Assef as a Character Foil, Essay Example

In The Kite Runner, the author tells the reader of a tale in which there are many characters that compliment and contrast one another. In the first part of the book, we are introduced to the characters in a way that shows us important differences between the way that they are raised; some are wealthy and some are poor. This causes great tensions between some of the characters, as some of the poor individuals are able to develop good morality, while others are simply jealous of the upper class. Meanwhile, some of the wealthy individuals are benefitted by their skills to make friends, but they have other personality defects. In part one of the book, this truth becomes apparent. Hassan is an example of an individual that is good natured and does his best to support those who he loves. On the other hand, Assef is a bully who thinks he is able to do what he wants, and abuses Hassan when he cannot succeed. Thus, it could be said that Assef is Hassan’s character foil because even though Hassan is pure, Assef has the ability to take this purity away for his own purposes.

Prior to encountering Assef in the alleyway, Hassan is a person that lives for others. Even though he is not as privileged as his friend Amir and serves him, he shows that he is dedicated to his friend and he is happy that he has won the kite competition, helping Assef get the kite back. Thus, even though Hassan doesn’t have a lot of status, he is loved by those in his community and works hard to be worthy of the praise of others. However, Assef has the ability to take this innocence away. When Hassan does not give Assef the kite, he refuses in order to protect Amir, who he knows wants the kite back in order to show his father. Amir has admitted “It wasn’t often Baba talked to me, let alone on his lap”, showing the importance of getting the kite back; retrieving it would likely allow Amir to earn praise from his father, so Hassan feels that he needs to keep it for him (Hosseini 40). Because of this refusal however, Assef punishes Hassan by beating him. Due to Assef’s role as a character foil, this is only the beginning of Hassan’s troubles.

Because Amir was traumatized by what he saw Assef do and because he is not as strong of a person as Hassan, he attempts to support Assef’s cruelty by trying to make it so that Hassan needs to leave. Amir even feels guilty about this, admitting, “Hassan never denied me anything” (Hosseini 23). Amir carries out horrible acts in the same style as Assef, taking over his role as character foil by planting money in a way that makes it seem that Hassan stole it. Even though this ploy did not work as planned, Hassan still leaves. Amir’s father is disappointed about his actions, claiming, “If I hadn’t seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I’d never believe he was my son” and tries to allow Hassan to stay (Hosseini 42). As a consequence, all of the troubles that Hassan has faced is due to Assef’s desire to attack him. Assef is so evil that he corrupts Amir as well. Because these boys are such opposites, Hassan knows that he must leave.

In conclusion, Assef is Hassan’s character foil because the two boys are complete opposites. Hassan is pure of character and Assef is selfish and only wants to do harm. Because of the cruelty that Assef commits, we are able to learn more about Hassan. Even though Amir tries to betray him and he fails, Hassan still wishes to leave because he knows that this is what Amir wants. Hassan constantly thinks about others instead of himself, which allows the reader to understand more about how Hassan will react in a variety of situations.

Works Cited

Hosseini, K. The Kite Runner. Riverhead Books, 2013.