distance himself from Hassan. I think he still cares about Hassa, its just hard for him to see and talk to him because it disturbs him and bothers him because he know that he should have done something and stopped the rape from occuring. He feels really guilty so he feels he doesn't deserve to have Hassan's loyalty or friendship.

michellev said...

I agree with Lia and they still care for each other but it might be awkward for them to be around each other after what happened, I think they don't want to accept what happened and avoiding each other might be the best way to avoid it.

Nicole said...

Jeni:
I completely agree with you. Before they could "play off each other" and have such fun. But when the rape scene happened it showed different qualities in Amir. He closed himself off, and therefore severed the friendship between him and Hassan.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Katie that Hassan is just a really good person and he didn't do anything back to Amir because he knew it would not help their (broken) friendship any. Amir is trying to get Hassan to be angry, but Hassan is not anrgy at Amir for not helping him. I think Hassan is more dissappointed in Amir, because Hassan really thought they were friends and had a bond, and Amir did not respect that and help Hassan

KaleighD said...

I agree with Nicole, I think that Hasssan did not see Amir watching him get raped because Hassan thinks Amir is his best friend.Hassan thinks that if Amir saw him then he definetly would have stepped in and stopped Assef.

Jake H said...

Do you think that Amir and Hassan will be the same way ever again? Does the way Amir react to the way Hassan is ignoring him prove that Amir really liked him?

annies said...

I don't agree with Meghan when she says that Amir is finally acting the way that he felt about Hassan and his friendship. I think Amir doesn't think of Hassan as a friend, but more as a brother. Which are two totally different things.

JasonV said...

I disagree with Macy and agree with George that that Amir was throwing pomegranates at Hassan as a way of getting Hassan to be mad at him and hit/hurt him back. He wanted Hassan to punch him so he could feel less guilty because Hassan has never wronged him before, and he permittes his friend to get raped in an alley when he could have intervened.

Macy D. said...

I don't think Amir and Hassan are like best friends. But I definitely think they like to hang out with each other. I don't think Amir uses Hassan.

Pye said...

Amir uses Hassan as someone to make him feel better about himself. He is obviously insecure about himself and needs attention so he hangs out with Hassan just so he can brag about how cool he is and not have to look at his flaws.

Nicole said...

Jake:
I don't think the relationship between Hassan and Amir will ever be the same. Because at the beginning Amir says that when he talked to Hassan he could see his anatoned sins. I think there will be moments that will reflect their friendshihp, but it will never be the same.

nilec said...

I agree with george that Hassan is a truly good person. He understands his place in society and doesn't question it. Realizing how good Hassan is is another thing that makes their friendship difficult for Amir. He is envious of Hassan's pureness.

KaleighD said...

To answer Jake's question, I think that Amir is avoiding Hassan because he is afraid. He doesn't know if Hassan saw him just stand back and watch. Amir is avoiding Hassan because he doesn't know Hassan will react and he doesn't know what to say or how to treat Hassan anymore.

Emma said...

I agree with Ellen, Hassan is disappointed but not angry. He hoped that he and Amir were really friends but when Amir didn't stand up for him in the ally, he let him down. He is one of those people who are allways good and nice.

NowlanS said...

I believe Hassan and Amir are struggling to be friends but they are. I believe they are more as brothers. They have a deeper connection. Amir wants to help Hassan but his cowardice covers those thoughts and he gives in to the cowardice. Amir deep in his mind has feelings for Hassan. They are friends. Amir is not a good friend but they are still friends. Hassan is a great friend and is what keeps the friendship together.

adamc said...

I'm still not sure if they are very good friends but i do think that Hassan believes that they are friends but Amir just hangs out with Hassan cause he is there.

KatieW said...

I agree with Megan when she said that the kite was the problem. If the kite hadn't been there none of this wouldn't happen. This is why I used the kite as the monster in my wanted poster because the kite had the power to destroy a friendship and cause what happened in the alley to happen.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Allie that Hassan should stand up for himself, because he always stands up for Amir and he can't even be angry at him. Amir doesn't stand up for Hassan at all and doesn't even aknowlege that Hassan is the best friend that he has. Amir takes Hassan for granted.

allison t said...

Jake-
I think that Amir realizes how much of a friend Hassan really was to him, even though before he didn't care for Hassan very much. I think that Amir will do more to make them better friends and Hassan will eventually forgive him because that's just in Hassan's kind nature.

michellev said...

Jake I think that they can become the same again, things have happened to my friends and I that have hurt our friendship, but if they are willing to face each other they can talk about it and probably become closer because the experience they went through.

annies said...

I think it's sad that when Amir is running from the alley that Hassan does deserve it because he is a Hazara. Its also really sad when Hassan comes out of the alley with the kite in his hand and Amir can't help but look to see if the kite is torn in any way. It shows how Amir doesn't care about how loyal Hassan was to just take getting raped to keep the kite for Amir.

KaleighD said...

I think that Amir just uses Hassan as someone to hang out with because he know's that Hassan is very loyal and will always be there for him. That's what scares Amir the most is because he knows how good Hassan is to him and Amir couldn't push himself to step in and help Hassan.

JeniC said...

If Hassan was the same religion as Amir, then I agree with meghan that Amir would somewhat stand up for Hassan. However, their social class would still be very different. I think that Amir would still view Hassan as "below him" reguardless of religion because Amir has been shown that Hassan is his servent.

nilec said...

I don't agree with the inner circle that relgion plays such a large role in their friendship. I think the story is focusing more on Hassan and Amir as people and personalities rather than their religion.

Kristin L said...

I've been following your conversation on whether or not Amir will be able to atone for his sins. Remember in the first chapter, Rahim Kahn tells him that "There is a way to be good again." What might this refer to?

Allie~J said...

I see Assef as the monster but also Amir maybe as like the sidekick. Because Assef did the action and Amir showed the reaction that Assef wanted from Hassan.

NowlanS said...

I agree with John, Amir does use Hassan to make himself feel better but I do believe deep down in his mind e does care for Hassan in a loving way. Amir gives into peer pressure very easily and is extremely insecure about himself

Macy D. said...

Assef is obviously the monster for the act he did. But Amir could also be the monster for not saving his friend. I think Amir sticks up for Hassan for some things, but not everything. Amir doesn't want to get hurt.

Kristin L said...

Also, as I listen to the inner circle's discussion of Assef, I wonder why the author chose to make him tall, blonde-haired and blue-eyed.

KaleighD said...

I agree with Shay, I don't think that religion plays a big part in Hassan's and Amir's "friendship" as much as class does. Amir would probably accept Hassan as a true friend is he wasn't his servant and poor.

Allie~J said...

kristen- do you think that Rahim knows whay AMir is going through and what he should do?

Emma said...

To answer Brians question, I think that Amir is the monster because he is supposed to be his friend and stand up for him but he didn't and he let him down. To sit and watch your friend get raped and not step in to help them is horrible. Assef is also a monster for what he did but i think that symbolicly Amir is the monster for witnessing it happen and not doing anything about it.

alenav said...

I think that Hassan is obligated and has to protect Amir. Because of that i don't think that he would let something like that happen to him.

Jake H said...

I think that Amir is the monster. I agree with April, the way the book states that Amir pulls down Hassan in the water represents his emotions taking control over whats right and wrong. He let his anger toward Baba's and Hassan's relationship take control over weather or nor he should stop the rape against Hassan. In the end he let his anger win.

allison t said...

April-
That's interesting that you feel that Amir is the monster, but I have to disagree. I feel that it's not one person, but jealousy that is the monster. Amir is jealous of Hassan for some things as is Hassan jealous of Amir for different things.

Kristin L said...

By the way, Kristin L is Ms. Leclaire.

JeniC said...

I said that the "monster" was fear of Assef. Amir and Hassan where the ones who went into the water where the monster was, they were also the two who crossed Assef before and did not fear him.

Nicole said...

In a way, I kind of agree with April. Amir is a kind of monster because he didn't do anything. However, it's a shocking scene. When in stressful situations people react differently than they would normally.
But I think that the biggest Monster is Assef because he actually did the action. He had a choice not to, but he did anyway.

Do you think Assef ever witnessed rape? Or was forced to watch and was told it was a good thing?
Because psychologically speaking, when people are in situations like that they either close themselves off or they do the exact same thing to other people.

adamc said...

I think that Amir is the real monster because he is the one that just stood by and watched while it all happened and that just says that he really doesn't care as much as Hassan thought he did.

annies said...

I don't think Assef is the true monster. He is the monster in the way that he is the neighborhood bully and the person who rapes Hassan. But the "monster" is more of a symbolic thing than an actual thing. Amir is the real monster, because even if he would have walked into that alley to stand up for Hassan, the way Hassan stood up for him so many times, he could have been beaten up by Assef but Hassan would have still known that Amir was just as loyal to Hassan as Hassan was to him.

georged said...

Who is the monster? My opinion, they are all the monster. Hassan was right in that the monster was just in their imaginations, except that that monster seems to control some of the characters. Assef is obviously the bad guy, and it is easy to see that he is being very racist. However, Amir's mind is also a monster because he allows his greed (Baba's love) to get in the way of his actions.

Aaron H. said...

I agree with George and Adam in that Amir is one of the monsters in The Kite Runner. Amir let Hassan get raped because he wanted to get Baba’s praise. Amir is a coward and gets himself to believe that Hassan is sacrificing himself for Amir. I think that if Amir had stepped up and stood up for Hassan then Baba would probably have rejoiced even more than he did when Amir won the Kite fighting. Amir lets his relationship, his friendship, with Hassan get destroyed.