Monday, January 8, 2007
Last third of the novel
Amir's confrontation with Assef in Wazir Akar Khan marks an important turning point in the novel. Why does the author have Amir, Assef, and Sohrab all come together in this way? What is the significance of the scar that Amir develops as a result of the confrontation? Why is it important in Amir's journey toward forgiveness and acceptance?
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Having brought all three characters together towards the end of the book was the most brilliant action that an author could have taken to spice this book up. By joining these three characters together so much comes out of it.
Having Assef and the adult Amir unite for a final brawl signifies why Assef has taken Sohrab and how he intends to take Amir down. By collaborating Sohrab in the mix, Amir is reminded of the time in his childhood when he and Hassan had to take on Assef. This was the time that Hassan stood up and fought Assef for Amir. By this action, Amir had to live his life fearing that his fathers accusations were true, that he could never fight for himself. Now the enemy Assef and Hassan's son Sohrab have been combined to bring to trial Amir's capabilities. This was Amir's way of proving to himself that he could stand up for himself and fight the monster that split him and Hassan up. By Sohrab being there it gives Amir a second chance to prove that he would save Hassan if Assef tried to hurt him, even if Hassan was now Hassan's orphaned son. Amir is given another opportunity at life and by reversing what happened in the past he will be able to live a normal life again. Having Sohrab stand up at the end and shoot Assef in the eye was a mirror image of when Hassan threatened Assef with a slingshot. This time the threat becomes reality as his son makes his fathers wish come true. Saved twice by the blood of Hassan, Amir is bewildered and speechless. His whole life is now turned around and he knows that Hassan has not only forgiven him for not telling the secret long ago but has also saved his life for a second time. In other words to describe this, "For you a thousand times over."
The significance of the scar that Amir develops twists and turns the novel beautifully. Only days after discovering that his blood is entwined with Hassan's blood, Amir sports a scar resembling the very scar that Hassan had. Me, being a very optimistic person, I feel that the harelip that Amir now possesses signifies that Hassan and him have reunited again after many years apart. These two brothers now share an even closer bond and Amir realizes this as he discovers his scar. Not to ruin the novel or anything, but also Amir now takes on the very same look as Hassan did, making him look like the lost father that Sohrab so greatly needs. So many interpretations can be taken from this but this one especially.
The brawl between Assef and Amir was really important if Amir wanted to forgive and forget. He needed to accept himself as he was, which he wasn't doing. His acceptance to himself gave him more courage and he could finally conjure up the strength to forget what he did. Towards the end of the fight, Amir realizes that he is now forgiven for what he did to Hassan and just by his forgiveness his can accept himself for the person he is. By accepting himself, Amir can become a better man and life a normal life of no regrets and lies. Amir can now move on with his life and know that Hassan had forgiven him and accepted the reasons as to why he did not tell anyone what he saw.
"My body was broken-just how badly I wouldn't find out until later-but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed" (pg 289)
The turning point in this novel was remarkable. It was like finding the last piece of the puzzle in the story because it represented Karma; what goes around comes around. Amir and Assef’s fight was the closer Amir needed for him to move on after witnessing Hassan’s rape. He believed that he finally received what he escaped and avoided years ago. Amir’s laughing during the fighting with Assef was when he knew that this was the way he needed to forget and forgive. Hassan’s son Sohrab on the other hand was represented as Hassan’s unfinished business. Years after the incident in the alley when Hassan stood up for Amir with the slingshot and threatened to shoot Assef’s eye out, Hassan’s son finally finished his deed and even saving Amir from death. Sohrab was the one that carried on his fathers spirit that always kept his promise, “for you a thousand times over.”
Khaled Hosseini has these three characters come together because in 1975, Amir witnessed Assef raping his beloved servant, Hassan. The joining of these three characters marks an important part of the book because Sohrab is Hassan’s son. Assef finally gets his revenge on Amir for the incident with Hassan’s slingshot, and Amir is finally forced to fend for himself. Amir takes every blow he is given, and laughs. Why would he laugh? Well, he is finally getting rid of that terrible guilt that strived within him for years. He felt as if he finally got what he deserved for not defending the loyal Hazara boy. As a result of the fight, Amir’s upper lip is split in two and when it is sewn back together he is told that there will be a scar, like the one Hassan had after the plastic surgery to fix his harelip. Amir finally starts to forgive himself for what the way he betrayed Hassan.
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