Topic > The Concepts of Fate and Free Will in "The Kite Runner" and Oedipus

Fate and Free Will The elements of fate and free will are not black and white. Humans have unconscious free will as they make daily decisions: what we want to wear, where we want to go, and when we want to sleep. Sometimes, however, we make large-scale mistakes, so big that they haunt us throughout our lives, ultimately leading to tragedies. It is important to recognize these errors in personal freedom and attempt to remedy our mistakes before our destiny becomes fully effective. Every action has a consequence (a destiny), of which we cannot afford to be blissfully ignorant. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In both The Kite Runner and Oedipus, the concepts of fate and free will are strongly woven into each plot. Both protagonists made extremely influential decisions, setting in motion a series of negative outcomes. Amir and Oedipus are also unaware of the choices they made in fleeing from them. This only further reinforces the intensity of their errors, rather than weaken them. However, the methods used in escape attempts are different. Oedipus' naturally proud personality is what drives him to project his guilt and guilt onto others, while Amir's non-confrontational personality has driven him to run away from past actions and anything that reminds him of those actions. In any case, they exacerbated the consequences of a fate that could have been avoided. For example, in The Kite Runner, Amir's damaging mistake was to remain a bystander and allow Hassan to be raped by Assef. Instead of prioritizing the dignity of a loyal friend and brother, Amir's only concern was the possibility of being praised by Baba. But even after receiving admiration, he still felt guilty. However, he refused to apologize to Hassan. Ultimately, shame ate him alive as he tried to convince Hassan to leave. Amir even framed his best friend for stealing his new watch and his birthday money. Later, as the Taliban fought against Russia's communist agenda, Baba and Amir decided to flee their home and left Hassan to fend for himself in a country destroyed by war and hatred. Amir, however, was untouched by this as he fled to the United States, running away from his past actions and trying to forget that they had happened. This proved unsuccessful in the long run, as the news of Hassan's death and his full relationship with Amir was revealed by Rahim Khan. Amir has now lost the only person who truly cared about him and cannot wrap his head around the event that happened during his childhood. Instead, he will have to find an alternative path. Amazingly, all of this could have been avoided if she had made the crucial choice to save Hassan and prevent her rape altogether. Although Oedipus began as fate-oriented, the story later progressed toward an equal balance of choices and consequences. At first, Oedipus reigned as the new king of Thebes, along with his queen Jocasta. After hearing from his citizens about a plague epidemic in the city, he orders his brother-in-law Creon to find the oracle and ask for help. Upon Creon's return, Oedipus is told to find out who killed Laius, who was king before Oedipus arrived in Thebes. Determined to persecute the suspect, he summons Tiresias, a blind prophet, to his kingdom. At first Tiresias is reluctant to reveal what he knows, but then he accuses Oedipus of killing Laius. Oedipus is furious to hear this accusation and angrily mocks and blames the prophet. Before leaving, Tiresias warns Oedipus of his truth.