Regret and Shame

I am going to start off by commenting on the insane and astonishing action Assef did on Hassan. As I read through the reading section, I was extremely mad at Assef for what he did. How could someone think of something like that? I was expecting a beating or something or some sort of fight but to have two boys hold an innocent and lovely little boy down and have Assef rape him is just insane! I was shocked as I read it and can’t imagine having an idea to punish like this, especially at this age and between boys. Now, I was even more infuriated at Amir. To have the guts to run away from a scene where your friend, your best friend, whom you spend lots of time together and know since you were little, is getting raped and not try to help or intervene is the definition of a bad friend and a complete coward! It was hard for to understand Amir’s situation since if I were in his place I wouldn’t think twice and run out to help my friend. But unfortunately Amir does not have this mentality, and I realized it since the beginning of the book. When it comes to decision time, Amir only thinks about himself. In his head he is ashamed and regrets his decision of not intervening but he still left his friend there! Regrets don’t get you anywhere in life and Amir needs to learn how t stand up for himself and his friends. After this scene I have lots all my respect for Amir in the book.

Another point I would like to comment on is Amir’s incapability of speaking the truth and accepting blame. He knows he did wrong and he knows he has a huge weight of his back from the shame, but when give a chance to relieve it and speak the truth he doesn’t. For example, when Hassan’s dad asks him if he knows what happened to Hassan that night, he lies and says no, and to change the subject, cold and basically orders him to get back to work. In my opinion, if Amir does not change his ways, he will lose his friendships with Hassan, which is already deteriorating, and ultimately lose the respect for Baba. A******* will always be present in life, like Assef, and Amir needs to learn how to deal with him and put him in his right place to save his childhood.