Literary Parallels and irony of Sohrab saving Amir

As Amir was yelping under the pain of Assef’s punch, Sohrab lionheartedly fired a slingshot into Assef’s retina. Based on this, one could rationally argue that such a scene shares a parallel structure with the earlier scenes of Hassan saving Amir. This is because they are both centered around the same characters and share similar details. Given the nature of the scene, one could also characterize Sohrab’s rescue of Amir to be an ironic act.  For Amir is the one who came to rescue Sohrab, yet he had to rely on the Sohrab to save him from danger. 

For the fact that they all share similar characters and details, it is reasonable to infer that this scene shares a parallel structure with earlier acts of Hassan coming to Amir’s rescue. A parallel structure, when used in the context of literature, could refer to two different scenes that are linked by the same characters and the same details. Sohrab’s rescue of Amir and Hassan’s rescue share the same characters in the following manner: They both are attempts by the same Hazara family to rescue Amir from Assef. The similarities between the two scenes further establish the legitimacy of my claim: In both scenes, Sohrab and Hassan used the same weapon – the slingshot – In both acts, Sohrab and Hassan defeated their enemy, Assef. In both situations, Sohrab and Hassan displayed more courage and strength than Amir. Sohrab and Hassan exhibited more power by which while Amir was buckling under Assef’s intimidation, Sohrab and Hassan recognized their control over the situation and aimed the slingshot at the villian. To sum up everything, the two scenes shared a parallel structure by which they are both linked to the same characters and similar details. And by portraying Sohrab’s rescue of Amir to be similar to Hassan’s, the author mirrors Hassan’s traits on Sohrab. It is important to mirror Hassan’s traits on him because in doing so, readers can empathsize with Sohrab. Through illustrating him to be a reflection of Hassan’s character, the writer highlights Sohrab’s identity as Hassan’s own blood and son because Hassan’s traits are passed down to him. And by recognizing Sohrab to be Hassan’s own son, the author makes it easier for readers to empathesize with this new character. Had the audience not understand Sohrab to be Hassan’s own blood, they wouldn’t be able to deeply empathsize with his sufferings because they don’t see the connection betwee him and the main characters of the story. Knowing that Sohrab is the very son of Hassan, the audience would also resonate with Sohrab’s difficulties: For the fact that they share a familial relationship, therefore anything that harms Sohrab would traumatize Hassan and Amir as well. Hence because it is his familial ties that make Sohrab a meaningful person to the main characters, therefore the audience would fail to resonate with him if his familial relationships are not emphasized through parallel structures. 

The irony of Sohrab’s rescue is evident when the following is considered: Amir came to Afghanistan in order to rescue Sohrab, yet he, the one supposed to be the hero, had to count on his subject to get him out of danger. Because a hero is expected to free people from danger, therefore any claims about Amir being a hero is ironical because Sohrab, not Amir, resolved the dangers of the situation. Hence, Sohrab’s rescue of Amir is ironical because the plot did not turn out the way the audience expected: They thought Amir will be the one bring the protagonists to safety, yet it turned out that he won’t. 

Through the use of parallel structure, Khaled Hosseni had clarified the identity of Sohrab to be Hassan’s only child. Knowing the identity of Sohrab, the audience would be able to resonate with his and the other protagonist’s suffering. Hence, the use of parallel structure makes the readers more engaged with the plot because they can now sympathesize with the characters’ trials and difficulties. 

Reflection:

This piece is a validation of my ability to think analytically. My capability to be an analytic thinker is evident when the following is considered: As I realized the parallels between the actions of Hassan and Sohrab, I couldn’t help but question why the writer portrayed their actions to be similar. Processing the nature of their situations, it didn’t take me long to realize that this is done to foster empathy from his readers towards Sohrab. Hence as a direct outcome of this, I received good feedback for this assignment due to my unique and great insight into the plot. Because I took time to process the storyline, I demonstrated analytical thinking for my willingness to think beyond the surface.

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