Literary Techniques in the Novel The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner is a first-person narration with everything presented in the text coming from a character’s point of view. This novel structure has a strong influence on how the reader views the characters. For example, using a narrative structure the reader understands why a character behaves in a certain way and is also able to empathise with them. The reader can view the scenarios the character is experiencing as if they are them. In other words “getting inside their head.” The narration was useful for experiencing the emotions of the characters. Examples such as Hassan’s sexual abuse and the effect of the Afghan war. When reading you experienced first person through all the characters mentioned in the novel. An example is when Rahim Khan said “I remember when you were little, the year Ali got polio and almost died. Your father would walk around the house all day crying.” Reading this and knowing Amir’s perspective of his father being the ‘bear’ suggests that Rahim Khan knew Baba differently. Rahim Khan experiences the soft emotional side of Baba, that is said to have been there all along, however, Amir experiences the tough, hard to break version of his father.

Throughout the kite runner the author Khaled Hosseini uses imagery to guide the reader through his life growing up in Kabul. Having this language feature used throughout the novel allows the reader to feel deeper emotions and react more actively. When imagery is present scenes are clear and easy to picture in your head. An example is when Amir was describing Baba’s house after being destroyed. “It looked smaller. The roof sagged and the plaster was cracked. The windows to the living room, the foyer and the upstairs bathroom were broken, patched haphazardly with sheets of clear plastic or wooden boards nailed across the frames.” This quote clearly gives an image in your head after reading it. Destruction. Broken windows, cracked plastered walls, the roof collapsing. In just those few sentences imagining the scene is a lot easier because of how its described through imagery. By Hosseini adding in the small details, it gives the reader a deeper visual into what Amir is seeing. In this case, the emotions also experienced by the reader would most likely be sorrow. Feelings like this would arise because of the impact war has had on Baba’s family.

From the very start of the novel Hosseini relies heavily on flashbacks. By doing this he builds suspense and among that supports his theme of the pasts immense effect upon the present. Starting the novel in the present-day Hosseini then flashes back to Amir’s childhood and continues the novel right up until the current day again, including only key factors of his childhood. Key factors that have been affecting his current day to day life the most. The flashbacks used in the novel explain the significance of statements used in the text. For example, the one-sentence statement “There is a way to be good again,” engages the reader and gets them to read more so they can figure out what that statement suggests. In this case, that statement suggests that Amir’s current day to day life is affected so much by the past and that if he wants to be happy with where he is he needs to go back and redeem himself. Another example from the novel is the statement made by Amir; “My father is still adjusting to life in America.” This one- sentence explanation statement suggests that since fleeing their home country because of the Afghan war Baba has found it difficult to adjust to his newfound life in America.

Not only was Baba having to settle into a new country and a new way of life but he also had immense guilt weighing on his shoulders. Guilt that mainly revolved around Ali and Hassan. He betrayed Ali by sleeping with his wife and conceiving a child. He also felt immense guilt over not telling Hassan and Amir that he is Hassan’s real father. Just about all the characters in the book are faced with guilt and it weighs immensely on them in their present-day to day lives. The flashbacks go hand in hand with guilt because constantly thinking about past mistakes affects the present and future life of the characters. However, with this being said there is always a way to redeem yourself, forgive oneself and to be forgiven by others.

Pluto As A Metaphor In Edgar Allan Poe’s The Black Cat

Edgar Allan Poe— one of the first writers of his time to have earned his living through the publication of his works— is renowned for his short stories. His diverse catalogue includes his famous The Fall of the House of Usher, The Purloined Letters and many more among which The Black Cat has a place of its own in the Gothic legacy that Poe had contributed in inspiring many authors. The short story was written from the perspective of a convicted murderer who wanted to “unburden his soul” the day before his death. A crime he confessed to in the narration of the story, recounting his transformation from a kind, animal-loving child to a remorseless killer.

He begins by saying that whatever he was about to pen down might seem absurd and incomprehensible to the readers. Then, assures us that he isn’t mad and that he’ll explain the horrifying events with logic and science and thus starts his narrating the “household events” which has led to his current circumstances. The narrator talks about his love for animals ever since he was a child and how lucky he was to find a wife with the same dispositions as his. As nice and friendly as the story had started, it soon takes a tragic turn which is brought with the introduction of the Narrator’s pet cat, Pluto. An unusually large and intelligent cat he adored. Soon things start to take a turn for the worst as one event after other leads to his inevitable demise. The story was written with several symbolic values as well as metaphorical narratives. Among all the metaphors which include the cat’s eyes, the fire, the image on the lone wall after the fire and many more; the main and the most prominent metaphor has to be the cat itself. The title of the story was enough of an emphasis to establish that. But what exactly did Poe want to emphasize when he named the cat Pluto? The name of the cat here is one of the most prominent of metaphors used. Pluto— possibly named after the God of the Underworld in Roman Mythology. The underworld — a dark, doomed and lonely place as presumed by many when mentioned. The black cat’s presence was probably associated with the dark underworld or even the God of the Underworld, which would explain choosing the name ‘Pluto’ by the author. The horrifying events that had unfolded, leading to the Narrator’s doom might as well represent the mysterious and lonely life in the underworld which is a reflection of the Narrator’s life after the fire.

The author, therefore, uses the cat to metaphorize the mysterious, evil and dark events and the almost demonic transformation of the narrator. The animal in the narrator and the almost human nature of Pluto could be regarded interchangeably. The narrator’s dark side which emerged slowly was reflected in the presence of the “black” cat. The ending of the narration also quickly describes that a “black cat” dragged the narrator down with it, symbolizing probably, the God of the Underworld —Pluto, to the underworld, his doom.

Literary Devices in Depicting Society in The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowry sets place in a futuristic society. It is undetermined the exact location or period that the story takes place. This society is based on a utopian community. A perfect society, where everyone is safe, they have never suffered pain, or ever heard of violence, but the citizens have no individuality, choice, or any freedom. The setting of this community is composed of a collection of houses known as dwellings were the same in shape, color, and size. It is surrounded by agricultural fields and open land. There is a river near the community that separates the community from the neighboring communities, which the citizens are unaware. “Contact with nearby communities is very limited and with the larger world unknown.”

The community is highly controlled and isolated from the rest of the world. Life is strictly governed and based on the concept of the sameness. The citizens of the community are watched through surveillance, have to follow extensive rules, and follow certain rituals. The members of this committee do not have access to anything that provides information or entertainment.

“There is no art or visual or aural culture. Citizens have no access to books. There are, apparently, no telephones, newspapers, televisions, computers or other electronic media devices in the home.” Their entire life is controlled by the committee. The elders of this committee make every decision, decide the members’ place in society They decide how many children will be born in a year, how many people will belong in a family, who will get married to each other, and determine each member’s occupation. “Lowry’s citizens have their entire life’s work and even marital status decided by the Committee.”

Along with People, mankind controls nature. The climate in the setting of this utopian society remains the same, it is a comfortable, and predictable weather. They eliminated harsh weather such as Snow, rain, and excessively hot conditions, which would be brutal for agriculture, cause sunburns, Natural disasters such as floods, tornados, and hurricanes. They eliminated Valleys, hills, and dangerous roads which could cause road fatality. By eliminating all these factors, they made this perfect community. Where its members will never face starvation, losing their home or being homeless or pain of losing their loved one from any road fatality. The citizens of this society along with the elder committee members are unable to see color. The members don’t know color or that it even exists. This genetic modification was due to eliminating racism. Since nobody will be able to tell the difference between color, they would not be able to identify skin color, and everyone will be the same. “human perception is based on recognizing contrasts. Without recognizing contrast, we lack in human perception and understanding as evident in Lowry’s dystopia. The comparison of Jonas’ secondary world to our real world view, then, directs us to troubling the notion that this same tactic of ignoring human differences—a colorblind stance, for example—may be prevalent in our own society with similar consequence.” Not seeing color applies to daily actives like picking out clothes, since they are oblivious to the fact that color exists it does matter, and there is no choice or individuality.

It is obvious throughout the story that uniformity is valued more than individuality. Sameness is the idea practiced by the leaders. The committee members believe everything in the community should be the same, and everything given to the citizens should be equal because if it is not the same the that creates issues. They want to create a utopian society where everything is the same and, therefore it is considered equal. When the concept of sameness was created. They decided that individuals in the community did not need individual memories of the past. Even though some memories brought joy, there were memories such as war, death, violence, that would cause burdensome to the community. Having memories would cause the citizens to make choices, and making choices goes against the ideology of sameness. They are kept away from knowing the past because all the memories would bring so much pain, and the members have lived in a well-protected world that they would not be able to handle the chaos. The only person who has all these memories is referred to as the giver, he holds all the memories from the past is called when there is a decision to be made.

In this community, the giver guides all decisions made in the community. He is the only person in the whole community who holds memories of the past. As he grew older and became weakened, the committee of elders decided it was time to have a new giver. Jonas, the protagonist of this story, is chosen to become the receiver of memory an honorable position in this community. “As with all ‘‘twelves,’’ Jonas is to be assigned his lifetime community role at the annual Ceremony; he is bestowed a great honor to be named the next Giver. Slowly the burden of this role is revealed: in order to protect the stability of the community, Jonas must receive and internalize from the current Giver what is exclusively his.” Jonas is now required to see the giver in the Annex, a building different from others. The Annex is the representation of what was before the time of Sameness. This building contains books on multiple subjects unlike, the community, were reading, and any other source of getting information is highly restricted, it has a buzzer on the front door, there is an on/off switch on the speaker, and the only place that has a lock on the door. The Annex is the only place in the society along with the giver who has seen joy, pain, color, and many more memories.

The very first memory that is transferred to Jonas by the giver was a memory of sledding down a snowy hill. He finds this memory very thrilling, and surprising. As the weeks pass, Jonas begins to receive more and more memories, and soon he starts seeing the color red. Jonas his disappointed when he finds out no-one can see color and the giver explains that this was due to genetic modification. While he is receiving memories from the giver, he learns the true meaning of release. In this community, infants were taken from their mothers at birth and raised in a nurturing center until the age of one. When they turn one, they were given to couples with a successful marriage after, their application for a child has been approved by the committee. Infants were closely watched, and the ones that show any signs of being weak or different are released. He soon gets attached to one of the infants at the nurturing center. The infant’s name was Gabriel, he was supposed to be released since he was a week infant. From the memories, he learns that being released means that they are going to be killed, that his father is the one who unknowingly along with others are performing this task. “when Jonas’s father, a professional child nurturer, good-naturedly euthanizes a newborn baby with no understanding that he has taken a life…. his training as Receiver that Jonas, who views the killing of the newborn, understands its meaning.” This convinces Jonas to escape to the elsewhere because once he crosses the river all the memories will come to the citizens. “Jonas’s decision to abandon his role as Receiver of Memory is meant to force his community to bear memories of the past so they can truly feel love and anguish and understand the implications of their actions. The result, if successful, will be to end the a temporal ever-present in which his townspeople live and return them to historical time.”

Elsewhere is a term used in this society to keep the citizens in dark. Jonas realizes that the term elsewhere is just a cover-up, but in reality, they are killing innocent children and the elderly to control the population. They use this term to cover up for people who have been executed for breaking rules. According to the citizens elsewhere is this pleasant site where people are sent permanently. Using words like death and murder would be considered highly inappropriate because the members have lived in a safe environment and exposing them to such words would make them feel unsafe. Elsewhere is also referred to as something beyond the boundaries of the community, and no one knows what exists beyond that place. When Jonas crossed the boundary all the memories that were held came rushing back to the citizens. “If he is to save little Gabriel’s life, he cannot wait to enact the Giver’s plan or to take advantage of any other preparations. By night, he and little Gabriel sneak out of town by bicycle and head for the Elsewhere that Jonas hopes exists. They sleep, hidden by day, and pedal all night, taking care to stay out of sight of the search parties and planes. Worn out and hungry, they continue to flee, looking for a safe haven. In the end, it is only Jonas’s determination and perseverance that keeps them on their way.”

The setting of this story plays an important role in the lives of all the community members and affect them. People in this utopian setting have given up their Individuality, their freedom, and the ability to make choices, and unknowingly adapted Sameness. Jonas learns there is a whole undiscovered world. He finds his society filled with lies and dysfunctional. The members have lived in a well-protected world. where sameness is valued more than individuality. “ As much as the novel focuses on recovering the past as the means to achieving full humanity, Lowry also shows that memory is the primary utopian tool for opening up the future.”

The Theme of Classism in The Kite Runner

My grandmother, when growing up as a teenage immigrant from Japan in America, had suffered atrocities in her lifetime. Be it not speaking English with perfection in accent and pronunciation, or the foods in which she ate, she was tantalized and berated on a day-to-day basis. The people around her had thought of themselves as “elevated” or “above her” in all aspects of their lives, and treated her like she was beneath them, like gum on the soles of their shoes. In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, Amir, a wealthy Sunni muslim in Afghanistan, endeavors through an excruciatingly traumatic childhood, and as a result, must contend with finding his place in society. In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, Classism demonstrates the creation of divisions overall between people, and thus accomplishes this through othering other individuals.

The Kite Runner exhibits the creation of divisions and classism between people through the scene in which Hassan was brutishly raped by Assef and his followers. With Hassan being a Hazara, or someone of lower social class, Assef feels acquitted with his abhorrent actions, and believes that what he is doing is appropriated by Hassan’s race. He thinks that Hassan should heed to and satisfy his wants, and only his wants. Assef expects Hassan to obey, and by raping Hassan, he is asserting his dominance and flexing his power, and expressing how he is above him on the social scale, and that Hassan will do whatever Assef wishes him to do as he so pleases. Assef’s definition of Hassan as an “it” is demonstrating how he views Hassan as an object, or something worthless, and is attempting to degrade him. He is proclaiming his control over Hassan by demeaning him, and declaring him not as a human, but as an object, or an animal; something to be thrown around, or something not comparable to the value of a human life. Hassan perceives his place in society, and accepts his given place. He acknowledges that he is merely a Hazara, and that he has been taught to serve those who are superior to him in class. Assef may oppress Hassan with inhumane methods, yet Hassan is stuck due to his class. He cannot fight back or resist, he can only comply, as he has been taught to, with the needs and wants of others. Through the scene in which Hassan was viciously raped by Assef, The Kite Runner exhibits the creation of divisions and classism between people.

The Kite Runner demonstrates the creation of divisions between people through the stoning scene, where Assef and various other Talibans aggressively wield stones at supposed sinners, or others below them, under the name of God. In this scene, the Taliban dismantles Hazaras of their human qualities as a method of affirming their supremacy. Members of the Taliban believe that brutally slaughtering who they personally see fit is for the greater good of Afghanistan as a whole, and therefore they acquit exclusively themselves from their malpractices. They believe that their butchery and cleansing of sinning Hazaras is of paramount importance, and must be done wholly in order to obey their God. Under God’s name, the Taliban cover up their misdeeds by claiming that they themselves are carrying out justice to God, that God wants them to individually oppress and punish those who are below them. By placing themselves above those who are sinners to Afghanistan, with the rationale that God is the almighty who is instructing them to kill, they emphasize their hierarchy above the inferior Hazara minorities. Hosseini uses first person in the words of a cleric at the stoning event, and the excessive usage of God and what He says emphasizes how what the Talibans, an elevated social class, are exploiting is under the approval of God, and thus is justifying their inhumanity and malice. Assef, a Taliban official, is wearing a loose piece of white clothing, which thus makes him appear to the public as a God-like figure, and is contradictory to what he has executed in his life, with corruption, death, and illegality. Assef’s round, black sunglasses, not unlike John Lennon’s, are exemplifying what Lennon was most famous for, his song “Imagine”, in which Lennon wants the listener to imagine a world without war or brutality, however; Assef is contradictory to this, and is the apotheosis of cruelty and corruption. Assef believes his barbarity and bloodthirst is justified due to him becoming a Taliban and having a higher social class, and with that comes a belief of natural superiority over others. Through the stoning scene, The Kite Runner establishes the formulation of divisions via classism between people.

Classism is demonstrated with the creation of divisions between people through the climactic fight scene between Amir and Assef, where the two attempt to brawl to the death. In this setting, Assef describes his razes of Hazaras, or people who are unworthy, or beneath him, as advocated under God, and uses this as a method of confirming his supremacy. Assef considers himself chosen by God, or someone of high placement in Afghan Taliban society, and he believes that due to this, he must demonstrate his social scale given powers on a grand scale. Assef deems his malpractices as educational, and places himself as an educator, or teacher to the masses, in which he is demonstrating his jurisdiction. His brutal and misshapen slaughtering is meant to be a learning experience, where he illustrates that this is what happens to sinners of God, and that this is what Assef, an official of the Taliban, a class higher than them, will do to them if misconduct towards him, God, or Afghanistan occurs. Assef judges his merciless carnage as God’s work, and as such, he views it as honorable, or even freeing. He believes that killing whoever is below him on the social scale is equitable, and under God’s rule, is morally justified. The Kite Runner demonstrates the creation of divisions by way of classism between people through the combative fight scene between Amir and Assef. Through Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, Classism indicates the creation of divisions overall between people, and thus accomplishes this through othering other individuals. This novel leaves readers with a better understanding of Classism and its workings overall, and an enhanced view of how divisions are developed in society today. Although the novel shows readers a variety of scenarios where othering is prevalent, this story teaches readers about the walls that divide communities, society, or even our personal lives.

The Peculiarities Of Narrative Style And Language In The Alchemist

Narrative Style

The Alchemist is a novel written by an anonymous third person omniscient, we know this as the narrator always refers to the characters as she, he or they, “they come in search of new things”. Throughout the novel the narrator focuses mainly on Santiago, but the narrator know the feelings and thoughts of every character involved in the story and expresses they using a simple tone.

Character Analysis

Santiago – The protagonist of the novel. Santiago is a young shepherd from a small Andalusian town. After an encounter with Melchizedek, a wise man, Santiago finds himself going on a quest for treasure. Santiago stays true to himself throughout the novel, but also develops from being a boy into a wise man full of spirit. ‘I have crossed the desert in search of a treasure that is somewhere near the Pyramids, and for me, the war seemed a curse. But now it’s a blessing, because it brought me to you.’ – Here we see Santiago become wiser as he comes to the realization that sometimes the baddest inconveniences end up having the best consequences.

The Alchemist – A two hundred year old legend who lives in the Al-Fayoum oasis. He is a very spiritual character and is a mentor to Santiago and teaches him the values in life and helps him to grow and learn in many different ways. He is very persuasive when getting what he wants, he is also a very smart character who mostly speaks in riddles, making it more challenging for Santiago to learn things. ‘If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. And one can always come back. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return.’, he uses alchemy to metaphorically explain love to Santiago.

Language

The language used within the novel is quite modern but is formal and polished which still gives us the sense of the novel being written in older times. The novel incorporates more than one language, including Arabic and Spanish, which adds to the mystery of Santiago’s journey to the Pyramids.

Imagery

Coelho uses metaphors when creating imagery within the novel.

Touch – Throughout Santiago’s journey he encounters a variety of different elements, the different lands he’s walked across and the touch of the sun on his skin. “Listened to wind and felt the stones beneath his feet”.

Sound – “The silence of the desert”, the desert is a quiet place as it is just sand, so we can hear the absolute silence of the desert.

Sight – “The horizon was tinged with red”, we can imagine the deep colours of the sunset.

Smell and Taste – “Silver trays laden with spices and tea”, the spices can be smelt and the tea and spices can be tasted.

Morals and Values

A constant lesson within the novel, is to pursue your dreams and following you heart “Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure”. We see this through Santiago’s journey to the pyramids as he learns to follow his heart even though he encounters many obstacles along the way. During his journey we see fear as a constant emotion in Santiago but in different forms, like fear of dying or the spiritual fear of him failing to turn into the wind when The Alchemist asks him to try.

The novel teaches us the value of nature and how it teaches us many things, like Santiago is tested through nature whilst journeying towards the pyramids. “And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”. The novel also teaches us the moral of love and we see it through Santiago when he discovers his love for Fatmia, and according to The Alchemist, without love our lives are incomplete.

Setting

The novel is set in the Spanish town of Tarifa and takes us through a journey to North Africa, Egypt and the Sahara desert. The novel is set in the past before most modern technology existed, so is clearly pre-modern. We see me still fighting “… with swords..” so it gives us a clear time view as today weaponary is more advanced.

I liked the adventure in the novel, as Coelho makes is feel quite realistic to where it felt like I was going along the journey with Santiago. The older and different languages used also made it very interesting, Another aspect I liked was the different life lessons it taught me. “Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World” is one quote that stood out to me in the novel. There aren’t any aspects I disliked about the book.

How Story Telling is Used as Catharsis in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and Atonement by Ian McEwan?

‘There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you:” The term catharsis — which originates from the Greek kathairein meaning ‘to cleanse or purge’—was first used by Aristotle to describe the freeing of emotional tension that spectators encountered while viewing dramatic tragedy. Nowadays, ‘catharsis’ may refer to any experience which results in cleansing or emotional release created by a work of art. This can be demonstrated in Ian McEwan’s Atonement and Khalid Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. In both novels, storytelling functions as a catalyst to enable the narrators to recover from psychological traumas. The premise behind both novels is simple: both protagonists make a crucial decision and spend the rest of the plot trying to atone for their mistake. In both, the protagonists witness sexual assault and then use storytelling to rewrite history, to apologise and to seek redemption. McEwan states he “wanted to play with the notion of story-telling as a form of self-justification, of how much courage is involved in telling the truth to oneself” yet both protagonists, at least initially, lack this courage and instead of telling the truth, fabulate and obfuscate to conceal their mistakes. [1: Angelou, M. Quotes, [online] Available at: [Accessed 12 Nov. 2018]] [2: Scopa, S. (2017) “Catharsis.’ LitCharts LLC, [online] May 5, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2018. Available at: https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/catharsis. [Accessed 1 Dec. 2018].] [3: Nayebpour, K. (2018) The Uses of Storytelling in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, EFD/JFL/Cilt/[online] Volume 35 (1) p. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327920203_The_Uses_of_Storytelling_in_Khaled_Hosseini’s_The_Kite_Runner [Accessed 1 Dec. 2018]. ] [4: Noakes, J. And Reynolds, M. (2002) The Child in Time, Vintage, p. 20.]

In Atonement, McEwan reveals the power of storytelling – how one event can be interpreted very differently by each observer. Initially, the fountain sequence is observed from Cecilia’s – Briony’s free-spirited elder sister’s perspective: Cecilia rejects Robbie’s help in filling a vase with water. Robbie, the son of a servant working for the aristocratic Tallis family, persists and the vase breaks causing fragments to fall into the fountain. There is underlying sexual tension between Robbie and Cecilia; however, both try to conceal it with superficial dislike. In an attempt to show that she does not need Robbie’s help, Cecilia silently undresses and plunges into the chilling water to recover the pieces of the vase: “Denying his help, any possibility of making amends, was his punishment. The unexpectedly freezing water that caused her to gasp was his punishment. She held her breath, and sank, leaving her hair fanned out across the surface. Drowning herself would be his punishment.” Here McEwan uses the rhetorical technique – epistrophe – for emphasis and dramatic effect. In Cecilia’s narration she explains, “The accumulated inactivity of the summer weeks since finals also hurried her along; since coming home, her life had stood still, and a fine day like this made her impatient…”Cecilia’s narration is extensively descriptive and entwined with sibilance making the chapter more sensual and move slowly contributing to the lethargic air of the summer day. Although the vase was both beautiful and valuable, it was actually admired more because it had been given to Cecilia’s uncle by the inhabitants of a French town which he had helped liberate during WWI. The breaking the vase by Cecilia and Robbie on the day they come together, foreshadows that their love is broken almost before it starts and that war will be a vital cause. The image of the Tallis’ fountain itself is also symbolic as it is a replica of the Triton fountain in Piazza Barberini, Rome which has a dark history – until the late eighteenth century, unidentified corpses were displayed in front of the fountain, and the people of Rome were asked to identify them. This also foreshadows tragedy and death in Robbie and Cecilia’s love story. [5: Rooney, A. (2009). Atonement, Ian McEwan. Harlow: Longman, p.17.] [6: Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). The Vase And The Fountain in Atonement. Retrieved December 20, 2018, from https://www.shmoop.com/atonement/vase-fountain-symbol.html] [7: Rooney, A. (2009). Atonement, Ian McEwan. Harlow: Longman, p.87.]

A second sequence depicting the same event is then narrated from Briony’s point of view. Briony, the protagonist, is a thirteen-year-old girl, who watches from a window unable to hear what transpires leading her to misinterpret the events. She believes that Robbie forced Cecilia to undress and swim in the fountain. Briony states that she will ‘recast’ the scene, ‘through Cecilia’s eyes and then Robbie’s,’ which is exactly what happens in the book. She saw the world surrounding her as a foundation for her stories whilst the people in it as characters. ]Childs says: “she creates a story around Robbie and Cecilia, but fails to distinguish her make believe from reality.” It later transpires the novel is the account Briony wrote and the reader is engaged in the reflexive, distorted memory. McEwan explains that he referred to Atonement as his “Jane Austen novel,” particularly Northanger Abbey where the protagonist “was a girl so full of delights of Gothic fiction that she causes havoc around her when she imagines a perfectly innocent man to be capable of the most terrible things.” He further stated that he has wanted to “devise a hero or heroine who could echo that process… but then go a step further and look at not the crime, but the process of atonement, and do it through writing – do it through storytelling.” [8: Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). The Vase And The Fountain in Atonement. Retrieved January 4, 2019, from https://www.shmoop.com/atonement/vase-fountain-symbol.html] [9: Sernham, C. (2019). Briony Through Her Own Eyes; a Discussion of the Three Brionys in Ian McEwan’s Atonement. [online] Lund University. Available at: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lup/publication/1414949 [Accessed 2 Jan. 2019]. pg.2] [10: Childs, P. and Tredell, N. (2006). The fiction of Ian McEwan. Houndmills, Basingstoke [England]: Palgrave Macmillan, p.135.] [11: Giles, J. (2002). A NOVEL OF [BAD] MANNERS.]

Later on, Briony unwittingly observes and also misinterprets Robbie and Cecilia’s passionate act of love-making as sexual assault: “Briony stared past Robbie’s shoulder into the terrified eyes of her sister…he held her forearm which was raised in protest or self-defence.” Her childlike perception, coupled with a desire for drama in her life, causes her to distort a loving act with devastating consequences. McEwan uses different points of views to emphasise how different interpretations can be constructed and then twisted; Briony creates Cecilia’s thoughts and pretends they are original.

As Briony says, “they would soon all be forgotten anyway, without the book, and then what difference would it make what ‘really happened?”(McEwan,2001:371)

The trigger for catharsis is usually a traumatic event and, in both novels, sexual assault – real and supposed – are the catalyst for the catharsis that follows. In Atonement, Briony believes she has witnessed the rape of her sister, whereas the protagonist of The Kite Runner, Amir, witnesses his servant, Hassan, being brutally raped by Aseef, as an act of revenge for previous humiliation. Nünning and Sommer, state that Amir’s storytelling acts “as an important means of characterisation, and helps characters to overcome traumatic experiences.” Changes in the writer’s structure and style mirror the effect of the trauma. The chapters leading up to Hassan’s rape, are stated simply and stories unfold chronologically. Yet the linear structure is then abandoned. The narrator strays towards a different story, reflecting Amir’s desire to avoid dealing with the painful reality. The story is a memory representing the nature of Amir’s and Hassan’s relationship. He speaks of the ritual slaughter of a sheep during the festival of Eid-Al-Adha, where he is troubled by the look of acceptance in the sheep’s eye – the same look he recognises in Hassan. Amir’s style of writing mirrors the physical and psychological consequences of the traumatic event – his sentence structures change, becoming more hesitant and broken, mirroring the fragmentation of his mind. Leading up to the attack on Hassan, he uses simple sentences and vocabulary such as “they clapped for a long time,” and “he never told on me.” In contrast, the trauma of this moment coincides with the loss of the childlike tone. Upon realising he was a coward because of his decision to hide and betray Hassan, Amir informs us that he “actually aspired to cowardice.” This is an adult idea expressed in an adult manner. The assonance perhaps mimics an internal cry for redemption. [12: Nünning, Ansgar and Roy Sommer. (2011). The performative power of narrative in drama: On the forms and functions of dramatic storytelling in Shakespeare’s plays. In G. Olson (Ed.), Current Trends in Narratology (pp. 200-231). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.] [13: Kerr, C. (2012). The kite runner, Khaled Hosseini. Harlow: Longman, p.105.] [14: Kerr, C. (2012). The kite runner, Khaled Hosseini. Harlow: Longman, p.103.]

Likewise, Briony’s writing style changes after she witnesses the fountain incident which is a moment of imaginative awakening and a passage to more sophisticated writing. Initially, Briony’s stories reflect her youth; thus, up until the fountain scene, they are simple, naïve and somewhat moralistic. However, afterwards, Briony realises her writing “could no longer be fairy-tale castles and princesses, all icons of childhood innocence, but about ordinary everyday experiences.” This is compounded when she reads the letter Robbie accidentally sent to Cecilia. Yet, paradoxically, her belief that she is entering an “arena of adulthood from which her writing was bound to benefit” is belied by her immature understanding of the world. The term arena connotes dramatic imagery of a Roman colosseum where games are enacted. Although Briony is agitated by the letter’s content she realises it is an opportunity for her to grow as an author, so she hurries to her room to note down the story she assumes to be occurring around her. [15: Rooney, A. (2009). Atonement, Ian McEwan. Harlow: Longman, p.111.] [16: Sernham, C. (2019). Briony Through Her Own Eyes; a Discussion of the Three Brionys in Ian McEwan’s Atonement. [online] Lund University. Available at: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lup/publication/1414949 [Accessed 2 Jan. 2019]. pg.1] [17: Sernham, C. (2019). Briony Through Her Own Eyes; a Discussion of the Three Brionys in Ian McEwan’s Atonement. [online] Lund University. Available at: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lup/publication/1414949 [Accessed 2 Jan. 2019]. pg.1]

Both protagonists, use their stories as catharsis to assuage their personal guilt, and attempt to redeem themselves by drawing attention to the plight of the powerless. Both novels depict the persecution of people from lower social classes or ethnic groups whose stories are disregarded and used against them. Atonement reflects the rigid class system in England in the early twentieth century, before WWII shattered these conventions. Robbie is the son of a servant, and although Jack Tallis, Briony’s father, noticed Robbie’s intellectual ability and so sponsored his education at Cambridge University, his wife, Emily, held the traditional view that the lower classes should be kept in their place. Thus, when it is reported that Robbie has raped Lola, Emily believes this behaviour is entirely possible due to his social position. On the other hand, the actual rapist, Paul Marshall is an affluent chocolatier so he is beyond suspicion. The use of the French term for such an occupation ‘chocolatier’ connotes luxury. The presence of Amo Bars, the candy manufactured by Paul Marshall’s family company, on the battlefield of World War II acts as a reminder of Marshall’s power and influence over the unfortunate Robbie. The name Amo Bars, is a tasteless marketing gimmick arguably in appropriate in a time of war. “Amo” is Latin for I love and serves as a pun on love versus ammunition, which implies total contrast like love and hate. [18: Sobel, Ben. ‘Atonement Symbols: Amo Bars.’ LitCharts LLC, August 11, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2018. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/atonement/symbols/amo-bars.] [19: Rooney, A. (2009). Atonement, Ian McEwan. Harlow: Longman, p.23.]

Similarly, in The Kite Runner, Amir’s father’s loyal servants, Hassan and his father, Ali, are part of the Hazara ethnic group, a lower caste in Afghanistan. As such, their opinions and views on politics and other matters are dismissed. Hazaras had been persecuted throughout history; up until as late as the 19th century they were sold as slaves. Even in the 20th century Taliban commander, Maulawi Mohammed Hanif , reportedly told a crowd, that “Hazaras are not Muslims, you can kill them.” Amir admits, “I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either… Because history isn’t easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi’a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing.” Once again Amir blames history refusing to take personal responsibly for his actions. Similarly, Aseef explains “Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our watan. They dirty our blood.” When Amir, reads Hassan his first novel, Hassan is enthralled; however, he identifies a loop hole which infuriates Amir, causing him to exclaim, “what does he know, the illiterate Hazara? He’ll never be anything but a cook.” Hassan’s intellectual ability is meaningless due to the burden of his caste. Later when Aseef and the other bullies pin Hassan to the ground to commence the rape, Wali states his father considers what they are contemplating doing to Hassan is sinful, but Assef says he is “only a Hazara.” Hassan’s rape is perhaps symbolic of the rape of Afghanistan’s powerless by those who have power. Later in the novel, Amir finds records of the persecution of the Hazaras by the Pashtuns in his mother’s books and reflects on his own poor treatment of Hassan. Yet when he tries to discuss this with his teacher, the man dismisses his questions, demonstrating how those in authority perpetuate the status quo. [20: Hucal, S. and Hucal, S. (2019). Afghanistan: Who are the Hazaras?. [online] Aljazeera.com. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/06/afghanistan-hazaras-160623093601127.html [Accessed 2 Jan. 2019].] [21: Sparknotes.com. (2019). SparkNotes: The Kite Runner: Chapters 6–7. [online] Available at: https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/the-kite-runner/section3/ [Accessed 5 Jan. 2019].]

Briony and Amir do not just make one forgivable mistake, instead they seek to cover up their mistakes or justify them, and in doing so add more lies.In the lowest of all deeds, Amir plants his new wristwatch and a wad of cash under Hassan’s mattress and informs Baba that his gifts have been stolen. Amir naïvely believes that, if Hassan were to be sent away, he would no longer be tormented by his decision to do nothing while Hassan was raped. As in Atonement, Robbie’s low social status is proof enough of his criminality. Similarly, Robbie accuses Briony’s “feeling(s) for him” as being one of the reasons she accused him. McEwan states how he “was in love with Briony and all her mistakes,” as the author uses Briony to explore the process of catharsis through her perspective. Later, Amir reflects on this heinous act and admits his jealousy of Hassan, whom he felt enjoyed more than his fair share of his father’s attention ‘’wished he let me be the favourite.” The guilt of both authors leads them to become professional storytellers as adults. Storytelling enables both protagonists to come to terms with their guilt. At thirteen neither Briony nor Amir are equipped to deal with or understand the events they witnessed, therefore they punish themselves through adolescence for the sins of their childhood; however, storytelling and writing enable the characters to atone through it’s cathartic effect. [22: Kerr, C. (2012). The kite runner, Khaled Hosseini. Harlow: Longman, p.37.] [23: Kellaway, K. (2018). Interview: Ian McEwan. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/sep/16/fiction.ianmcewan [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018]. (Norrick, 2007, p. 138).]

It is, therefore, no coincidence that both protagonists pursued a career in writing. Through her writing Briony is able to rewrite her past mistakes, identify with the sensitivities of others, and resurrect Robbie and Cecilia. Her novel is her act of atonement for her offence. Likewise, Amir also grows up to be a writer and he tells his own story as a way of redeeming the mistakes he made as a child, reconciling the events in his life, and to rid himself of his guilt. This guilt is exacerbated by his realisation that Hassan was his half-brother, so he tries to give Hassan’s voice some validity because his prophecy that Amir will become a great writer comes true. He also reads the storybook he teased Hassan with to Hassan’s son, Sohrab, after he has adopted him and taken him to the United States. Reading to Sohrab can be seen as an attempt to reconnect to Hassan. At the end of the novel Amir explains although his “body was broken,” from being physically beaten by Aseef, the punishment he believed he deserved for betraying Hassan “he felt healed.’ This paradox explains Amir’s state of mind and how the truth finally set him free. Similarly, by the end of Atonement, it becomes clear Briony has spent a large portion of her life seeking to atone for her crime – her “fifty-nine year assignment.” She realises “there is no one…to be reconciled with, or that can forgive her” except herself. It is probable if Briony had not been able to forgive herself, she would have concealed the truth forever. [24: Sobel, Ben. ‘Atonement Themes: Stories and Literature.’ LitCharts LLC, August 11, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2018. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/atonement/themes/stories-and-literature.] [25: Lippitt, J 2018, ‘Self-forgiveness and the moral perspective of humility: Ian McEwan’s Atonement’ Philosophy and Literature. p.13 http://researchprofiles.herts.ac.uk/portal/files/13484139/Lippitt_Self_forgiveness_and_the_moral_perspective_of_humility_Final.pdf [Accessed 2 Jan. 2019].] [26: zachifkovitsengl1102. (2019). Briony’s Atonement. [online] Available at: https://zachifkovitsengl1102.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/brionys-atonement/ [Accessed 2 Jan. 2019].]

Both authors use non linear narratives and flashbacks to reflect the fragmented memories of the protagonists. The Kite Runner commences with Amir juxtaposing his “past of unatoned sins” in Afghanistan with his present life in the United States. The sighting of a “pair of kites” transports him back to his memories of Kabul, where kite fighting had been a traditional sport until the Taliban banned it in 1996. Although the story is set initially in December 2001, within the first chapter Hosseini launches the readers back in time – first to a phone call and then to the series of life-altering events which took place in 1975. The flashbacks also enable the narrators to foreshadow events, building dramatic tension: “by the following winter, [Hassan’s post-surgery jagged line] was only a faint scar. Which was ironic. Because that was the winter that Hassan stopped smiling,” although Hassan’s smile is symbolic of restitution and healing it is overshadowed by Amir’s final comment that this will be Hassan’s last, thus foreshadowing the dark event that caused Hassan to lose his new perfect smile. Similarly, Briony describes, ‘How guilt refined the methods of self-torture, threading the beads of detail into an eternal loop, a rosary to be fingered for a lifetime.’ Guilt personified and details of shame become a metaphor of rosary beads – the religious allusion and the ‘loop,’ having neither start nor finish, conveys the eternity of Briony’s guilt. [27: Kerr, C. (2012). The kite runner, Khaled Hosseini. Harlow: Longman, p.14.] [28: Kerr, C. (2012). The kite runner, Khaled Hosseini. Harlow: Longman, p.13.] [29: Kerr, C. (2012). The kite runner, Khaled Hosseini. Harlow: Longman, p.26.] [30: Gradesaver.com. (2019). Atonement Quotes and Analysis. [online] Available at: https://www.gradesaver.com/atonement/study-guide/quotes [Accessed 2 Jan. 2019].]

Ironically, although catharsis is defined as a spiritual cleansing via truth telling, both protagonists are unreliable narrators. It is probable that Amir’s fragile state of mind affected the way that he narrates the novel and makes him an unreliable narrator- common in postmodern writing. Witnessing Hassan’s rape leaves him grief stricken and carrying that guilt throughout the novel may lead him to depict himself as immoral. After receiving a phone call from Rahim Khan, his father’s closest friend, Amir reveals to the reader that, “I knew it wasn’t just Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins,” clearly emphasising his guilty conscience. Rahim Khan’s words stir in his mind, “There is a way to be good again.” The inclusion and use of monosyllables imply that Amir must atone for his past.

Relevant? Or not Another language technique employed is pathetic fallacy – the day in 1975- when his life changed is described as ‘a fridid overcast day” – reflecting oppressive and chilling emotion he feels.

Atonement is split into three sections, all revolving around different time periods and characters making Briony an unreliable narrator. Initially, until the reader reads the starting epilogue, he or she is led to believe that Robbie survives World War II, Cecilia and Robbie’s love story continues and that Briony attempts to mend her relationship with the lovers. However, Briony is then revealed as the omniscient narrator, and the meta-narrative epilogue denies past events and instead states that Robbie dies of septicaemia during the war, the bomb that destroyed Balham Underground station killed Cecilia, and Briony never visited the lovers in 1940 to find reconciliation. It is also revealed at the end that Briony has vascular dementia and thus is losing her memory, further evidence of her unreliability. The depth of her manipulation is clear when she includes in her novel, a letter from “CC”, the famous critic Cyril Connolly, of detailed criticism about an earlier version of the story which was called “Two Figures by a Fountain.” Briony often comments on the numerous times she has redrafted her novel in order to achieve historical accuracy – yet it calls into question the reliability of her novel and which elements did not meet Connolly’s standards. Furthermore, Briony states in the epilogue there will always be readers who ask “But what really happened?” Those particular readers resemble the younger Briony as they are unable to draw the line between fiction and reality. She tells these readers that they [Cecilia and Robbie] lived “happily ever after,” not because this is what happened in reality, but because that is what she has written. Both narrators struggle to face the truth or even determine what it is, after so much time has passed. Consequently, they seek to unburden themselves in front of a sympathetic audience, which can be controlled and manipulated. [31: En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Atonement (novel). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonement_(novel) [Accessed 2 Jan. 2019].]

“I know there’s always a certain kind of reader who will be compelled to ask, But what really happened? The answer is simple: the lovers survive and flourish.”

Both narrators use historical events and facts, as bedrock for their narratives, thus helping them weave plausible tales and making them appear to be reliable narrators. Amir’s narrative recounts the destruction of his native land Afghanistan through two main wars in the 1970s: the Soviet occupation, and the Taliban insurgency. The coup which Amir describes occurred on 17 July 1973 when forces by former PM Mohammed Daoud Khan overthrew King Zhair Shah and Afghanistan’s monarchy. Aseef becoming a leader of the Taliban, Amir’s and Baba’s treacherous journey as refugees to America, Hassan’s and his wife’s death by the Taliban and Baba’s confrontation with the Russian soldier who tries to rape a woman, are based on true events or concepts. O’Brien states that, Hosseini renders “Afghanistan’s national trauma” through Hassan’s character as he “frames Hassan’s rape and its resultant trauma as an allegory for the turmoil engulfing Afghanistan.”Hosseini’s commitment to the careful depiction of Afghan history for a Western audience is never more apparent than in his rendering of Afghanistan’s national trauma, which he translates into Hassan’s rape – an incident witnessed by Amir. [32: En.wikipedia.org. (2019). 1973 Afghan coup d’état. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Afghan_coup_d’état [Accessed 2 Jan. 2019].] [33: Sarah O’Brien. Translating Trauma in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. Transnational Literature Vol. 10 no. 2, May 2018. http://fhrc.flinders.edu.au/transnational/home.html]

The intertwining of fact and fiction is also a feature of Atonement. Part II and III of the novel are set during World War II, while events which led up to the Second World War are presented in Part I. References are made to the “Abyssinia Crisis” and “Hitler” when Paul Marshall, outlines his hope to profit by selling camouflage designed chocolate bars. Throughout the novel, there are references to the destruction caused by the war, when driving they “had to get out and drag” dead bodies “to avoid running them over.” This caused great difficulty as many of “the bodies were almost cut in half.” Furthermore, emotive images of soldiers shooting their horses and of bibles being burnt add to the turmoil and fear within Briony’s mind. Robbie sees two men operating a Norton motorcycle one man’s “bloodied legs dangled uselessly… his pillion passenger, who had heavily bandaged arms, was working the foot pedals.” This is based on a personal experience of McEwan’s father. Soldiers experienced such trauma that they began to normalise horrific sights; seeing “a child’s limb in a tree was something that ordinary men could ignore.” Perhaps the narrators are highlighting the evil of others to make their own crimes seem less severe, but regardless, both protagonists present their life stories so naturally that the novels give the reader an illusion of experiencing actual historical events. [34: Rooney, A. (2009). Atonement, Ian McEwan. Harlow: Longman, p.60.]

In conclusion, storytelling in The Kite Runner and Atonement functions as a catalyst for the recovery process of the narrator from a psychological trauma. Storytelling, acts as a catharsis, enabling both Briony and Amir to reconcile themselves to their unforgettable pasts and find a way to atone for their guilt. Similarly it acts as a form of self justification enabling the protagonists to express their truths/ side of the story. Tim O’Brien once stated, “Storytelling is the essential human activity. The harder the situation, the more essential it is.” In an attempt to understand their pasts, both Briony and Amir record their traumatic memories, thus facilitating their mental healing. By the end of the novels, Amir explains how the truth finally set him free enabling him to recover from his psychological trauma; whilst, Briony realises that forgiveness has to come from within.

McEwan has said that writing fiction is about showing the possibility of what it is like to be someone else. It is the basis of all sympathy, empathy and compassion. Other people are as alive as you are. Cruelty is a failure of imagination.”

The Power of Author’s Words to Impact the Reader in Sonny’s Blues: Analytical Essay

Author’s deliberately incorporate a variety of literary elements into their work to impact readers on emotional and intellectual levels. An author’s choice of words communicates not only plot and character, but also tone, theme, and vision. Good writing resonates with readers when an author effectively uses language to convey a universal message. Just as musicians use notes, authors use words to evoke certain emotions within a reader. The artistic decisions made by a writer affect how his piece impacts the reader.

In Sonny’s Blues, James Baldwin deliberately employs the use of several literary elements to enhance his story and allow the reader to hear the music in his language. James Baldwin intentionally uses specific words, allusions, and symbols to elevate a narrative into a jazz-like piece rich with ideas and tones. Jazz becomes a language within the story Baldwin’s structural choices in Sonny’s Blues allow for jazz to become a language within the story. He uses language and word choice to convey the rhythm and melody of a musical piece. Literary critics, such as Susanna Lee and Berstein Goldman, have analyzed the musical elements within the story, and they argue that Baldwin may have adopted a compositional tune structure in Sonny’s Blues. In the opening of the story, Baldwin uses diction to establish a steady beat, “I read about it in the paper, in the subway, on my way to work. I read it, and I couldn’t believe it, and I read it again” (17).

The repetition of certain words and sounds mimics the beginning of a jazz piece, which usually consists of repeated notes. Furthermore, the relationship between the two brothers embodies the interplay of different jazz harmonies. Although the brothers are polar opposites and have conflicting beliefs, they manage to reconnect and live together in harmony. In jazz, counterpoint describes the relationship between two sounds that are harmonically interdependent yet independent. As Sonny’s Blues progresses, the narrator and his brother establish a contrapuntal relationship, forming a connection while, at the same time, retaining their individuality. Overall, Baldwin uses language and structure to imitate the compositional elements of jazz music. Baldwin deliberately uses symbolism to communicate his vision through non-literal terms. He often contrasts light and darkness as a way to symbolize the hope and despair in the lives of the characters. While Sonny and the narrator are haunted by the realities of life, both characters seek to find light despite the darkness that surrounds them. While witnessing Sonny’s performance, the narrator notes, “For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard. There isn’t any other tale to tell, it’s the only light we’ve got in all this darkness” (47), referencing the overall themes of suffering and triumph. From battling drug addiction, to grieving the loss of a child, to surviving Harlem’s ghetto, each brother has endured hardships. Sonny and the narrator both recognize the importance of finding meaning in the cruelties of life.

In Sonny’s Blues, Baldwin uses symbolism to illustrate how the insistent hope of salvation overpowers the haunting despair in the character’s lives. Since everyone undergoes hardships, Baldwin is able to emotionally impact the reader by alluding to the darkness in their life. Baldwin’s use of light and darkness to convey the inevitability of suffering enhances the story by making it more universal. Baldwin intentionally incorporates allusions to enhance his story. Authors typically use allusions to help provide the reader with a deeper understanding of the message. Throughout the story, Baldwin indirectly references the bible. The biblical allusions included in Sonny’s Blues impact the reader both emotionally and psychologically. After the narrator witnesses Sonny’s performance, he realizes that music is a part of Sonny. To signify this new understanding, he sends a drink over to him. After the girl delivers Sonny’s drink, the narrator notes, “For me, then, as they began to play again, it glowed and shook above my brother’s head like the very cup of trembling” (48), implying that Sonny is progressing toward salvation. In the bible, the cup of trembling is described as a cup filled with fury, suffering, and fear. Therefore, Sonny’s drinking from the cup illustrates the suffering he has endured. By giving Sonny the cup, the narrator is offering him the opportunity for redemption. Baldwin uses biblical allusions to help the reader interpret the complex brotherly relationship between Sonny and the narrator. In Sonny’s Blues, Baldwin deliberately utilizes allusions in the story to enhance the reader’s understanding of the plot and characters. James Baldwin intentionally includes numerous literary elements in Sonny’s Blues to enhance the story. He employs the use of symbolism so that the piece will resonate with readers while also incorporating biblical allusions to connect his story with someone else’s. Baldwin also structures the story in a way that resembles that of a musical composition. His word choice and language allow jazz to become a language within the story. The choices an author makes affect how their work will be interpreted by their audience. Therefore, authors incorporate various literary elements into their work to impact the reader both emotionally and psychologically.

The Role of Surrounding Individuals: Influences in Khaled Hosseini The Kite Runner

Individuals are drastically shaped and impacted by the morals display by those they choose to surround themselves with. The novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is set in war torn, Afghanistan in the late 20th & early 21st centuries. The protagonist, Amir, lives in Kabul before and during the Taliban invasion and takeover when the rights of all citizens were taken and it was hard to find safety in Afghanistan at this time. He is taught how to become a man, forgive sins, and is given opportunities to atone for sins. Amir as a character goes from cowardly to a brave father and husband, due to the influence of other surrounding characters.

Amir struggles with the transformation from childhood to maturity but his father Baba teaches him how to become a man. Baba expects Amir to act like Baba once did, but he is very disappointed when he see the reality. Baba’s disappointment results in a conversation with Rahim Khan that Amir overhears. In the study room with Rahim Khan, Baba says, “ A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything” (22). This quote portrays Baba’s frustration towards Amir’s ability to become a man. Amir always tries to do everything to his best effort to impress and meet Baba’s standards. Amir overhearing the conversation makes him feel like he will never be enough for Baba to love him with all of his heart. Baba contributes to the growth of Amir by showing hard work. In America, Baba would not accept welfare. Amir finally shows attributes of a man when he rescues Sohrab from Kabul. In Baba’s eyes being a man consists of standing up for yourself and being hardworking. Baba displays the characteristics of a man, which causes Amir to be influenced to be the same man. In the end, Amir is a brave man due to the influence of his father Baba.

Hassan, a childhood friend of Amir, has a very genuine personality, and influences Amir by teaching him to forgive people. Hassan was always picked on, he was assaulted, and he was poor causing him to be a servant. Even through his rough times, he still found a way to make the best out of it and forgives everyone for their wrong doings. Hassan knew that Amir witnessed the assault but Amir never said or did anything to help him. Later on in Amir’s life, he receives a letter from Hassan he says, “ And I dream that someday you will return to Kabul to revisit the land of our childhood. If you do, you will find an old faithful friend waiting for you” (218). This quote reveals Hassan’s kindness towards Amir future success, by demonstrating forgiveness. Throughout all of the dishonesty from Amir, Hassan shows no anger only remission. When Amir places money and a watch under Hassan’s mattress, Hassan takes the blame and forgives Amir. At that time Amir shows corruption, but when Amir travels to Kabul later on in the book he gets beat up by Assef. This was Amir’s forgiveness to Hassan for all the mistakes he made. Hassan’s influence on Amir presents that forgiving is the best option.

Amir commits many sins in his life, but Rahim Khan gave him the opportunity to atone for all his sins. Amir had many hardships throughout his life, Rahim Khan was always there for him and shows love. When Amir left Afghanistan in March of 1981, Rahim Khan lives in Baba’s house. He could no longer take care of the house himself, he sets out to find Hassan and family to help. When Amir goes to Peshawar Rahim Khan tells him about this experience and gives him the moment to redeem himself. He asks Amir to go back to Kabul to find Sohrab. When Amir declines, Rahim Khan replies, “Children are fragile, Amir jan. Kabul is already full of broken children and I don’t want Sohrab to become another” (220). This quote proves that Rahim Khan has love for both Sohrab and Amir. He wants them both to have the best life possible. In Rahim Khan’s eyes, Amir going back to Kabul would be a chance for him to get the son he always wanted and an opportunity to atone for his sins. Although Amir was atoning for his sins he was also atoning for Baba’s sins. The influence that Rhaim Khan had on Amir taught him to do right to start with.

In conclusion, as Amir transfers from adolescence to adulthood, he transforms from a wimp to a fearless man. Each character that Amir chooses to surround himself with influence him in a different way. His father Baba develops him into a man, his best friend shows him forgiveness, and Rhaim Khan gives him the opportunity to atone for sins. The population is influences other based on what other practice as good.

The Conflict and Message of The Kite Runner

In the conventional Hero’s Journey narrative, the Hero overcomes adversity in order to obtain their resolution. It is in the face of this adversity that superior works of literature maintain a healthy confusion in which readers find both enjoyment and disquietude, and is in this confusion that readers are able to better connect with characters and find the incentive to keep reading. Khaled Hosseini’s book The Kite Runner is one such superior work of literature. It follows the Hero’s Journey formula with its storytelling of the relationship between Amir and Hassan, two afghani boys who grew up during a time of political turmoil and underlying religious persecution that threatened their relationship. This conflict simultaneously provided readers enjoyment and disquietude as they followed Amir and Hassan’s childhood through their various good times and misfortunes, and helped maintain constant interest throughout the novel.

The novel begins by following Amir’s relationship with his Hazara servant, Hassan. Amir’s relationship with Hassan is somewhat complicated. Physically they share a brotherly bond since they live in the same household and fed from the same breast, but Amir at times sees Hassan as nothing more than a servant due to his Hazaran lineage while Hassan remains aloof and believes Amir to be a true friend. Readers find this relationship pleasurable due to the youthful sincerity and innocence of Hassan’s interactions with Amir. For example, when Amir and Hassan were listening to the news of the recent military coup of their country’s government, Hassan and Amir’s dialogue was apparent to the child-like innocence that is relatable and enjoyable to readers:

“I don’t want them to send me and Father away.”

I smiled. “Bas, you donkey. No one’s sending you away.”

…”Do you want to go climb our tree?”

… That was another thing about Hassan. He always knew when to say the right thing-the news on the radio was getting pretty boring. (Hosseini 37) Amir and Hassan both shared anxiety over the recent changes in their country, but were unsure of how these changes would impact their lives. Hassan was reassured that he would continue to serve Amir’s family and Amir was saved from fruitless worrying with Hassan’s suggestion that they return to their familiar activity of reading under their tree. This interaction gives the reader enjoyment because even in the face of a perceived tumulus time in the novel, the youthful innocence Hassan and Amir displayed with regards to the political turmoil in their country are both relatable and humorous thanks to their childlike indifference towards political affairs that didn’t immediately affect their livelihood or wellbeing.

Although Hassan and Amir’s youthful interactions are enjoyable to the reader, they soon become disquieting in the face of unavoidable adversity. This is due to the nature of their relationship since Hassan was of Hazaran descent and seen as less than the Sunni afghanis which included Amir. Conflict over this fact soon came to fruition when Assef, one of Hassan’s most brutal tormentors, cornered Hassan and proceeded to rape him with Amir witnessing this act while hidden. “In the end, I ran… Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, … He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?”(Hosseini 77). Amir ultimately decided that Hassan was not worth the potential abuse by Assef, whom he deeply feared, and instead considered Hassan as a sacrificial lamb, thus justifying Amir running away. This view disturbed readers since before this incident, Hassan and Amir’s relationship wasn’t seen as one of a master-servant. With this incident, however, Amir affirms that he considers Hassan as a lesser being and therefore abandons Hassan when Assef proceeds to rape him. This disquiets the reader, because now the previously introduced relationship between Amir and Hassan was no longer brotherly, but rather became painful and awkward for both of them. From this point on, Amir and Hassan’s interactions turn sour due to the underlying guilt Amir harbors and the helplessness Hassan feels due to his perceived inferiority. This puts the reader at unease since they know it is only a matter of time before these negative feelings explode into conflict.

Although the initial childhood relationship of Amir and Hassan brought enjoyment with its youthful carefreeness and the raping incident brought disquietude with its horror and painful realism, it is the mixture of disquietude and pleasure during adversity that defines The Kite Runner as superior work of art. The book does not simply begin with conflict and progress towards a resolution, but rather provides readers conflicting feelings of enjoyment and unease as they follow Amir and Hassan during their conflicts in order to better relate them with the reader. The reason the novel jumps from the enjoyable innocence of Amir and Hassan’s early relationship to the disturbing and destructive aftermath of Assef’s raping of Hassan was to convince the reader to seek resolution, to seek the answer at the end of the book that would give solace to the confusion and uncertainty that was presented before them. It is because of this and the incentive to maintain reader interest that The Kite Runner provides a healthy confusion of pleasure and disquietude, and is why it is considered a superior work of art.

Works Cited

  1. Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018.

Essay on ‘Cactus’ Metaphor

O’ Henry’s story is an emotional prologue that sparks emotions upon reading it, especially for people who have experienced the challenges in marital life. Marriage is a good tradition as it can help nourish as a whole, yet the healthy cactus in Henry’s story shows the symbolism of what pain can inflict on someone. The symbolism in the novel shows that marriage and divorce go hand in hand. Love is healthy, yet the marriage tradition is full of flaws when it comes to the truth. It is evident that people make mistakes in their life, and it does not imply that forgiveness should be conditional (Ron and Lori 53). If there is to be an enjoyment of happiness in marriage, then there calls for the endurance of the thorns which pierce the heart and cause traumatic pain. Henry’s message is that marital conflicts are traumatic as they are hard to resolve unless there is not a single speck of egoism by one of the partners. In most cases, men bear the burden of being bad guys, while women easily find it through remarrying.

The Cactus is a great novel that has metaphorical devices and irony to express the emotional torture which women and men pass through as they attempt to stay together. The book’s paradox of death is the destroyer of love between a man and a woman. It is hard to accept that men or women plan for failure in their marriage life. But there are some deeds that are unjust and make emotions of anger and hatred which divide people. Who have been journeying hand-in-hand to deal with the torments of life as a husband and a wife; divorce is a metaphor for “Conflict in marriages,” (Booth et al. 228). Although one can criticize the ignorance of Trysdale, it is not true that the audience is aware of the cause of the emotional trauma is due to the egoism of the man and the failure to accept the engagement cactus. Perhaps the gift is not good enough for Trysdale, or maybe he wants roses, not cacti, or even he wants the woman herself. It is mystical, and challenging to understand the plot of the novel, however, there is an emotional attachment to the story, and it impacts the reader.

Forgiveness and understanding are essential in rekindling the fire of love. Or why do people marry? Is it not because they are in love? The cactus is simply a metaphor for how women at times act in a matrimonial case, they leave a man for no reason but on the judgment that there are gender inequality and egoism of the male partner (Nuti 290). If love is so good, then one can wonder why people quarrel in marriages, or why there is physical violence, yet it is ironic that couples swear to live together until death separates them. The emotional heartache that the main character feels through memories of the marriage ceremony shows the extent of sorrow which are element of love.

In conclusion, people need to understand the psychological needs of their partners instead of self-centralism which can affect the moods of the couple. If love is not based on acceptance of the erroneous nature of men and women, then the institution is based on mutual relationship, without it, marriage can’t be traditional and contentment can symbolically represent pain, both physically, and emotionally. Another message that the author of The Cactus tries to pass to men is that indulging in substance abuse when divorce happens is not necessary for emotional pain. When Trysdale refuses the beer, it shows maturity and self-control during hard times. Also, the author tries to reveal how men socialize in times of sorrow and beer seems a fast option to relieve the pain. But it is true that friends do get angry with each other when one does not accept offers that they choose to ignore. Socially, The Cactus presents the need for understanding, although the author leaves it an unrestricted option for the audience to interpret the message and make decisions concerning marital life. People have to move on with life, even the death of a partner causes sorrow, but one cannot forever torture themselves because of personal mistakes in life, because it is normal.

Work Cited

  1. Nuti, Alasia. ‘How should marriage be theorized?.’ Feminist Theory 17.3 (2016): 285-302.
  2. Clark, Ron, and Lori Clark. Reflections from the Marriage Table: Our Experiences of Love in Marriage, Family, and Ministry. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2016.
  3. Booth, Alan, et al., eds. Couples in Conflict: Classic Edition. Routledge, 2016.