Silence In The Kite Runner

Words: 724
Pages: 3

Silence represents much more than the decision not to talk. Even though silence appears to be a safe alternative to saying the wrong thing, it can convey more feelings than words can. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the main character, Amir, chooses to remain silent when faced with difficult situations regarding his friend Hassan. A bully, Assef, teases less-fortunate Hassan, and Amir does not say anything to help. When Assef rapes Hassan, Amir does nothing to help his friend and is forced to live with grief for the rest of his life. Making an attempt to remove this remorse from his conscience, Amir cowardly plots against his friend. As seen in The Kite Runner, silence is a destructive force. Amir’s silence, inaction, and deception contribute to his grief. Early in the novel, Assef teases Hassan, and Amir does not say anything to defend his friend. One day, Hassan and Amir encounter Assef and his friends as they are walking down the street. Assef calls Hassan derogatory names because Hassan is a Hazara, which is a minority group of Afghanistan. Assef asks Amir …show more content…
To create the appearance that Hassan is a thief, Amir places money and a gifted watch under Hassan’s mattress. When accused of the crime, Hassan admits to it, and Amir doesn’t object. Amir thinks to himself: “He knew I had betrayed him and yet he was rescuing me once again, maybe for the last time” (Hosseini 105). Amir selfishly chooses to avoid his problems by making Hassan and Ali leave. He directly accuses Hassan of something that he didn’t do. Amir does this because he thinks it will make him forget about all the other horrible things he has done. Because he has such a strong desire to be loved by his father, Amir is willing to betray Hassan. By pushing the problem away and using deception, Amir hurts Hassan once again, in his own attempt to stop making