Shameful submission

I'm also working my way through The Kite Runner - really. I know it's been the displayed book in "Northside Reading" for some time now, without me ever commenting on it here, so I thought the time might have come to do so.

I'm enjoying it. It's beautifully written and very moving, if a little tragic, and reminds me of the best aspects of Salman Rushdie, although he and Islam are not really the best of friends...Perhaps I'm just taking a bit of time to read it because it's for work - we're adding it to the Year 11 English course next year. It's also not the easiest read, being so emotionally draining.

What struck me about it most when reading it today was just how offensive most people find the idea of submission, particularly when enemies are submitted to. If you are attacked, you should fight back, right? So Amir, the main character believes, and is continually shamed by his servant/friend Hassan's willingness to stand up for him constantly, while never standing up for himself. When Amir witnesses a brutal assault performed against Hassan because of him, he is too gutless to defend the ever-loyal Hassan - and the knowledge of his cowardice shames him to the point that he cannot spend any time with Hassan without feeling sick.

In one particularly devastating scene, he starts pelting fruit at Hassan to try and make him fight back. Hassan refuses, and, in the end, takes a piece of fruit and hits himself with it, asking, "Are you happy now?"

Refusing to fight back doesn't protect Hassan from being brutalised, but it does make Amir burn in shame for his inability to stand up for Hassan. Interestingly, though, while Hassan may refuse to stand up for himself, he is unfailingly loyal to Amir. The only problem is that Amir does not return that loyalty. Perhaps it isn't enough for just Hassan to submit to others - perhaps we all need to do it. If everyone in the world was as loyal as Hassan, no-one would need to fight to protect themselves. We would all stand up for each others' rights.

It might be naive, but I like the sound of it. I'll be interested to see how the story ends.