Choose a novel or short story which deals with the effects of a breakdown in
relationships. Show how any of these negative pressures affect the main
character and go on to show whether or not he or she tackled this effectively.
1. Breakdown in relationships.
2. How do negative pressures affect the main character.
3. Does he tackle this effectively?
The novel ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini is set in war torn Afghanistan and
deals with the breakdown of the relationship between two estranged brothers. The
breakdown occurs as a result of the horrific rape of the younger brother, Hassan. Due
to the negative pressures placed upon Amir by his father, he fails to come to his
rescue and their relationship suffers. Amir’s attempt at tackling this situation leads to
petty attempts to get rid of Hassan and ultimately avoidance of the situation
altogether.
Para1
 Rape of Hassan.
 (How this is a breakdown in their relationship)
“Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay in order to win
over Baba”.
“The blue kite, my key to Baba’s heart”
 Amir allows this to happen as a result of the pressure placed upon him by
Baba.
Para2
 Pressure placed on Amir to win and be the best in general.
“I think maybe you’ll win the tournament this year”
“Seeing Baba on the roof proud of me at last.”
 Baba’s brief mention of him winning results in Amir’s behaviour – it’s almost
worth it for him. Reacts badly to pressure placed on him by Baba.
Para3
 After the rape he tries to get rid of Hassan (reacting negatively to the
breakdown in their relationship and subsequent guilt.)
“I lifted his mattress and put my new watch and some Afghani bills underneath it.”
“In Kabul it rarely rained in the summer … but it rained the afternoon Baba took Ali
and Hassan to the bus station.”
 The pathetic fallacy shows that, by getting rid of Hassan, Amir has tackled the
situation ineffectively.
Para4
 As a result of the breakdown in the relationship Amir seeks redemption in
later life … he return to Afghanistan to save Hassan’s son Sohrab.
“There is a way to be good again.”
“Those thorny old barbs of guilt bore into me once more”.

Amir’s reactiong to the situation ultimately results in his need for redemption.
He reacted to the situation in the wrong way leading to his guilt.
Choose a novel or short story with an ending you find satisfactory. By
looking at the story as a whole explain why you find the ending satisfactory in
bringing to a conclusion the main concerns of the text.
1. Ending satisfactory.
2. Why is it satisfactory in bringing conclusions to main concerns.
(Main concerns – The relationship between Hassan and Amir and Amir’s betrayal of
him.)
Para1
 The story ends as Amir brings Sohrab back to San Francisco and they fly kites
together as he and Hassan did.
“For you a thousand times over”
 We realise the story has come full circle but this time, Amir realises it is he
who must do everything for Sohrab in order to make up for what he did.
Para2
 What he did – allow Hassan to be raped in pursuit of his father’s acceptance.
“Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay in order to win over
Baba”
“I think maybe you’ll win the tournament this year.”
“Was that what it would take, had he just slipped me the key?”
 His blind pursuit of his father’s acceptance leads to this horrifying incident
and Amir’s subsequent guilt.
Para3
 Amir realises he has done something awful and attempts to ignore it.
“I pretended I hadn’t noticed those tiny drops of blood that fell from between his legs
and stained the snow black.”
 It’s not until Ali and Hassan have left that Amir is forced to open his eyes to
what he had done whilst escaping to San Fran.
“”My eyes stung from the fumes like someone had peeled my lids back and rubbed
lemon on them.”
Para 4

Years later, Amir is married and he receives a phonecall from Rahim Khan
telling him of Hassan’s son. He travels back to face what he has done.
“Discarded toys among the rocks.”
 After being beaten up by Assef and saving Sohrab as a result Amir notes:
“I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany but
with pain gathering it’s things, packing up and slipping away unannounced.”
 Amir has finally paid the price for what he did to Hassan.
Choose a novel or short story in which you feel sympathy for one of the main
characters because of the difficulties or injustice or hardships she or he has to
face. Describe the problem the character faces and show by what means you are
made to feel sorry for them.
1. Sympathy for character.
2. Problem
3. Why does it make you feel sorry.
(Hassan)
Para1
 We feel sorry for Hassan as his friend allows him to be raped.
“I saw his face, saw the resignation in it.”
“Before you sacrifice yourself for him, think about this: would he do the same for
you? You’re nothing but something he can kick when he’s angry.”
“Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay in order to win over
Baba.”
 Hassan sacrifices himself for Amir, believing that his feelings are as strong as
his – he is a willing victim that Amir takes advantage of.
Para2
 The problem that Hassan faces is that he will do anything for Amir and as a
result Amir takes advantage of this.
“For you a thousand times over.”
“I never thought of Hassan and me as friends.”
“He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?”
 We feel sorry for him because Amir doesn’t feel the same.
Para3
 After the rape Hassan realises the hatred Amir has for him and even then tries
to help Amir deal with his guilt.
“He … crushed it against his forehead. ‘There’ he croaked, red dripping down his
face like blood. ‘Are you satisfied? Do you feel better?’

Amir does not react to this attempt to make him feel better well and ensures
that he has to leave Baba’s home.
“I lifted his mattress and placed my new watch and some Afghani bills underneath
it.”
Para4
 As a result of Amir’s treatment of Hassan, he is forced to leave and is killed,
leaving his son orphaned; still however, in his last days he was keen to patch
things up with Amir.
“And I dream that someday you will return to Kabul to revisit the land of our
childhood. If you do, you will find an old faithful friend waiting for you.”

Ultimately we feel sorry for Hassan because he is betrayed by the one person
he loved, as we later find out, his brother.
Choose a novel or short story in which the main character makes an
important decision. Explain why a decision is necessary and go on to show
how the decision affects the rest of the novel.
1. Important decision.
2. Why is decision necessary.
3. How does the decision affect the novel.
Para1.