Abuse of power can be defined as an abuse of one's authority for one's own personal gain or a lack of action when it is within one's power to act against something negative. Khaled Hosseini's novel, The Kite Runner, takes readers on an eye-opening journey of peace and war in Afghanistan through the eyes of the young Afghan protagonist, Amir. In his novel, Hosseini emphasizes the abuse of power through his characters and by using various literary techniques to portray a perspective on how power is abused. He achieves this through Baba, who steals Ali's wife and denies Hassan's right to his identity; Amir, who takes advantage of Hassan and lets himself be taken advantage of; and Assef, who exerts his control over others, including Hassan. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay As one of the richest men in Kabul, Baba is described as noble and respected by society. However, Hosseini points out that status can be abused and used to justify illicit behavior. He brings this out by using irony in Baba's words to Amir: “There is only one sin, only one. And this is theft. Every other sin is a variant of theft... When you kill a man, you steal a life,' said Baba. “You steal his wife's right to her husband, her children's right to a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness... There is no more miserable act than stealing!”. Baba is portrayed as firmly upholding this rule, however, it is ironic because he himself is a thief and, according to Amir, "the worst of the kind, because the things he had stolen were sacred: from me the right to know that I had a brother, from Hassan his identity and from Ali his honor. In a sense, Baba also condones discrimination against Hazaras by refusing to acknowledge his son with a Hazara woman, Sanaubar uses the rule of three to create a great impact on the audience. He reminds readers that because Baba grew up with Ali, he abuses his position to cause harm. Hosseini reflects on this through Ali's use of dialogue: “But, Agha sahib, tell them who did it. "doer of evil and who is the poor worker?" Using Farsi endearments such as "Agha Sahib", meaning "friend, sir", and contrasted with his gentle reminder of the truth, Hosseini reveals to readers Ali's underlying pain in so that the term can encompass the extent of Baba's betrayal. Even though Baba stole Ali's wife, Hosseini shows that Ali can only forgive him as his friend and servant. By neglecting his son, Baba has a lot of power over Amir, so much so that Amir can't laugh: "Baba's stone eyes penetrated mine and, just like that, I didn't laugh anymore." This treatment of his son forces Amir to come to the conclusion that Baba “hated me a little.” The author uses pathos to attract the reader and sympathize with the boy. It shows that Baba abuses his power over many people, including his own family. As a boy, Amir is subjected to society's discriminating views that Pashtuns are superior to Hazaras. These opinions blind him as Amir states that “I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara” and “nothing would ever change that. Nothing". Despite being fed by the same “breastfeeding woman”, Amir's cruelty towards Hassan reflects his belief in his “ethnic” superiority. He takes advantage of the fact that Hassan is illiterate and mocks him when he does not understand the meaning of “imbecile”, asking “after all, what was the purpose of the written word to a servant?”reflect on his offensive attitude towards “Hazaras”. Amir takes advantage of Hassan's loyalty and wonders if he would "eat dirt" if he asked. Even knowing he was abusing his power, he says, “there was something charming – if in a sick way – about making fun of Hassan. A bit like when we played insect torture. Except now he was the ant and I had the magnifying glass in my hand. Hosseini uses this to foreshadow Amir's great betrayal. Furthermore, the writer foreshadows Amir's betrayal through the narrative where Amir states that "the next time I saw him smile cheekily like that was twenty-six years later, in a faded Polaroid photograph." Using these techniques, the author highlights that abusing one's power can have a negative impact on an individual's life. Additionally, Hossieni uses the pomegranate tree to reveal the changes in their friendship throughout the novel. Initially the pomegranate is full of life, with the leaves “dancing” in the breeze. But after Hassan's rape and Amir's inaction, the tree becomes a symbol of bitterness, guilt and anger. Hosseini refers to the fruit as “overripe pomegranate fruit,” to underline Hassan's wounds of a new betrayal. The writer foreshadows future events as he reveals Amir's internal monologue to readers: "I had one last chance to make a decision... I could walk into that alley, defend Hassan - the way he had stood up for me all those times . in the past… Or I could run away. In the end I ran away.” This internal monologue makes readers think about the definition of abuse of power. He is not alone Baba to portray the cruelty of human nature, Hosseini uses rhetorical questions to address society's discriminating views when Amir reassures himself: "He was just a Hazara, wasn't he?" Amir believes that "Nothing was free in this world", which suggests that Hassan was the sacrifice he had to make to gain Baba's affection. But by fulfilling his desires, Hassan comes presented as the “perfect” servant – the caricature of loyalty. This is because, as Hosseini suggests, Hassan has been conditioned to accept his servile place in society and suffers in silence. In silence, Hassan suffers humiliation, which only serves to compound Amir's guilt. Ironically, Hosseini juxtaposes this rape scene with the slaughter of a sacrificial lamb during the Muslim holiday of Eid-e-Qorban through Amir's flashback and using terms such as “resignation.” Before this event, Assef had questioned Hassan: “before you sacrifice yourself for him, think about this: would he do the same for you?” Although Hassan has been oppressed countless times, he continues to remain loyal to Amir as his best friend. Despite betraying Hassan, Amir soon forgets everything when he enters the “big hairy arms” of his father. By using a soft tone with these words, Hosseini suggests that it is often easy for Pashtuns to forget the harm they inflict on others. Similar to Amir, Assef also grew up with society's unjust views. Being the villain of The Kite Runner, he symbolizes all evil. There are various instances in the novel where he abuses his power to a very high extent. Claiming to know the new president of the Afghan Republic, Assef says: "I will ask the president to... rid Afghanistan of all the dirty Hazara Kasseefs." Hosseini uses terms like “free” and “dirty” to reflect on the prejudicial education in which Pashtun children are raised. Hosseini uses the rape of Hassan and Sohrab as a metaphor.