Assef

It has been interesting to hear your comments on the film version of The Kite Runner. One of the most discussed portrayals was that of Assef. Many of you felt that his role needed expansion so as to show him as the fascist maniac and archetype of evil that he appears in the novel. I have added a few character notes below.

Assef is the neighbourhood bully; he intimidates the weakest children and pummels them with brass knuckles. He has an oily charm and he is able to flatter Baba. Assef is particularly good at sports and seems “the embodiment of every parent’s dream, a strong, well-dressed and well-mannered boy with talent and striking looks.” However, his eyes betray him and Amir always believed that he saw glimpses of madness in them. It is interesting that when Amir meets him again Assef is wearing sunglasses.

Even as a boy Assef admired Hitler and his vision of a pure Aryan world. Assef fits perfectly into the Taliban world because he also has a vision for Afghanistan – an Afghanistan for Pashtuns, the “pure” Afghans.  Assef is undoubtedly the villain of the novel and Hosseini not only links him to Hitler but also with Mullah Mohammed Omar, the leader of the Taliban. Assef’s loss of an eye links him to the hated Mullah who like Assef was a towering figure with only one eye.

The character of Assef does not change as the novel progresses. He is unwaveringly evil and incapable of empathy or change. He matures into a sociopath and he is thrust into power by the rise of the Taliban. Assef’s paedophilia confirms him as completely evil and symbolises the destructive relationship between the Taliban and the vulnerable, disempowered people such as women and the Hazara.