The Kite Runner-Discussion Question #6
6. As Amir remembers an Afghan celebration in which a sheep must be sacrificed, he talks about seeing the sheep’s eyes moments before its death. “I don’t know why I watch this yearly ritual in our backyard; my nightmares persist long after the bloodstains on the grass have faded. But I always watch, I watch because of that look of acceptance in the animal’s eyes. Absurdly, I imagine the animal understands. I imagine the animal sees that its imminent demise is for a higher purpose.” Why do you think Amir recalls this memory when he witnesses Hassan’s tragedy in the alleyway? Amir recollects the memory again toward the end of the novel when he sees Sohrab in the home of the Taliban. Discuss the image in the context of the novel.
In the scene in the alleyway, Amir mentions that Hassan had “the look of the lamb”. The lamb symbolises purity, innocence, [i]blah blah blah[/i]. This interconnects with this description. Amir also mentions Hassan having a resigned look. In this scene about the sacrifice, Amir imagines a look of acceptance in the lambs eyes. He is rather obviously comparing Hassan to a lamb and showing that the scene in the alley was a sacrifice, which was rather obvious, idiot. It seems to me that this novel swarms with obvious images.
well amir obviously felt hungry when he saw it. his favourite food is lamb meant, and when he witnessed the alleyway scene and sohrab in the taliban home, he had an unconscious feeling of intense hunger reminding him of killing a sheep ready for eating. however other people may think that the reason amir flashed back to the sheep killing image, was because he felt as if Hassan and Sohrab had surrendered to their fate, just as the sheep accepted it was going to die. this may have a grain of truth, but the real reason was his inappropriately timed hunger.
I think that Amir remembers this image not only because he sees it in the eyes of Sohrab and Hassan when they are accepting fate, but because it is that look of silent acceptance that is in Amir’s eyes during these times though he may not realise it at the time. He realises later that he stood there and watched silently accepting the moments that will define him as a man and his relationships with Hassan, Baba, Sohrab and Rahim.
I think that in the scene with the alleyway Amir recalls the memory of the lamb because it signifies the fact that Hassan was sacrificing himself for Amir as did the lamb. He recollects the same memory when he sees Sohrab in the home of the Taliban because it shows the innocence of Sohrab because he has nobody left(family)and is unable to get himself out of this situation until Amir comes and has therefore accepted the situation, just like the lamb did.
Why do you think Amir recalls this memory when he witnesses Hassan’s tragedy in the alleyway?
Amir recalls this memory because (apart from his hunger)of the comparisions in the scene and the similarity of the situations for the victims.
Amir recalls this image when he sees Hassan in the alleyway because he is thinking that Hassan realises that he has to give up his innocence for Amir to finally get on with his father. It is almost the exact same way that Amir thinks that the lamb knows that he has to give up its innocence, and in this case its life, for the higher good.
Towards the end when he sees the look in Sohrabs eyes it is because he knows he has given up on himself and just letting whatever happens to himself happen. He is just waiting for the slaughter that he thinks is inevitable.
In the alleyway HAmir recalls the memory of the sheep’s sacrifice because the similarities are great. Hassan is sacrificing himself for Amir as the lamb also did. Amir also recognises the same benign innocence in Hassan as the sheep had and also the acceptance of his sacrifice.
He recollects the same image when he sees Sohrab in Assef’s house because once again it is the innocence and helplessness of a child and in his eyes he again sees the acceptance of the sheep of its fate.
Amir recalls the image because the innocent lamb is much like Hassan and they are sacrificed. He sees the same innocence in Sohrabs eyes and knows that this time he must take a stand and become the man his father aspired him to become.
Hassan is pure. So pure in everything that he says that Amir knows he would never lie to him, never decieve him and would do anything to make Amir happy. “For you, a thousand times over”. The writer has used a lamb symbolising Hassan, how he is so innocent and pure, so vulnerable to the bad things in life. In the alleyway scene, Hassan is sacrificing himself and his dignity for Amir, like the lamb is unwillingly sacrificed for eating but accepts what is about to happen before it’s throat gets cut. Amir recalls the lamb when he sees Sohrab for the first time in the Taliban home with Assef with bells on his feet as he is the spitting image of his father. Just as pure and innocent as Hassan and the lamb.
Amir recalls the sheep as Hassan gets rape because the look in Hassans eyes is one of sacrifice and he is giving up on his purity for Amir and his kite. This shows us how Hassan is so loyal towards Amir and that he is giving up for a higher good which is Amir.
Amir then sees this image in Sohrabs eyes as Sohrabs innocence had been robbed from him and that he was just a sacrifice for assef.
The way the lamb has accepted its death is similar to how Sohrab has accepted his fate with the taliban. Both the lamb and Sohrab are victims to something they cant control.
the lamb was helpless in the hands of its killers as was Hassan getting raped and sohrab in the hands of Assef. the look in there eyes was of acceptance of what was going to happen and that there is no point in struggling. the lamb symbolises an innocent which were what sohrab and and Hassan were before assef took it away
Well … Yvonne, what can I say …a sensible answer would help!
Michael, I agree the images are obvious … provides lots to write about though!
Interesting response Annah/Brittany. I like your comments about sacrifice Pip, well done. Well expressed ideas Carla, Bron and Tyler.
The sacrifice of the lamb is similar to Hassan being sodimized because Hassan is sacrificing himself for Amir so that Amir will still get the kite. Hassan had accepted what was going to happen to him.
Sohrab being raped is similar to the sheep because the sheep could do nothing about it and Sohrab, being a child, could do nothing to stop it.
Also (this isn’t really part of my proper answer but I’ll put it anyway) it goes with the old saying “Like father like son”.
I’ll have to read this book, it sounds brilliant!
It is well worth reading Sophie. Rose said it is the best book that she has ever read! Nice to have you stop by