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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.
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