What is the significance of the rape in the novel?
The rape scene is significant, because that is how Afghanistan as a nation felt, when the Soviet Union left the country. I believe that the rape scene is an allegory for what happened to Afghanistan when the Soviet Union invaded. Hassan could be a representation of Afghanistan, Assef is a representation of the Soviet Union and Amir could represent America. This is because Afghanistan believed that America were an ally and would support them. This is show, when Hassan said '"Amir agha and I are friends,"'. This shows that Hassan (representing Afghanistan) believes that Amir (representing America) is his friend, even though that isn't how Amir sees Hassan. In fact, Amir refers to him as 'just a Hazara'. This could be compared to the idea that America didn't really care what happened to Afghanistan, but how it would affect them. This suggests that whatever America did for Afghanistan wasn't because they supported Afghanistan, but because they could use the fact that they helped to their strengths. This signifies the rape scene, because there is a theme of taking advantage of the weak, which is exactly what raping is, more or less. The author chose to write simple sentences, when nearing the rape scene. Before he was about to be raped, Hassan found a rock, and held onto it. He then 'hurled the rock. It struck Assef in the forehead.' I believe that by using simple sentences in the moments that occur before the rape, show the reader how fast things were escalating. This could link in to the idea that when the Soviet Union invaded, it didn't take them long to take over Afghanistan. It is also indicated that although Afghanistan tried to fight back, the Soviet Union were stronger and more powerful. This demonstrates the significance of the rape scene, because everything happened so fast, that Afghanistan became helpless.
The chapter overall shows juxtaposition, because in the beginning, Hassan and Amir were flying kites, as 'Hassan tossed the kite.' Towards the end, Amir was watching Hassan get raped, and he ran, because he 'was afraid of getting hurt'. This shows juxtaposition, because it shows innocence in a good way and innocence in a bad way. When playing with the kites, innocence is portrayed as pure and child-like. After all, this was Amir's childhood. But towards the end, the chapter shows how both Amir and Hassan lost innocence, because they were exposed to an issue that they weren't aware of, which was rape. Also, Amir's innocence is portrayed, because he didn't know what to do, so he ran. This shows how traumatic the experience was for both Amir and Hassan, because both of them would remember it for the rest of their lives, as that was the day they both lost their innocence.
The memories play a significant role in the chapter, because although they aren't directly linked to the actual rape, they show a displacement of reality. This is because when Amir realised that something bad was going to happen, he 'shut his eyes'. This then led to him putting himself in a different world, so that he wouldn't have to face the reality of what was happening. This therefore shows the displacement of reality, because although he is there physically, he isn't mentally.
