The Search for Redemption in the Kite Runner and Secret Daughter

The search for Redemption

In a lifetime one will face many battles and deal with guilt as said “nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character give him power” (Abraham Lincoln). Guilt from deceiving others or other immoral acts will result in one constantly searching for redemption. Khalid Hosseni’s novel Kite Runner and Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s novel Secret Daughter revolve around betrayal and redemption. Firstly, the search for personal redemption will strongly influence ones character. Secondly, the bond a child forms with their parents will affect their actions. Lastly, the persistence of the past will cloud one’s ability to redeem their life. Throughout the novel the authors integrated the themes of redemption in diverse and powerful ways, influencing the characters’ lives.

Redemption is the act of saving or being saved from any sin, error or evil searching for redemption can impact ones character. Within both novels many characters are on a quest for redemption. This develops the characters as Amir the main character in The Kite Runner, was driven to be important in his father’s eyes and not just the boy who is the cause of his wife’s death. Also, in the novel Secret Daughter Kavita, one of the main characters was determined to have the love and acceptance from society by giving birth to a boy, in doing so she gave up 2 daughters. Amir was forced to deal with the guilt he had built up over the years as a result of that one incident although it was out of his control his father’s words "a boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything" drive him to take the opportunity of redemption(Hosseni 4). In relation to Amir, Kavita is driven by her pain “they have showered ...

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... forward in her life (Gowda 289). This is significant because in the novel the characters were held back by their past and weren’t able to improve themselves or develop as characters without the redemption.

The novel greatly incorporates the theme of redemption in emotional and heartfelt ways, setting the course of both stories. Personal redemption will consistently have an impact on the way one lives their life. Also, the bond a child forms with their parents will dictate the way one acts. Lastly, the past will always remain in one’s life altering their ability to seek redemption. Although one achieves redemption, it does not make their actions correct. It only makes up for their imperfections.

Works Cited

Hosseini, Khaled. The kite runner. New York: Riverhead Books, 2003. Print.

Gowda, Shilpi Somaya. Secret daughter. New York, NY: William Morrow, 2010. Print.