When they reached their favorite spot, Amir changed his mind and the boys walked back down. Why does Amir want Hassan to hit him with pomegranates? He says aloud that he watched Hassan get raped, but nobody is awake to hear him. This quote shows the anxiety that Amir has for his decision he made and his continuing desire for redemption. Amir feels very guilty. Most notably, Amir allowed Hassan to be raped in part because he thought bringing home the kite would win him Babas love, relieving him of his guilt over his mothers death and making him happy. | . Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? Hassan was smeared in red like hed been shot by a firing squad. Baba spends more of his time with him, invites him out to a movie when it was always Amir who had to ask, brags about his victory in the kite tournament, and organizes a large party for his birthday. All I know is that, when I finally stopped, exhausted and panting. This looks very foreign to Amir, as he is not familiar with it. Some of them are of his and Hassan's solidarity: their being nursed by the same woman, their holding hands, their looking up at kites together. Amir does not know how to deal with his feelings of guilt and unhappiness after Hassans rape. . SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. Everyone agreed that my father, my Baba, had built the most beautiful house in the Wazir Akbar Khan district, a new and affluent neighborhood in the northern part of Kabul. $24.99 When they arrive they have a large traditional Afghan dinner. His father shows little interest, which Amir takes as yet another sign of his fathers lack of approval. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Baba wishes Amir were braver and stronger and that he could openly express his love for Hassan. Hassan says nothing, which irritates Amir. To Amirs surprise, Hassan says he did. As they aired out the van on the roadside, Amir saw Hassan's bloodied pants in his head. Instead of pelting Amir with pomegranates, he smashes one into his own forehead, as though he is truly incapable of hurting someone else. Those words made it formal: the tree was ours The pomegranate tree Is also used as a symbol to demonstrate that Amir and Hassan treat each other as equals even thou Hassan is a hasar and Amir is of a higher class then Hassan and his father is one of the greatest and wealthiest men in Kabul. Amir, in contrast, is not willing to sacrifice anything for Hassan. Amir is really nervous before the tournament, and he says that he felt just like a soldier before an important battle. . Ultimately, he goes seeking Sohrab not so much to save the boy, but to save himself from his lifelong guilt. Amir loves parts of his father and resents other parts. Match. Baba sees Amir as physically weak, even feminine. As naive, innocent children, Amir and Hassan enjoy their carefree days . Some of them are manifestations of doom: the sacrifice of the lamb and the visit to the fortuneteller. The Kite Runner, a novel written by Khaled Hosseini, and is about relationships; specifically the relationships between Amir, Hassan, Baba, Rahim Khan, Soraya, and Sohrab and how the complex relationships in our lives overlap and connect to make us the people we are. Test. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Amir Throws Pomegranates Amir wanted to atone for what he let happen to Hassan. Hassan milled about the periphery of my life after that. It is ultimately family, Soraya's cousin Sharif, who makes it possible for Sohrab to come to America. He crushes a pomegranate against his own forehead, asks Amir if he is satisfied, and leaves. In spite of himself, Amir thought, "He was just a Hazara, wasn't he?". When Amir discovers that Hassan was indeed his brother, he feels he must make things right. "Then he'd taken the pomegranate from my hand, crushed it against his forehead" and Amir says "get up, hit me!" Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! $24.99 If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Why does Amir want Hassan to hit him with pomegranates? Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. He takes his birthday money and a watch that Baba gave him and puts them under Hassans mattress. Throughout the novel Hosseini depicts Amir's struggle to redeem himself ever since he witnessed the rape of Hassan . Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. Hassan cannot do anything about the rape because of his inferior status as a poor Hazara, and Assef, whose family is rich and powerful, knows it. Why does Hassan smash the pomegranate? In the novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini tells the story of Amir, a young, Afghan boy who learns about what it means to be redeemed through the experiences he encounters in his life. The second is of Amir and Hassan visiting a fortune teller who gets a look of doom on his face while reading Hassan's fortune. This line, spoken later in the novel by Amir to Hassans son Sohrab, represents the durable bonds of loyalty and friendship that exist between Amir and Hassan. Just reading up to where we are I found the messages in the previous chapters to be quite moving especially the one where Hassan smashes the pomegranate on his head, symbolizing the second rape, in front of Amir. for a customized plan. Towards the end , the friendship has taken a big fall and they are at a horrible stage. A mullah makes the meat halal and the tradition is to give one third to family, one third to friends, and one third to the poor. You can view our. His actions come out of his deep-seated belief that Baba blames him for his mother's death. When Amir wins the kite tournament, he bridges his and Baba's worlds through a sport. We return to Hassan's rape. What does this do to a relationship? Finally, Hassan smashed a pomegranate against his own forehead and asked, "Are you satisfied? Amir is so selfish that he ends up forcing Hassan and Ali out of the house rather than risking the loss of Baba's pride in him. | Baba called a meeting with Ali and Hassan in his office. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. Why doesnt Amir help Hassan in the alley? Hassan says nothing, which irritates Amir. Yet his guilt is only heightened when Hassan admits to stealing the money and watch. The boys returned home and proud Baba wrapped Amir in his arms. In the beginning of the story something bad happens to Hassan, Amir says,In the end, I ran. It also proves that Hassan is a better person than Amir, which has always been a source of jealousy for Amir. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! He knew Baba never would have thrown him such an extravagant party if he had not won the tournament, and to him the victory was inseparable from Hassan's rape. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Amir is a coward and even though one would feel bad for him, he did things that couldn't be forgiven. Amir throws a pomegranate at Hassan and demands he fight back, but Hassan still does nothing. 20% Hassan took off to run the blue kite and Amir followed after bringing his kite home. Contact us To report a Copyright Violation, please follow Section 17 in the Terms of Use. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Hassan joined him eagerly. Similarly, to resolve the tension between Hassan and Amir, Ali decides that they will leave. When the Taliban takes over Afghanistan, everyone is relieved, thinking the fighting will stop. " Besides, when they met Assef the last time, Hassan hold up his slingshot and protect Amir. His father uses expensive materials, such as marble and crystal, and the house has four bathrooms, which is extravagant. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir had gone through difficulties and has had to choose from the three choices. The irony is that in trying to redeem his own honor, Baba raised a child who felt neglected and who acted out in fear. Their hands were bloodied from holding the sharp string, but their hearts were filled with hope of winning the tournament. Baba and Amir take a trip to Jalalabad and stay at the house of Babas cousin. They continue their journey to Peshawar smuggled in the fuel tank of a truck. Amir stood frozen in shock as the fight began. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Hassan says nothing. Amir tried to convince himself that he ran out of fear, but he knew that he felt Hassan to be his sacrificial lamb, the one to suffer for him so that he could live happily. Only their five-year-old son, Ali, survived. From Ali's cold glance, Amir understood that Hassan had told him about the rape and about Amir's nonaction. After the rape, Amir and Hassan spend less time together. However, Hassan refused to throw any pomegranates at Amir, but instead smashed one into his face. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. At this point the pomegranates physical disintegration becomes a metaphor for the break-up of the two boys as their friendship dissolves in that one moment. Continue to start your free trial. The pomegranate tree is significant throughout "The Kite Runner" because it symbolizes the friendship between Amir and Hassan. Why does Amir ask Baba if he has seen Amirs new watch? Answered by Aslan 5 years ago 1/20/2018 5:42 PM. . Redemption" (65). At the two friends pomegranate tree, what was supposed to be a nice afternoon with each other turned into something messy as Amir started to throw pomegranates at him, I don't know how many times I hit him. Amir wishes he could have defended Hassan during the incident instead of running away but Amir knew what would happen to him if he did help Hassan. The Question and Answer section for The Kite Runner is a great Hassan proves his love and loyalty to Amir are unshakable, whereas Amir proves that his love and loyalty are weak. And maybe, just maybe, I would finally be pardoned for killing my mother." Baba, Ali, and their sons gathered in the yard to sacrifice a lamb for Eid-e-Qorban, in honor of the prophet Ibrahim's near sacrifice of his son. The symbolism of the pomegranate tree develops through the novel The Kite Runner. When looking at all of the actions, Amir was brutal to Hassan, as he left Hassan to be raped by Assef, and then destroyed their relationship by making minimal effort to rekindle their friendship. Nearly everything Amir does wrong, he does in order to win or keep Baba's attention and affection. Why doesnt Amir help Hassan in the alley? a small road in amir and hassan's neighbourhood context: amir after he found hassan after he was raped . Rahim Khan says it was for the best. Wed love to have you back! They sit under a pomegranate tree, and Amir asks Hassan what he would do if he threw a pomegranate at him. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. The front steps had crumbled. Want 100 or more? One of Amirs constant fears is realized: Hassan emerges as the stronger, better person. He transforms from the kite fighter, seeking personal glory and attention, to the kite runner, unselfishly bringing joy to someone else. We could dismiss the act of running away because Amir was a frightened child, but after the rape, his fear of being discovered and his capacity for betrayal only intensifies. Then he began scheming how to get rid of Hassan. He wants Hassan . When they arrived, their eyes were red from crying. All rights reserved. One day as they were planting tulips, Amir asked Baba if he would get new servants. When Amir and Baba return home, Hassan asks Amir if he wants to walk up the hill with him. Subscribe now. When Hassan asks Amir what he did wrong, Amir tells Hassan to stop harassing him. This showing that Amir remembered the day he and Hassan got in that big fight and as a result their friendship ended. Amir cannot tolerate this truth and engineers a plan to make Ali and Hassan leave. Next, Amir begins to ignore Hassan, effectively torturing him with silence and compounding his injury. 12). Knowing now that Hassan was not just Amirs servant but also his half brother. When Amir visits the orphanage in Karteh-Seh, his being the boy's half-uncle gives him legitimacy. The tragedy play Macbeth by William Shakespeare and the novel Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini are both stories about devastated characters who are plagued by their own guilt. Amir is the main character that because of his actions he is consider a wicked or villainous human. After they picked pomegranates, Amir asked Hassan what he would do if he threw a pomegranate at him. . Sometimes it can end up there. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Maybe he'd call me Amir jan like Rahim Khan did. The tree represents good times and the bad times. When Amir said he didn't want to fly a kite, Hassan told him, "no monster," and convinced him to proceed. One day, Amir asks Baba if he would ever get new servants. The morning after, Amir waits for Hassan and Ali to leave. Further ironies stemming from Amirs sacrifice of Hassan come to light in this section. Why does Amir accept Soraya even after she tells him of her past? It is initially the event of disloyalty that sparks the remorse of the individuals who perform it. Inside Hassan knows that Amir likes to feel superior to others, and when he teases Hassan for not knowing big words, so he endures Amir's teasing as a way of keeping the friendship going. creating and saving your own notes as you read. Hassan is always so loyal and treats Amir as real friends, just as he said after the tournament, "For you, a thousand times over! Purchasing Amir starts to read a story to Hassan, but loses interest. The pomegranate tree reveals the violence occurring in the novel. The look would haunt him forever after. Assef told Hassan that even Amir considered him worthless, but Hassan defended himself and Amir, saying that they were friends. "We stood under our pomegranate tree and I knew I made a mistake." Why does Amir want Hassan to hit him with pomegranates? Why does Amir sometimes treat Hassan badly in childhood? At this, Amir's carsickness overwhelmed him and he vomited. Amir begins pelting Hassan with pomegranates and yells at Hassan to hit him back. He invited Amir to come play volleyball at his house and to bring along Hassan, but Amir refused. Finally we see the pomegranate tree when Amir returns to Kabul and is aware that Hassan is dead and he must rescue Sohrab. When Amir took his new bike for a ride, Ali and Hassan were in the yard cleaning up the mess from the party. More books than SparkNotes. In the novel, Amir wants Hassan to hit him with pomegranates to inflict pain and lessen his guilt; instead, Hassan smashes the pomegranates over . Adobe Systems Incorporated. Amir recognizes that Hassan is sacrificing himself again, despite knowing that Amir did not do the same for him when he was raped. He realized that he was the monster in Hassan's dream and had dragged Hassan to the bottom of the lake. As he is going out later, Ali stops him and gives him his present. So, Amir throws pomegranates at Hassan which only makes Hassan smeared in red like hed been shot by a firing squad., Because the past claws its way out. (1) I chose this quote as the most memorable quote because It is something that almost everyone can relate too. Hassan represents the innocence and goodness of Afghanistan, which the brutal Taliban regime will ultimately snuff out.

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