Role Adversity Plays in Shaping Identity

Role adversity plays in shaping an individual’s identity Discuss the idea(s) developed by the text creator in your chosen text about the role adversity plays in shaping an individual’s identity. A man is insensible to appreciate prosperity until he has tasted adversity. Adverse situations shape an individual’s identity and play a significant role in one’s life by shaping personal values, determining one’s own potential and self worth. Khaled Hosseini conveys how hardships shape individuals identities through the characters of Amir, Baba, Hassan and Ali in his novel The Kite Runner. Like every individual they go through a series of incidents and hardships that shape who they become and how well they deal with struggles in life. Life is not about finding one’s own self, but about creating and learning from experiences. As one goes from childhood to adulthood and deals with the hardships of life, they grow as a person and learn from their experiences. Amir’s journey of life displays how incidents and hardships shape ones identity. Amir as the kite fighter lets Hassan the kite runner get raped by Assef due to fear, jealousy and need for love. He sacrifices Hassan for his selfish desires and the need to prove himself worthy to Baba. â€Å"I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba. † Hassan’s rape shaped Amir’s identity and his personal values. He valued Hassan but he valued Baba’s love even more. He valued his need for acceptance more than humanity and loyalty to his friend. Rape created guilt and regrets; it shaped Amir’s personal values. After betrayal the need to belong was a struggle for Amir. He looked for ways to make Baba proud of him and searched for acceptance. It’s only natural to want to be accepted and loved however one has to decide how far they are willing to go to achieve that. Amir’s actions and decisions resulted in his loss of innocence which shaped his identity and character. Adverse situations in Amir’s life made him realize his own potential and had an effect on self worth. When Amir is at last given a way to be good again he redeems himself by becoming the kite runner. Amir goes into Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, as an adult, to rescue Sohrab. By rescuing Amir relives himself of overwhelming guilt that compounded over years. Getting beaten up by the rapist and bringing Sohrab back home makes him feel worthy. He no longer feels useless however he achieves true redemption when he becomes the kite runner instead of the kite fighter for Sohrab. By saying â€Å"For you, a thousand times over,† he amends for Baba and his sins and forgives himself. Hardships made Amir who he was since the beginning and he grew as a person by the end. Amir learned from experience and determined how adversity played a role in shaping his values, determining his potential and providing him with a feeling of self worth. Every individual learns from experience and grows as a person all together. Baba as Amir’s father also faced adversity and it shaped his identity as a person. Incidents from his past created his future and played a significant role in creating his character. Baba slept with Ali’s wife behind his back and Hassan was the living proof of his betrayal and disloyalty towards his friend. Sanaubar carrying Baba’s son created an adverse situation which teaches everyone a lesson about honor and disloyalty. All his life he had to hide the truth from the world and by keeping Ali and Hassan safe in his house he was revising for his mistakes. â€Å"I don’t care about the money or the watch. † He forgives Hassan for stealing despite the fact that he considered theft as the only crime. He was always nice to Ali because he was guilty and wanted redemption. His past affected his decisions and shaped his identity. It strengthened his personal values and made him question his self worth. Baba’s experiences with women in his life made him stronger since he stood up for a strange women’s honor on their way to Pakistan. When the Russian soldier asked for half an hour with the lady in the back Baba stood up and spoke against it. Baba had the courage due to his past experiences and adverse situations he has already faced. I will take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place. † His personal values and beliefs went against Russian soldiers demands only because incidents before have had an impact on his character and they shaped his identity. Baba constantly tries to do good deeds to redeem and perhaps forgive himself. Another example of shaping identity is society pressure. Baba’s image mattered, how other people saw him and how they treated him was a part of his personal values and self worth. Wealth, status and honor were how he was portrayed in front of society. Society pressure and judgment shaped Baba’s identity and impacted his decisions. He was ashamed to tell everyone that he is Hassan’s father, a father to a Hazzara. He did not want to lose his identity of being a Pashtun or be disrespected due to his past. Just as Amir Baba was willing to deal with guilt and regret for personal desires and searched for true redemption the rest of his life. Different people have various beliefs and their own way of doing things. Hassan was one exceptional character whose loyalty overruled all betrayals in the novel. Just as any other individuals Hassan dealt with hardships in life however Hassan’s selflessness made him far different from Amir and Baba. Hassan was illiterate and wanted to learn how to read and write. He used Amir for his personal desires, the desire to read and learn. â€Å"we sat for hours under that tree, sat there until the sun faded in the west, and still Hassan insisted we had enough daylight for one more story, one more chapter. † At that time in Afghanistan written words were no use for servants especially if they were labeled a Hazzara. Hassan being Ali’s son, who was only true for the world, had to live with being illiterate and deprived from his rights to knowledge. Difficult events and hardships shaped Hassan’s identity and life. His illiteracy was a part of him and had an impact on the decisions Hassan made in life. Hassan was naive and his innocence poured out through his actions of friendship and true loyalty. The character of Ali also conveys how situations of life shape ones identity, how they create a person and determine ones potential. Ali was Baba’s servant and that was a reason for why he was never able to speak up for justice. When Hassan was framed for stealing from Amir, Ali had the choice to tell the truth, he restrained from giving up Amir only because he gave Hassan his word. Baba and Amir were always superior and Ali’s personal values told him that it was better to leave it as it was. Ali realized his self potential then and left home with his honor and dignity. Adversity was essential for developing his self worth and Ali’s role as the servant shaped his identity and plays a significant role in his values and beliefs. Similar to Ali Hassan strengthened his beliefs through hardships and truggles, Hassan was loyal at the beginning and despite of all the betrayal and deception from Amir he stood loyal and strong until the end when he sacrificed himself once again while guarding Baba’s house. When faced with adversity, there are a select few who can push it aside for the greater good. It takes a special kind of person to do what Hassan did. He followed through his principles which s haped his character and identity. People don’t appreciate happiness and everything they have until life takes a turn and teaches a valuable lesson. Amir, Hassan, Baba and Ali’s identities and characters were shaped around adverse situations and hardships of life. Difficult situations they faced created who they were; it strengthened their personal values, determined their potential and provided the feeling of self worth. Adversity teaches one’s self that a path with no obstacles, probably doesn’t lead anywhere. It is essential for growth of an individual throughout life because sometimes in tragedy one finds his life purpose- the eye sheds a tear to find its focus.