The Kite Runner Self Forgiveness Character Analysis

The Journey to Self-forgiveness of a Morally Ambiguous Character Guilt is like a scar; it is a painful reminder of an unpleasant situation and is ugly until accepted and moved on from. However, unlike some scars, guilt can dissipate over time as individuals learn to forgive themselves for their wrongdoing. Guilt, along with self-forgiveness, is frequently seen with morally ambiguous characters, such as Amir from Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner. In the story, a young Amir fails to protect his friend Hassan from the antagonist, Assef, which results in the profound guilt that follows him into his adult life. Eventually, he finds a way to forgive himself for his misdeed, as do readers. It is through Amir’s experience that Hosseini

This is seen to be true in The Kite Runner when Amir learns about remorse and absolution through his life experiences. Over the course of the novel, Amir is presented as a morally ambiguous character because of the two traits, guilt and self-forgiveness, he is presented with. This moral ambiguity comes into play when Amir commits a hurtful act, but is not seen as totally corrupt. The reason for this is, “we can relate to [morally ambiguous characters]...” (Zafar, Paragraph 1). 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