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Depicting Amir’s redemption in the story, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini uses a powerful flashback, recurring conflicts, and an altering tone of voice to illustrate the idea of Amir finally being able to redeem himself by the end of the story. Hosseini skilfully inserts the powerful flashback to show the significant change Amir had at the end of the novel. In scrutinizing Amir’s every decision he makes throughout the novel, Hosseini encourages the reader to grasp the idea of Amir finally redeeming himself for his sins at the end of the novel. Hosseini wants the reader to be on a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the novel to keep the reader interested in Amir’s journey to seek redemption for himself. Hosseini utilizes recurring conflicts …show more content…
in the novel to show the progress Amir has made throughout his life. This occurs when Amir is faced with a decision of sticking up for his friend Hassan when he his cornered by 3 older kids led by Assef. “Blocking Hassan’s way out of the alley were three boys,... Wali was standing on one side, Kamal on the other, and in the middle, Assef.”(pg.71). The quote sets up the scene where Hassan is trapped in an alley all by himself against 3 older boys while Amir is quietly watching from a distant. What followed was the beating and rape of Hassan while Amir cowardly watched not making any attempt to help his friend. That scene is significant because it foreshadows a future conflict which does eventually happen but instead its Amir who must fight for the safety of his nephew. “When it’s all done, only one of us will walk out of this room alive, Assef said. If it’s him, then he’s earned his freedom and you let him pass, do you understand?”(pg.287). This quote helps set up the scene where Amir will finally be able to redeem his beloved friend by taking out the murderous leader, Assef and saving Hassan’s son, Sohrab. Amir was unable to kill Assef but he managed to escape his compound with a little help from Sohrab, who shot Assef in the eye with the slingshot he was given by his father. Amir was able to feel the comfort of redemption when he triumphantly saved Sohrab from the vile man who took Hassan’s dignity back in their childhood. Hosseini used recurring conflicts to show how Amir was able to redeem himself and also Hassan at the end of the story. Hosseini uses an altering tone of voice to show the change Amir went through in order to redeem himself.
At the beginning Amir is a timid and cowardly boy, when he is faced with a challenge that he thinks he can’t win or overcome, Amir would give up and not stand up for himself or others. ‘“ How can you call him your friend?” But he’s not my friend! I almost blurted. He’s my servant!”’(pg.41). From just this scene, Amir is depicted as a weak person who’d have no problem just throwing one of his dearest friends into the fire to save his own self which is very selfish. Amir’s tone of voice when confronted with situations like this is very feeble and narcissistic making his character appear very weak. However, Amir realizes this and as the story goes on he slowly becomes less self-centered and much more capable of sticking up for himself and others. ‘“And one more thing, General Sahib”, I said. “You will never again refer to him as ‘Hazara boy’ in my presence. He has a name and it’s Sohrab.” No one said anything for the remainder of the meal.”’(pg.361). Amir is at the dinner table with his wife and her family when General Sahib refers to Sohrab as a “Hazara boy” which angered Amir into something he rarely did. Amir stood up not for himself but for Sohrab by calling out General Sahib who is his father in law which is very significant because Amir undermined his authority by speaking against him. This shows the change Amir experienced from the beginning of the story to the end …show more content…
of the story. Hosseini shows the altering tone of voice that Amir has to show that he has redeemed himself and is cleansed of his past sins. Hosseini uses a powerful flashback to show how Amir is able to feel redeemed when thinking about his past life in Afghanistan.
Amir has always enjoyed kite running especially when he was younger and was accompanied by his best friend, Hassan. Amir wants Hassan’s son, Sohrab to feel the same thing so he takes Sohrab out and lets him run the Kite he gave him. ‘“ Do you want me to run that kite for you?” His Adam’s apple rose and fell as he swallowed. The wind lifted his hair. I thought I saw him nod. “For you, a thousand times over,”(pg.371). Amir is out with Sohrab doing something he and Hassan did when they were younger, trying to connect with Sohrab the same way he connected with Hassan. This time it’s not Amir controlling the kite, it’s Sohrab and it’s also Amir who eventually runs down the kite for Sohrab, something Hassan would always do when both him and Amir were younger. This is significant because Amir is able to go back to his childhood and remember something he cherished so deeply and be able to share it with Sohrab. This ultimately completes Amir’s redemption because he is able to continue his best friends legacy with his son. Hosseini uses a powerful flashback to show how Amir is able to remember something so symbolic and meaningful in which he shares with Sohrab. This shows how Amir has redeemed himself after being a terrible friend to Hassan in the
past. Near the end of the novel, Amir almost makes a terrible decision of not rescuing Sohrab when Rahim Khan first asks him. Amir, being self-centered at first denies Khan’s quest of saving Sohrab from the destruction of Afghanistan which would make it that much harder for Amir to fully redeem himself for his sins. Ultimately Amir makes the right choice and accepts Khan’s dying request to bring Sohrab to safety. In conclusion, this keeps Amir on the right track as he inches closer to redemption.
During the course of these four chapters Amir is on a mission to find Sohrab, Hassan’s son, in the city of Kabul. Initially Amir is uncooperative on Rahim Khans dying wish to see Sohrab once more. When Rahim Khan confronts Amir about being “A man who cannot stand up to anything,” (Hosseini 221). This ignites a flame within Amir to prove Rahim Khan wrong. If this statement had not been spoken to Amir, the events in twenty through twenty-three would not have happened. Based on the previous chapters of The Kite Runner Amir can be described as placid as well as
The Taliban would kill people over a wrong glance which makes it super risky and there was no guarantee that Amir would make it home alive. Amir also showed bravery (288) when he fought Assef. He could have been a coward and left, allowing for Sohrab to take the beating like Hassan had done for Amir in the past, but instead he fought. This was brave because Assef was extremely violent with no moral which makes him a vicious fighter. There was a good chance Assef was going to kill Amir during the fight, but Amir did it anyways because he wanted to save Sohrab. The final example of Amir being brave was when he stood up for Sohrab to the General: “And one more thing, General Sahib,” I said. “ You will never again refer to him as ‘Hazara boy’ in my presence. He has a name and it’s Sohrab.”’ (pg. 361). The General and Amir had always had a shaky relationship and Amir had always been a bit timid towards the General. However, Amir didn’t stand for Sohrab being called a ‘Hazara boy’, a racist term that was offensive. Instead he stood up for Sohrab and made sure that Sohrab was not going to be called names like that which was brave of Amir. Amir's bravery shows that he has put in the effort to be worthy of forgiveness.
In Amir’s early childhood, kites represented happiness. Flying kites was his favorite pastime, as it was the only way that he connected fully with Baba, who was once a champion kite fighter. However, the kite takes on a different significance when Amir doesn’t stop Hassan's abusers from raping him in order to prevent the kite from being stolen. The kite serves as a symbol of Amir’s guilt throughout the novel. Hechose his fragile relationship with his father over the well-being of his best friend and half-brother: “Baba and I lived in the same ...
There are many parallels between the first half of Amir’s life and the second half. Specifically, Hassan runs the blue kite for Amir during their adolescence and later Amir runs the kite for Sohrab. Moreover,
In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini the, main Protagonist is a man that goes by the name Amir. Some argue that he is an anti-hero, or not a hero. No. Amir is a hero. Amir is just another person who was lost at one point and needed direction and needed clear the guilty feelings he had. Through these actions he creates a heroic journey, he follows a hero’s path.
Amir’s development from being “a boy who won’t stand up for himself,” to a man that stands up for the morally responsible thing to do (22, Hosseini). When Amir was a child, he tried to escape from his sins in the past by hiding them with lies. However, this only made it worse for Amir, causing him to be an insomniac for much of his life and putting himself through constant torment. Only when Amir became a man, like Baba wanted him to be, was Amir able to face the truth of what he done and put himself on the path of redemption. Even when Amir was suffering a violent beating from Assef, Amir was able to laugh because he knew he was doing what he should have for Hassan years ago. Amir’s development from a child, who lies in order to cower from their own mistakes, into a man, someone who is not only able to admit his sins, but atone for them, is essential to communicating the theme of redemption being the only way to settle with your
Amir shows proves his redemption in the most human way he could. He took responsibility for his actions, went through the worst to fix his actions, and took the consequences for his actions, which may in the end was rewarding. Amir is admired by the reader, because not everyone can do what he did. He certainly proved he had good in him the entire time and was just caught up with moment. Amir achieved redemption and was rewarded with an undeniable bond with his
Flying kites was a source of Amir 's happiness as a child as well as a way to attain his father’s approval. In Kabul, Afghanistan, a kite flying tournament was held annually. Young boys laced their string with glass and attempted to cut the strings of other kite flyers. That last on standing was deemed the champion and the idol of all the younger children. Before Amir competed in his kite tournament, Baba said, “I think maybe you 'll win the tournament this year. What do you think?” (Hosseini, 50) Amir took this opportunity and told himself that, “I was going to win, and I was going to run that last kite. Then I’d bring it home and show it to Baba. Show him once and for all his son was worthy. Then maybe my life as a ghost in this house would finally be over.” (Hosseini, 50) Amir wanted the approval and affection of his father badly enough that he was willing to allow Hassan to get raped in order to attain it. After this kits became the symbol of Amir 's betrayal to Hassan. The kite ultimately becomes the way that Amir connects with Sohrab, mirroring how Amir connected with Baba when he was a
In the end, I ran.” ( ) This section of The Kite Runner was astonishing and unfathomable, but nevertheless sets the scene for Amir’s journey to redemption. Subsequently Amir began to develop guilt and believed the only way to be free from it was to push Hassan into leaving, which he achieved but soon realized that wasn’t what he had wanted. Years later, Amir had gotten the chance to redeem himself and become good again by rescuing Hassan’s son from the war ridden Afghanistan and bring him back to America.
As a foreword, the story of The Kite Runner focuses on a man named Amir. In his childhood, he enjoyed a high-class life in Kabul, Afghanistan, living with his father Baba. They have two servants, Ali and his son Hassan. They are Hazaras, a lower class ethnic minority in Afghanistan. In one Winter of their childhood, Amir and Hassan participate in a kite-fighting tournament; the goal is to be the last kite flying. When a kite is cut, boys chase after it as a trophy. Amir wins the tournament, and Hassan flies to catch the losing kite. Later, following Hassan's path, Amir comes upon a neighbourhood bully named Assef about to rape Hassan who has the trophy, the blue kite. Amir does not interject, believing this will secure him the kite. Thus, Amir sets forth a chain of events he must redeem in his adulthood.
The story The Kite Runner is centered around learning “to be good again.” Both the movie and the book share the idea that the sins of the past must be paid for or atoned for in the present. In the book, Amir can be seen as a troubled young boy who is struggling with a tremendous amount of guilt. It is easy to blame Amir’s actions on his guilt and his father’s lack of love for him.
Amir is a man who is haunted by the demons of his past. This is first shown in the opening lines of the novel “I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975. I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley near the frozen creek. That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out.” (Hosseini pg.#) These opening lines of the novel foreshadow what is yet to come. You can see that Amir looking back at the past with an attempt to justify why he is the man he is today. In the winter of 1975 it was the final round of the Kite Running tournament when Hassan choice to run the last kite for Amir. In doing so Hassan is corner by Assef and his gang who question Hassan’s loyalty to Amir. They give Hassan the choice to give them the kite in exchange to do no harm to him or to...
Amir’s redemption is a large part of the novel and is carried out almost entirely until the end of the story. He travels to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from the orphanage he was placed in after the death of his parents. He promises to find him a safe home with someone but after time passes he feels like this is not enough. He then speaks to his wife and decides to take Sohrab back to the United States with him and take care of his as if he was one of his own. Earlier in the novel when Baba is speaking Amir over hears his conversation as he is referring to him stating, “A boy who won 't stand up for himself becomes a man who can 't stand up to anything” (Hosseini, 22). Thus meaning that if he is able to stand up for himself as a young boy, when he is grown he will not be able to stand up for anything that is in his future. This is true throughout the story until he stands up for himself and Sorhab when he is arguing with his life long bully, Assef. Amir lacked the courage to defend himself in the novel until he finally took charge and went against
...achieves redemption and finally succeeds in overcoming his guilt. Hosseini uses this struggle to persuade those who feel extreme guilt for a wrongdoing to seek forgiveness and to help others in need. The author emphasizes that atoning one’s sins comes from reaching out to others. He expresses this when Amir offers to help Sohrab and he rids himself of guilt from his former relationship with Hassan. In addition, Hosseini writes to those who challenge the ideals of society in order to encourage them to create and follow their own values. The author uses Amir’s struggle in his relationship with Baba and his acceptance with Amir’s writing career to demonstrate this idea. Throughout his novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini develops a main character that questions his decisions, yet conforms to societal ideals to represent his theme of redemption and self-acceptance.
When attempting to remember a specific instance from the past, one finds that it is difficult to recall specific elements of the past. However, when met with a familiar sound or scent, the mind automatically calls upon every detail of the memory associated with that trigger. Both characters, Jamal and Amir, find themselves vividly remembering certain instances of the past in times where they are reminded of the past. In Amir's circumstance, whenever he is reminded of a kite or another symbolic object from his childhood, he remembers how he betrayed Hassan. In Jamal's case, each question brings up a pivotal memory from his childhood, whether it be jumping into the latrine to meet a celebrity or watching his mother killed before his eyes. Because memory works in this way, it effectively improves the situation both characters found themselves in. Eerily, these memories are never demanded, they arise and haunt without any provocation. This shows how truly nagging the past can be to someone who has experienced a traumatic event. These flashbacks contain much symbolism in The Kite Runner. One poignant figure of symbolism is the string of the kite. As the story closes, Amir flies a kite in San Francisco with his wife and Sohrab. As he cuts the kite of the opposition, this action symbolizes the final ending of the memories of how he betrayed