Assef

In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, an influential character is Assef. Assef is the main antagonistic character in the novel. Assef spent his childhood as a bully and a sociopath. "Door to door we [Assef] went calling for the men and the boys. We'd shoot them right in front of their families. Let them see. Let them remember who they were, where they belonged" (Hosseini, 277). Assef directly influenced a multitude of people. One of the major characters that Assef influenced was Hassan. For example, Assef was the character who raped Hassan in the alley. Not only did Assef influence people directly, but he also influenced great deals of people indirectly. One character that was influenced indirectly by Hassan is Amir. Because of the fact that Assef raped Hassan and he witnessed the event, Amir suffered from insomnia for much of his life. Assef also caused Amir to live with gut wrenching guilt for most of his life. Even though some people believe Assef to be a minor character, Assef's influence was present throughout the course of the novel and created a lasting impact.