The Kite Runner Character Analysis, Essay Example

In “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, the character Hassan is used to represent stability; throughout the book, Hassan seems to be the same person from his initial appearance in the story through to his death. We are first introduced to Hassan as Amir’s servant. In the first three pages of the second chapter, his physical appearance is described in detail. Specifically, the book describes him as having a China doll face, green eyes, and a cleft lip. We can infer more detailed information about his appearance based on what we know about the Hazara people.

First of all, the book explains that Hassan is a Hazara; this means that his physical characteristics differ from the other characters in the book. In fact, he is made fun of Pashtun people such as Assef based solely on this fact. Hazara people stand out compared to other races in Afghanistan because they are believed to have descended from Eastern Asians, meaning they have features that appear somewhat Mongolian. Hassan has a very distinct appearance on top of his genetic heritage because he has a cleft lip; this is a birth defect that affects the upper lip, creating a gap in the middle.

The contrast between Amir and Hassan that we are presented with throughout the book is interesting because we later find out that the two share the same father. Hassan’s misfit and somewhat ugly seeming appearance supports our understanding of his character; despite his unfortunate luck in this regard, he has a very strong personality. While Amir is born a selfish child who always gets what he wants and develops into a better person as an adult, Hassan has never had this need. Hassan remains loyal, forgiving, and good natured throughout the story, even though he is presented with many challenges, some of which we would expect to be very damaging.

Hassan remains loyal to Amir throughout the book, which serves as an extreme contrast to Amir’s personality. When Hassan attempts to get the last kite cut for Amir, he is beaten and raped by Assef who wants the kite. Amir observes this but does nothing to interject because he wants the kite to make his father proud. Even though Hassan dealt with this situation in order to do something for his friend, Amir’s guilt was so strong that he was no longer able to face him. Hassan’s loyalty continues even further when Amir tries to make his father force him to leave. When Amir sets Hassan up to make it seem that he is stealing money and valuables, Hassan claims that he is guilty for committing the act even though he knows that this was likely Amir’s doing. Towards the end of the book, we learn that Hassan is loyal to Amir and his family that he was willing to give up his life for them. When the Taliban tries to confiscate Amir’s house in Kabul, Hassan sacrifices both his and his wife’s lives in order to protect it.

Hassan’s physical characteristics match his personality traits well; because he is plain and doesn’t have much to offer in terms of looks, he is satisfied by simply trying to please those around him that he loves. It is very unfortunate for him that this love isn’t reciprocated by Amir until it is too late; Amir was very selfish during his childhood and failed to appreciate the services Amir provided. When Amir finally appreciates Hassan, it is too late because Hassan’s loyalty to Amir literally killed him. This connection between the physical characteristics of Hassan’s character, his social status, and his personality reflects discrimination seen in many parts of the world; just because someone looks different doesn’t mean they should be treated as inferior.

Works Cited

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. The Penguin Press, 2003. Print.