Emerson concepts in ‘Kite Runner’ and ‘Giovanni’s Room’ Essay

Society all over is in conspiracy against the compositionhood of every one of its members. (Emer countersign. 2) Thus we live(a) in a world, where in order to fit we must set however Emerson believes that whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist, (2) and that nothing is at last sacred but the rectitude of your admit mind. (2) Self reliance and independence of thought, which atomic number 18 fundamental to Emersons perspective, argon integral to the understanding and analysis of the characters in The increase Runner (Hosseini, 2003) and Giovannis Room (Baldwin, 1956).The Kite Runner, is a tale of two boys in 1970s Kabul growing up amidst discrimination, bigotry and class structure in society in this case Afghan society Hassan, a Hazara a minority group of Afghanis who follow Islamic beliefs called Shia although a relay link and half-brother, is a lower-class retainer to ameer. emir, a Pushtun the majority, who believe they argon a better class than the Hazara a nd who follow the Sunn sect of Islam although raised in the uniform household and sharing the same wet nurse as Hassan, lives in a different sphere of existence. ameer is the legitimate son of Baba, a prominent and wealthy man, whereas Hassan is the adversityegitimate one and raised by Babas servant. Both lost their mothers emir at birth and Hassan a workweek after birth, when she ran off with a clan of singers and dancers. (Hosseini 4) For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure, (Emerson 4) and and so Baba, kinda than be subjected to the displeasures of his society, opts to conform to its rules and customs that loves not realities and creators, but name calling and customs, (Emerson 2) and not reveal that Hassan is his son by a Hazara woman.His justice, or what Emerson characterizes as compensation (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) is the loss of Hassan and his love. This same class variance between emeer and Hassan, largely dictates and limits th eir relationship. It is easy enough for a sloshed man who knows the world to brook the rage of the cultivated classes, (Emerson 4) and Hassan, the victim of such discrimination and class structure, remains completely devoted and loyal to Amir, both(prenominal) as his servant and as his friend.He shows his faithfulness when he and Amir atomic number 18 terrorized by Assef, a word for the creature that Assef was sociopath (Hosseini 25-26) who admires Hitler for eliminating the Jews and with whom he aims to emulate by destroying the Hazaras. Hassan stands up to Assef and his friends. Although frightened, he holds the slingshot pointed directly at Assefs feeling (Hosseini 28) and sh verbotens if you move, theyll have to change your nickname from Assef the Ear bird feeder to One-Eyed Assef. (Hosseini 29) Assef, never for getting a slight, plots r level(p)ge.Just as Hassan makes Amirs breakfast, folds his clothes, and cleans his room, so does he cater to Amir in kite tournament s. redden though Hassan shares in the excitement of kite repugning, he does not truly have control over the kite. Hassan may help the kite lift-and-dive, but Amir is the one who claims a victory. Hassan may catch a treasure rival kite and hold it in his sleeves, but always to incur it screen to Amir, to whom it then belongs. His joy is explicit, special, and secondary just like his welcome of wealth and privilege while sustentation in Babas household.So it is that Hassan is subjected to rape because of his nonconformity to his position as a Hazara and he relies on him egotism to go alone to refuse the good models. (Emerson 5) Assef and his friends attack Hassan after he runs for the blue kite but although terrified of what is going to happen to him he claims Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly, this is his kite. Amir agha and I are friends. (Hosseini 50) Hassan is brutely raped by Assef but never gives up the kite and brings it bac k for Amir.Later, when the Taliban came to investigate and interrogated Hassan (Hosseini 149) and ordered him to leave the house Amirs dumbfounds house he again shows his loyalty to Amir by protesting. The Taliban ordered him to kneel and shot him in the back of the head. (Hosseini 150) Hassan dies because he accepted the divine place that providence had found for him (Emerson 1) he had violated the amicable expectations of conformity by favouring self-importance reliance its evil (Emerson 2) by standing up to his aggressors in loyalty to Amir.Amir, contrary to Hassan, lacks self trust and conforms totally to society, and although enjoying time spent with Hassan, never really calls him his friend. When confronted with Assef the primary time he shows his cowardice by wanting to tell Assef that Hassan is not my friend, hes my servant. (Hosseini 28) It is ironic that when Hassan stands up for Amir against Assef, and calls him Agha, Amir wondered in short what it might be lik e to live with such an ingrained nose out of ones place in a hierarchy. (Hosseini 28) Yet he himself lives in such a way as to lose himself his self worth and reliance by conforming to society and its customs. For many age, Amir feels as though he and Hassan are adversaries for Babas love and he is envious of this, together with Hassans abilities Hassan made his stone skip eighter times. The most I managed was five Baba patted Hassan on the back. Even put his arm around his shoulder. (Hosseini 8-9) Amir greatly desires his paternitys acceptance and encomium and very seldom receives it.He overhears his father say that on that points something abstracted in that boy and that he believes a boy who wont stand up for himself becomes a man who freightert stand up to anything. (Hosseini 15) Amir decides there was no other vi equal to(p) option than to win that winters tournament, and run that last kite. (Hosseini 38) He believes that his brio as a ghost in this house would la stly be over and that he would show Baba once and for all that his son was worthy. (Hosseini 38) On winning the race, he experiences the greatest moment of his twelve years of life, seeing Baba on that roof, proud of him at last. (Hosseini 45) Following Hassan, who has gone foot race for the kite, Amir wants to make a grand entrance, a hero, prized trophy in his bloodied hands. (Hosseini 46) He finds Hassan standing at the end of a blind track (Hosseini 49) blocked by Assef and his two friends. But rather than help Hassan, even after seeing the look of the lamb (Hosseini 53) on Hassans face Amir runs, telling himself that I was a coward afraid of Assef and what he would do afraid of getting hurt (Hosseini 53) but in reality it is the toll he had to pay, the lamb he had to slay, to win Baba.His reasoning He was just a Hazara, wasnt he? (Hosseini 54) After the rape, Hassans very existence infuriates and irritates Amir because it reminds him of his cowardice his guilt. He tries t o forget what he has done to Hassan and treats him like a servant instead of a friend he lies about him being ill hes got a cold or something, (Hosseini 56) he hits him with overripe pomegranates, he asks his father have you ever thought about getting new servants? (Hosseini 61) Finally he frames Hassan for theft and Hassan again takes the blame rather than reveal Amir for what he is.Nothing works however, because he cannot abjure his guilt as easily as he can thrash Hassan himself. Even after later leaving Afghanistan for America with his father, he is never really able to forget and later he realizes you can finish the past but that it claws its way out. He realizes that he has been peeking into that deserted pass where Hassan was raped for the last twenty six years. (Hosseini 2) After returning to Afghanistan and encyclopaedism of Hassans death and his orphaned son Sohrab, Amir endeavours to right his wrongs there is a way to be good again (Hosseini 2) by placement Soh rab, who is in fact his nephew.He finds Sohrab in the hands of Assef, now a Talib, and being used as a sexual plaything. This illustration of mans inhumanity to man, gives evidence to Emersons belief, that the differences among the members of a race are greater than the differences between races. (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Amir must fight and defeat Assef if he is to redeem himself and his past thus Amir finds his skill of character, the inner strength that he had all along, but believed was somehow missing Emersons self reliance and trust in himself. Ironically however, it is Sohrab who saves Amir in just the same way as his father Hassan had deliver him before with his slingshot. Amirs lack of self-acceptance, his desire to win his fathers heart and his envy of Hassan causes him to live his life conforming to an unsporting and class conscious society. He places blame on Hassan for the lack of his fathers love and blame on himself for his conformity and the ter rible hurt he has caused on Hassan.According to Emerson, one must be able to find a blameless living if they are to be a whole man, (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) and Amir clearly illustrates his lack of living blamelessly. Just as Hassan was socially change, so to is David, in Giovannis Room, wherein he is faced with a choice between his American fiancee (value set) and his European boyfriend, so ultimately he must grapple with being alienated by the culture that produced him. In other words, does he conform or does he not? Does he be honest with his true self and be reliant on himself? David, unlike Hassan, takes the easy way out and marries Hella.David has been running from himself since his first sexual encounter as a teenager, with Joey, and although he has a profound connection with Joey, he deserts him and spurns his friendship afterwards. In other words, like Amir he conforms rather than live with the integrity of his own mind. (Emerson 2). He becomes what Eme rson terms as an imitator and lives a life of deceit and denial. Although mixing with the gay crowd, he proclaims his heterosexuality. Later he meets Giovanni and they drib in love. Afraid to commit to Giovanni he has a one darkness stand with Sue, another American lost in Paris.As with Joey, David deserts Giovanni, whereupon Giovanni goes into a downward spiral and because of lies, false promises, abuse and humiliation he eventually kills and is sentence to death by the guillotine. Giovanni dies because of the people around him they are envious of his beauty, openness and inward freedom they pretend to be what they are not imitators. David remains forever trapped in his own room, closet, or hell of his irreconcilable identity. (Zaborowska, M. J. 1) He fails in his journey of self-discovery inwardly a society where gender, race and sexuality impacts on national identity.David remains loyal to America, the land of the free but never finds happiness, becoming emotionally dead and h ollow, unable to love others, but mostly himself. In summary, we can recognize the lack of Emersons concept of self-reliance in the gelid characters of Amir and Baba in The Kite Runner and David in Giovannis Room, while at the same time we see evidence of nonconformity to social standards by Hassan and Giovanni. High be his heart, faithful his will, clear his sight, that he may in good earnest be doctrine, society, law, to himself. (Emerson 10)ReferencesBaldwin, J. Giovannis Room. Dell Publishing, NY. 1956 Emerson, R. W. show II Self Reliance 1841 As published on http//www. emersoncentral. com/selfreliance. htm Hosseini, Khaled The Kite Runner courtesy of Shahid Riaz, 2003 http//esnips. com/UserProfileAction. ns? id+ebdaae62-b650-4f30-99a4-376c0a084226 The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Ralhp Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) http//www. iep. utm. edu/e/emerson. htm declination 6, 2008 Zaborowska, Magdalena J. University of Michigan. 2003 http//www. litencyc. com/php/sworks. php? re c=true&UID=4964