Alex Shegay
“Novels present flawed characters in challenging situations”
To what extent to you agree with this statement?
All great novels have a lucid storyline with many twists and turns. It is this aspect that keeps the
reader engaged and interested. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is no exception. This novel
plays on the flaws of characters by putting them in challenging environments all to captivate the
reader. These flaws make characters such as Baba and his son Amir more three dimensional. This
approach is ideal as it not only puts the character’s faiths to the test, but engages the reader too.
Overall, this essay will discuss why almost every novel uses this very approach.
One of the most obvious reasons for novels having flawed characters is for the author to avoid a
boring plot. Plain characters, who simply act as a constant throughout the novel will become very
dull and boring to read about, very quickly. Consider the characters Kamal and Wali whom Hosseini
keeps in the background due to their underdevelopment. An author would never make characters
like them the main focus of a novel. On top of that, if the characters face no problems or challenges
then the plot becomes deflated and uneventful. It is precisely for this reason that Hosseini develops
the character of Baba to great depth. Initially, Baba is introduced as a noble man –even taking
“three years to build an orphanage” for the children of Kabul. Hosseini then develops Baba further
by presenting a contrasting, flawed side of him; a side that made Amir feel like his whole life was
just “one big fucking lie.” Baba was in a challenging environment (having lost his wife) when he had
an affair with Ali’s (his servant) wife. This twist makes Baba a more interesting character as it
allows the reader to see both sides of him, and make judgments. Developed characters then become
a drive for the novel, making the reading experience more enjoyable.
Another useful outcome of having challenging environments is that it allows the author to highlight
the flaws of the characters involved. The characters will always have flaws, but the reader is not
able to notice them unless those flaws are exposed. To achieve this, authors will often take the
opportunity to put characters out of their comfort zone. Their actions makes them more interesting
which links back to a point I made earlier. This development can be particularly seen in Amir when
he had “one final opportunity to decide who [he] was going to be.” Amir and his servant Hassan
were inseparable friends. The pair had a seemingly flawless “love” for each other. But when Hassan
is cornered by three bullies lead by Assef, Amir has a decision to make; whether to “run” or “stand
up for Hassan.” In the end Amir ran. He ran “because [he] was a coward…afraid of Assef.” Hosseini’s
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intentions in this chapter are clear. The main purpose of this encounter was to put Amir on the spot
to test his faith in their friendship. This in turn exposed Amir’s flaws of cowardice, betrayal and
selfishness. These are flaws which we would never have become aware of unless they were put to
the test in a challenging environment. This approach makes characters more believable as we can
see how they would act in certain circumstances. More importantly, it engages the reader to be able
to judge and compare their actions to those of what the reader would have done if they were in
‘their shoes.’
Along with exposing character flaws, authors will also aim to repair them. This will sometimes be a
parallel storyline in a novel, but in other novels such as The Kite Runner, this is what drives the
novel forward. This brings me to my next point that often flaws are there to be repaired – often in
another challenging environment. They serve a purpose to bring the story to a resolve and tie all
the loose ends. Readers crave a good ending, and by redeeming characters, the author has the
opportunity to deliver. Character development is also under a huge spotlight in this area. The flaws
that are presented near the beginning of a novel act as a reference point for the reader to track the
development of that character. This not only provides an interesting and eventful plot, but also
allows the reader to have an emotional connection with the character. The Kite Runner revolves
around Amir and his pursuit for redemption after betraying Hassan. Amir has to travel back to
Afghanistan (which is now under the Taliban rule) to rescue Sohrab, Hassan’s son. This eventually
leads Amir to one of the leaders – the dreadful Assef. This time however he “wasn’t about to beg,”
instead he stood up to him. Through this Amir showed immense courage, altruism and loyalty –
juxtaposing to what he showed in his previous encounter with Assef seventeen years ago. This is a
poignant example of the repair of character flaws. Resolves such as this are a nice ending to a novel.
Authors will often use character flaws to repair them and provoke thoughts in the reader. The
reader will in turn use characters such as Amir as a learning experience regarding common human
issues.
Lastly, any novel becomes more engaging and realistic if the reader can relate to the characters and
the events. No person in the world is or has been perfect in their actions and virtues. Similarly no
person in the world has led a life which was free of challenges. Novels which aim to connect with
the reader will undoubtedly take advantage of this and aim to make their characters face problems
and have imperfections. Although not many readers can relate to the specific events of Amir’s life,
almost everyone can relate to the ideas behind those events, such as loyalty, betrayal and
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redemption. The reader can then understand and emotionally connect with the characters. We can
then judge given situations and learn from the flaws presented in the characters. It is frequently the
author’s objective to make an impact on the reader, and by teaching us - like Hosseini taught us
about regret, they can save us from taking the same path and therefore achieve their goal.
Without a shadow of a doubt, novels must have both challenging environments and flawed
characters. Often the challenge is crucial to conjure the flaw, as already mention in this essay. Other
times it works the other way around and the flaw of the character makes a situation a challenge.
Either way, both are absolutely crucial in a novel as this not only drives the novel forward, but most
importantly makes the read more engaging and interesting. Despite Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite
Runner being a great example of this, there is no doubt that more novels need to be analysed to
support this argument.