Like Ryan, there are numerous instances in which I feel frustrated about how Amir acted, or rather did not act, yet at the same time, I sympathize for him because all his actions stem from the desire to be accepted and loved unconditionally by his own father, who treats him harshly. Additionally, I thought it was interesting that Ryan mentioned Amir’s age, as it was something I had also previously forgotten until I realized the birthday party meant Amir was turning 13; I cannot imagine myself at 13 years old making decisions that would last a lifetime. In particular, for privileged Amir who has never worried about anything except playing and trying to gain his father’s love, it seems immature yet reasonable for his age to be unsure and frustrated at his own feelings, acting in a way that vents these emotions. However, I am in no way saying that Amir’s actions are acceptable; rather, it is only understandable that he acted rashly as controlling his feelings may have been hard at that age.
My reactions to the passages were also the same as Ryan. I was consistently frustrated, saddened, or just plain emotional, so much so that I did not know how to adequately form these feelings into short annotations on the side. One such situation, like Ryan felt as well, was Assef’s appearance at the party. The very fact that he gives Amir a seemingly thoughtful gift –‘one of his favorite’ books- in front of Baba, only for Amir to open it in private and see it is one about Hitler, speaks volumes of Assef’s twisted character. I cannot help but think that his parents know what he did to Hassan, as Amir mentioned Assef’s mother seemed to want to say something, but withheld it.
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