In both ‘The kite Runner’ by khaled Hosseini and ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ by Thomas Hardy, the authors explore violence and guilt through the characters. Both of the novels focus around potent and forceful characters who assert their power on the feeble and hogtied person.

One way in which Hosseini effectively displays violence and guilt in ‘The Kite Runner’ as being destructive which affects other people’s lives. Hosseini uses his main character, Amir, to express how any form of violence, guilt and betrayal could ultimately demolish relationships. The first act of violence in the novel was presented when Hassan was getting raped by a sadistic bully, Assef. A racist who is incapable of remorse and relishes to impose violence and sexual abuse on those who are frail and defenceless. This causes Amir emotional abuse as he is unable to protect his friend due to his fear towards Assef and need to be loved by his dad more. He is afraid at first, but later thinks “Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price i had to pay, the lamb i had to slay to win Baba. Was it a fair price?”. This show how his guilt turns into shame and then to anger. His suppressed guilt creates tensions and regret in his life that it begins to desolate his happiness. Hosseini rigorously orchestrated the rape scene by positioning Amir behind the alleyway wall, this makes the readers reluctant beholders of the rape and the guilt which afflicts Amir throughout the novel inhabits with the reader too-“i remember the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley”.