Prompt: "By their deeds shall ye know them." We often judge people by what they do; therefore, we consider people who commit cruel or reprehensible acts corrupt, base or amoral. In literature, however, authors often introduce us to characters whom we learn to like or even respect, despite their deeds.
Write an essay about one such character for whom you developed admiration or compassion. Briefly explain why you felt his or her behavior to be condemnable or contemptible, and how the author's techniques influenced you to admire that person. Do not summarize the plot. (40 minutes)
Everyone has at least once been exposed to the cliche " Actions speak louder than words." This happens to be true and is why people are harshly judged by their actions. In literature, there are times when the reader harshly judges the actions of one of the characters in a novel. Sometimes by the end of the novel the reader may even find themselves admiring the same character despite their behavior. This was the case for me in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. At the beginning of the novel he was the cause of many horrible things and was a coward. By the end of the novel he is in admirable character.
From the beginning of the novel I found the Amir's, the protagonist, behavior repulsive and cowardly. It was Amir's fault that his "friend" Hassan was raped. He was there watching it happen but did nothing to stop it. Due to jealousy, he also accuses Hassan of stealing so that he and his father leave. He was always consciously aware that what he was doing was wrong but when on anyways. At a later point in the novel Amir receives a phone call from Rahim Khan telling him that "There is a way to be good again." After that telephone call, Amir's road to redemption begins. Amir finds the courage within himself to embark on a journey to make up for everything that he did.
One of the most significant techniques that this author use is pathos. The author evokes strong feelings of sympathy for the main character Amir. For a lot of the time I found myself feeling sorry for Amir despite his cowardice. To begin with he does not have a mother and lacks a proper relationship with his father. Amir often describes his desire to have a good relationship with his father. Also, how he is jealous because it seems as though his dad would prefer to have Hassan as a son. He suffers a lot emotionally and has a lot of internal conflicts. Despite his horrible actions, the sympathy and pity the reader feels towards him somewhat excuses his behavior.
Another literature technique that author uses is characterization. At the beginning of the novel Amir is a young, vulnerable boy. By the end is a brave man. He is able to take responsibility for his own actions and accept that he may perhaps never be able to repair all the damage that he caused. Amir is full of flaws. He is very human, this makes him a more likable and admirable. He was once a coward but then finds the courage within himself to become a hero. He is portrayed as some sort of villain and hero.
Amir in the novel The Kite Runner is a character that is responsible for a lot of the atrocious things that happen to Hassan. Later in the novel he is able to redeem himself and make up for everything that he did. He also changes as a person. He is no longer the coward that he was but a hero . For this he becomes an admirable character.
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