As said by Lehman Strauss, “To atone for means to make amends.” Atonement for a sin can be achieved when one redeems himself. One is never truly free of their sins until they attain redemption otherwise it haunts them for their entire life. True redemption is when guilt leads to good. In The Kite Runner, Amir tries to atone for his sins by rescuing and adopting his nephew, Sohrab. His guilt led him to perform a good deed.
“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…Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.”Amir betrayed
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Hassan when he was being raped by Assef. Instead of rescuing him, he kept quiet and ran away. According to the Bible, humans suffer from the penalty of sin from the time Adam committed his offence. God made man free but “man abused his privilege of freedom.”However, responding to a sin with more sins and offences is even worse. This is a huge mistake that Amir made and it haunts him for most of his life. After witnessing the rape, he ignored Hassan and talked to him rudely. He also drove him and Ali away by falsely accusing him of theft.At the same time, Amir wasn’t sure whether he did the right thing. He “defined himself by his guilt.” He spent his entire life doubting if he deserved to get love and respect due to his sin and guilt. That happens to one when one commits a sin and gets engulfed in his own guilt. God has claimed that after sin, there shall be death. Not necessarily physical death but even spiritual death, i.e., “separation of the whole man from God,” according to the Bible. One also feels that they are a reject, not only in society but also before God. Nevertheless, Amir was not the only sinner in the novel. His father, Baba, was one too. Baba had an illegitimate son with Ali’s wife, i.e., Hassan. Amir was Hassan’s half-brother. Neither Hassan nor Amir was aware about this. As stated in the Bible, whenever redemption takes place it is given that a ransom price had to be paid.
God’s act was the price He had to pay for the sins humans committed. The death of Christ is the atonement for man’s sins, where the sinner reconciles with God. Amir knew he had to redeem himself when he was called to Peshawar by Rahim Khan. When Rahim Khan tells Amir about Baba’s sin, he also tells him that everything kind Baba did, like feeding the poor, helping the needy, building an orphanage, etc. was because he wanted to atone for his sins. Rahim Khan didn’t want Amir to atone only his own sins but that of Baba’s too. “After he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him.” Leviticus 25:48. The term Kinsman-Redeemer comes into the picture here, which means that a next-of-kin must accomplish redemption for their …show more content…
relative. Redemption is a way to free yourself of your guilt when you commit a sin or transgression. It is a way to reconcile with the person who was hurt during the process. Although it was too late for Amir to mend things with Hassan, Rahim Khan knew a way for Amir to achieve redemption. He wanted Amir to bring Sohrab, Hassan’s son, from Afghanistan to Pakistan. He was in an orphanage in Kabul. Amir was reluctant to go to Kabul at first but soon realised that his entire life had been, to put it in his own words, “A cycle of lies, betrayals, and secrets.” Now, he just wanted to “end the cycle” by rescuing Sohrab; his nephew. This was the only way of redemption for him and his father. Another example of sin and redemption can be found in the book ‘Atonement’.
In this novel too, the protagonist, Briony, betrays her sister and her lover and later tries to redeem herself for the same. Many a times, betrayal takes place in presence of social differences. In The Kite Runner, Amir was a Pashtun and Hassan was a Hazara. Pashtuns were regarded socially superior to Hazaras in Afghanistan. WhenAmir saw Hassan being raped, at the back of his mind he thought that it was fine to let Hassan be raped since he was just a Hazara. In Atonement, Briony and Cecilia belongedto a high class family, whereas Robbie belonged to a lower class family. Although Robbie and Cecilia were in love, she doesn’t reveal the truth about Robbie’s innocence at the police station because she knew otherwise her family and the society won’t approve of her neither believe
her. In both novels the protagonists achieve redemption late in their life. Amir redeems himself by rescuing and adopting Sohrab; Briony redeems herself by first withdrawing her false statement at the police station and then by apologising to her sister and Robbie. Finally, her last act of redemption was to write a book on her sins but with a different and happier ending, unlike the harsh reality. Amir’s last act of redemption was to rescue Sohrab. He soon learns that Sohrab is with his childhood rival, Assef. Amir fights Assef for Sohrab. He knew that this was his last shot at redemption. A chance that he got after twenty six, long years. He had to rescue Sohrab at any cost. When a man has a strong desire to accomplish a goal, he can go through great lengths to attain it. Finally, the two escape from Assef. When Sohrab attempted to commit suicide, Amir prayed to God and asked Him for forgiveness, but it was harder for Amir to forgive himself. Forgiving yourself is harder than asking for forgiveness from someone else. It is necessary to know that blaming yourself wouldn’t make things right in life again, acting on the problem will. Even if you tryto make amends, you will feel more free and light; almost as if a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Even though Amir’s life wasn’t perfect all over again after bringing Sohrab to USA along with him, he did redeem himself and found forgiveness in the end. To conclude, Amir’s sinful actions did disturb a lot of things in his life but ultimately he atoned himself. His guilt indeed led to something good, i.e., rescuing his nephew. He not only redeemed himself but also his father. Of course, sinning is not a good thing but it is human nature to commit crimes and misconducts. But that does not mean that you should cry about it your entire life and do nothing about it. Instead you should redress the situation and try to do something positive out of it. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… they are now justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”(Romans 3:23)
In the book “THe Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, betrayal is is one of the big themes that occurs in this book. Amir shows the most betrayal of all, like him witnessing Hassan's rape and not helping him at all. That was his cowardly thing that he did and experiences guilt from it. Many years pass since that event he starts to feel what other people felt when he would betray them, like when he was betrayed by his father and Rahim Khan, because he found out that Hassan was his brother and he felt betrayal of trust just as he made the people he betrayed feel.
In the book, The Kite Runner, Amir was often selfish which was a reason he may not be worthy of forgiveness. One example of this was when Amir tried to pay for someone else to go to Kabul to save Sohrab instead of himself: “Why me? Why can’t you pay someone here
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.
In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, there are several major themes. One of the themes that stands out the most is redemption. This theme is shown through the thoughts and actions from the protagonist of the novel, Amir. He is seeking redemption for betraying his childhood best friend and half-brother Hassan. Due to Amir’s cowardice during Hassan’s rape, he feels guilty for committing the vilest sin in Afghan culture. “I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan – the way he 'd stood up for me all those times in the past – and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran. I ran because I was a coward” (Hosseini 77). Deep down, Amir feels as if he should have done something, and because of his nagging guilt he is not able to lead a peaceful life. He
The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, shows how lying and deceit is a counterproductive route when trying to live with a dreadful past, exhibited through the actions of Amir. Amir’s decision to withhold the truth and blatantly lie in several situations due to jealousy and his desire for Baba to be proud of him amounts to further pain and misery for himself and those he deceives. Because of Amir’s deceit towards Baba and Hassan, his guilt from his past manifests itself into deeply-rooted torment, not allowing him to live his life in peace. The guilt from Amir’s past is only alleviated when he redeems his sins by taking in Sohrab, contributing to the theme that the only way “to be good again” is through redemption, not shunning the past.
No one in the city of Kabul thought anything less than greatness and admiration for him. Hassan’s with Amir, ready to defend and protect him no matter what the cost. And Amir’s with Baba, wanting to please him and make him proud to have a son like Amir. By making a decision of who Amir was more loyal to as well as who he wanted to please more, inadvertently led to his betrayal of Hassan. “I had one last chance to make a decision.
Redemption is gaining honor and self-forgiveness through a selfless act that reflects off of one’s regretful actions of their past. In the novel, The Kite Runner, Amir is the main character who goes through many life struggles and mistakes, then finds himself on a road to redemption. Amir and Hassan were best friends throughout their childhood and Hassan was the honorable, trusting best friend, the one to always take a stand for what he believed was right. Amir’s lack of courage caused him to stay silent in the worst of times, letting Hassan get tortured for the things he did not deserve. The themes of sacrifice, honor and redemption are carried out in many ways throughout this novel being shown through the actions of Hassan, Baba, and Amir.
People need redemption from our continual sin, otherwise, we just wallow in the shallowness of that aspect of our lives. Sin stays with an individual and effects the way their lives are lived. Unless they confront their past the sin will always be present. For example, Khaled Hossei’s , The Kite Runner explains how Amir- one of the main characters in the novel redeems himself because he undergoes strong guilt from his past sins. By examining Amir’s sins in his childhood, in his teenage years and in adulthood, his attainment of atonement is revealed. Particularly Amir atones for his past sins of being an eyewitness of Hassan rape who is his most loyal and devoted servant. He is influenced by this moment because he realizes that Hassan always
Sometimes no matter how big a mistake you make is you can try to be forgiven, and make up for your mistakes by seeking redemption. No matter what someone does, if they truly want to be forgiven they can, and will, seek redemption. And more often than not they will succeed and they will be forgiven. The book The Kite Runner, is about a kid named Amir, from Afghanistan, who was rich and privileged until having to move to America. And Amir stands by as Hassan is raped, which causes the guilt he has, and this is why he’s trying to strive for redemption. Amir makes mistakes and hurts his friend Hassan, and immediately afterwards he felt guilt, and wanted forgiveness, but Hassan acted like Amir did nothing, which bothered Amir even worse. And that
This is what I want you to understand, that good, real good, was born out of your father’s remorse. Sometimes, I think everything he did, feeding the poor on the streets, building the orphanage, giving money to friends in need; it was all his way of redeeming himself. And that, I believe, is what true redemption is, Amir jan, when
“There is a Way to be Good Again”: Past Actions and Redemption in Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. In The Kite Runner, Amir, Baba and Sanaubar’s past actions all negatively affect those that are close to them, yet it is not their past that defines them, rather it is how they decide to amend their wrongdoings that reflects more on their character. After Hassan’s rape, Amir spends the rest of his life trying to redeem himself for the betrayal of his loyal friend and does so after saving Hassan’s son Sohrab.
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.
...mption comes up over and over. This holds true for Soraya, who needs Amir to forgive her before she can marry him and Rahim Khan, who needs Amir to forgive him for keeping Baba's secret before he dies. "I know that in the end, God will forgive. He will forgive your father, me, and you too ... Forgive your father if you can. Forgive me if you wish. But most important, forgive yourself." Amir is not able to forgive himself until the very end of the novel, and then sees and feels his redemption.
“The guilty one is not the one who commits the sin, but the one who causes the darkness.” – Victor Hugo. In The Kite Runner, the theme of guilt and redemption is shown through the character development of the protagonist Amir. Hosseini used Amir’s guilt of his past to grow the impression that with regret lies a hope for redemption. Amir is a man who is haunted by the demons of his past.
In Khaled Hosseini’s novel “The Kite Runner,” he illustrates a fine line between what is defined as morally good and evil. During their lives as kids, Amir and Hassan had always been close, but there had always been one problem. Amir was the son of a rich and powerful Pashtun man who was almost always given everything he wanted, while Hassan was a Hazara boy who had spent his life serving Amir and his family with his father. Although the two of them seemed to always be inseparable when they played games or flew kites, there was always the defining factor of who they really are, a servant and his master.