In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, Amir struggles to cope with his inaction during Hassan’s rape. Overwhelmed with guilt, Amir devises a plan to get Hassan and Ali dismissed so they would no longer be a constant reminder of all the times Hassan had protected him and his failure to do the same. The guilt of betraying Hassan burdens him for years, and even after he and Baba move to America, he carries the weight of his actions with him. However, after he accepts Rahim Khan’s request to rescue Sohrab and bring him to safety, Amir strives to leave behind the selfishness and cowardice he had previously succumbed to. Amir progressively begins to forgive himself for his injustices towards Hassan as he recognizes his evolution from a coward
Betrayal is an issue many can relate to, whether it is done by a family member or a friend. In the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, we witness betrayal play a vital role in the downfall of the main character’s Amir and Hassan’s friendship, and how betrayal was the reason for why Amir sought redemption in hopes to move on. The novel begins with Amir as an adult, recalling an event that took place in 1975 in his hometown Kabul, Afghanistan and how this event was what changed the rest of his life and made him who he now is. Despite this heartbreaking occurrence of Amir’s reluctance to help Hassan while he was being raped, it was the reason for why Amir later decided to be brave and stand up for what he believes in.
Another large theme is working for forgiveness. Amir tries to gain redemption for not saving Hassan from rape was saving and adopting Sohrab. Baba's redemption for betraying Ali was creating an orphanage, doing other charitable activities, and giving many gifts to Hassan each birthday. An obvious symbol for The Kite Runner is kites. Kites symbolize Amir's allowance of Hassan's rape.
By Rahim Khan saying this, Amir now understands why Baba always tried to do good, because deep down inside he couldn’t bear to know what he’s done. He couldn’t love Hassan the way he wanted to. That’s why he built the orphanage and did so many other great things so he had something to distract him from his mistake and hopefully feel some redemption. Rahim Khan, Amir and Baba all redeem themselves through Sohrab. “I looked at the round face in the Polaroid again, the way the sun fell on it.
Amir strives to redeem himself in Baba’s eyes because his mother died giving birth to him, and he feels responsible for that. To redeem himself to Baba, Amir thinks he must win the kite-tournament and bring Baba the losing kite: Hassan was able to lead a fulfilling life due to his great ability of forgiving others. Hassan has always forgiven Amir. This is shown when Amir quotes Hassan had forgiven Amir after so much time had passed by. Years later, Hassan had written a letter to Rahim Kahn.
Salvation. Redemption.” Specifically, redemption in the eyes of Baba. Amir had stated earlier in the novel how he thought Baba thought of him as weak, but this was Amirs chance to be strong in the eyes of Baba, and end Amirs longing for Baba’s love.
The symbol of the kite represents not only guilt, but also Amir’s futile attempts for redemption. With this in mind, Amir’s longing for Baba’s love, the assault from Assef, and Sohrab’s journey all come full circle in the end and show that Amir can mend his mistakes once and for all. After years of standoffish treatment from Baba, Amir believes that he needs to redeem himself in his father’s eyes to reconcile for the death of his mother. At such a young age Amir, “always felt like Baba hated, [him] a little. And why not?”
Amir’s Redemption in The Kite Runner In The Kite Runner, Khalid Hosseini writes that Amir makes mistakes, and because of that, it takes his entire life to redeem himself. Throughout The Kite Runner, Amir is looking for redemption. One of the reasons why Amir redeems himself was to fix the wrong he did to Hassan in his childhood. On the other hand, many may believe that Amir didn’t earn anything and rather wasted his time in Afghanistan.
People can relate to Amir’s character because many have gone through similar situations in which they had to overcome remorse for their actions. To learn this lesson, Amir had to first commit an act he would later come to regret, this act being one of betrayal against his best friend, Hassan. Not long after, he felt guilt and regret for his conduct and was unsure if he would ever be able to move past his feelings. However, towards the end of the novel, Amir found he had forgiven himself as time passed and was able to move on from the guilt that had confined him for so long. Through this tale of the journey to self-forgiveness, it is revealed the significance certain misdeeds can have on someone and their
One of the many aspects that Hosseini added to his novel is the symbol of the kite. Amir takes this kite as a symbol of happiness and also of guilt according to (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/the-kite-runner/themes.html) (1). Amir goes through a hard time when he is a witness of Hassan’s dignity being taken. Amir at the moment does nothing about it because he feels like it would take all attention away from him by Baba. Baba, being a champion kite flyer feels extremely proud of his son because Amir is following his
Turning away from his best friend just exemplified how he was scared and intimidated and that is the worst way to act going through life. The main lesson to take out of Hosseini’s quote is to make the decision that will be the most beneficial to the future because just by one wrong decision, life can go a whole different
He built an orphanage in Kabul, saved a woman from getting raped, and moved to a foreign country to keep his son safe. Despite all of Baba 's brave acts, he seemed to be embarrassed of Amir being as timid as he was. He dealt with his own guilt of conceiving a child with Hassan 's mother by taking his frustrations out on Amir. He wanted to treat Hassan more like a son, but he could not.
Personal Reactions: I liked how Lev’s character was developed throughout the story. Lev’s main focus in the beginning of the book is to escape from his “kidnappers” and be tithed like his parents wanted, but he is so focused on obeying his parents that he doesn’t notice the people who he thinks kidnapped him are trying to save him from being unwound. As the story progresses it’s obvious Lev no longer feels the same way, this is shown on page 226 when Shusterman states, “Once he landed in the safe-house network, he quickly made it known that he was not a guy to be trifled with. He didn’t tell them he was a tithe.
Amir risked his life for Sohrab, Hassan’s son, to repay the wrong he commits toward Hassan. The recurring theme of sacrifice for the ones you love is presented all throughout the novel through Hassan, Baba, and Amir. Hassan and Amir are divided by economic differences throughout their childhood.
Since Nur fought with the Taliban, it is hard to not identify certain symptoms of PTSD, given that “PTSD is quite common among combat veterans”(“Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”). (SIP-B) Then when Nur is reunited with Najmah he begins to revisit memories of his father which creates a different view for him. (STEWE-1) When Nur is talking to najmah, bringing up his father again and again creates a change in attitude and symptoms of PTSD. He describes his emotions to Nusrat, as if “[he] must do everything to obey [his] father’s wishes, not matter what the cost.