Silence In The Kite Runner

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''If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor'' (Desmond Tutu). Desmond Tutu, a distinguished social rights warrior against the barbaric apartheid system, observed directly how silence was to blame for the ongoing utilization of an unethical practice. Silence, the jam in the cog of positive forward change, is fed by fear of death, social ostracization, and humiliation. This humanitarian's words come as a reminder to our community organizations, influential figures, and nonprofits who are staying neutral in benefit of consensus and collaboration that these ideas can, if not treated properly, expand the reach of intolerance. The desire to remain impartial in situations of tyranny, for the purpose of …show more content…
Instinct is the driving force behind our own silence, since we are naturally compelled to protect our own interests- those interests being personal safety, societal acceptance, and a healthy mental state. After being thrown into several situations where I could have stood up for my own rights, or the rights of those around me, and having chosen silence, I can assure that silence didn’t protect my own interests. We can all understand the destructive nature of silence after reading a grotesque scene in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. In this particular scene, Amir witnesses his childhood friend, Hassan, being assaulted by three older boys. He fails to fight for his loyal friend in the time when he is needed the most, and his contribution to the situation as a bystander proceeds to haunt him for the rest of his life. This ghost of his own silence came back to haunt him long after he witnessed the rape, as depicted in the quotation “It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime...” (Hosseini, 142). The Kite Runner proved time and time again that silence doesn’t safeguard our personal interests:

Silence In The Kite Runner

Silence represents much more than the decision not to talk. Even though silence appears to be a safe alternative to saying the wrong thing, it can convey more feelings than words can. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the main character, Amir, chooses to remain silent when faced with difficult situations regarding his friend Hassan. A bully, Assef, teases less-fortunate Hassan, and Amir does not say anything to help. When Assef rapes Hassan, Amir does nothing to help his friend and is forced…

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The novel is a story of suffering. Who suffers the most in The Kite Runner? In Khaled Hosseini’s novel “The Kite Runner” many characters have to suffer so another can feel better. Hassan, Amir and Sohrab all undergo extreme suffering either physically or psychologically. Assef’s attack on Hassan early in the novel sets the scene for the suffering both Amir and Sohrab will later face. Sohrab in particular suffers significantly under the Taliban and Assef. By attempting to protect Amir, Hassan…

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