Best of Week: Nature vs. Nurture

During class this week, we discussed the nature vs. nurture principle and applied it to Assef in the Kite Runner. Most all of the readers of Kite Runner are thoroughly disgusted with the character of Assef the first time the book mentions him. His cruel thoughts and unbelievable actions make him the most hated character in the novel. In order to get to the roots of Assef, we discussed a very difficult issue. What made Assef this way? Was there something truly abnormal with him and his health? Or was it the unique way in which he was brought up, the way society has shaped him? This questions brings up the nature vs. nurture argument.

Assef has never known discipline. He has managed to obtain the ability to control everyone around him, from his obedient followers as friends, to even his parents. He acts with no consideration towards others, not understanding the feelings of guilt or sympathy. And the sick part is, he enjoys every minute of it.

There is another side to Assef's personality. The cause of his actions could simply be nature, the way he was born. Amir labels Assef as a sociopath, someone who was born differently than everyone else, someone who has a mental disability. It's not Assef's fault that he acts the way he does. He's just different.

After listening to this discussion and hearing both sides of the argument, I have come to the conclusion that Assef is not a sociopath, but instead a fully functional human being. His upbringings and overall weird lifestyle have contorted Assef into a disturbing human, one who laughs at other's pain and scoffs at hurt feelings. This is because Assef is not stupid, but rather quite intelligent. He knows every action that he takes and understands it, for the adult Assef becomes a very powerful member of the Taliban, a position with high respects.

We'd all like to say that we don't care what other people think about us. We'd like to think that our lives are not determined by what other people say, that they don't have an affect on us. But we do. It's a fact in every one's lives, and we must understand both the nature and the nurtured side have affected who we are today.