Forgiveness In The Kite Runner Short Story

Forgiveness and redemption make up considerable parts of our lives, as we all make mistakes. For some of these mistakes, we need to atone ourselves and gain forgiveness of either ourselves or another individual. Many times, we make big decisions based receiving forgiveness for the past mistakes we have made. This theme of forgiveness and atonement is also conveyed in the Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini. Forgiveness and atonement is a significant theme throughout the Kite Runner because it causes many of the major events in the story, which is illustrated when characters do certain actions or make decisions driven by the possibility of atonement or forgiveness. The theme of forgiveness is shown from the very beginning of the story

When Rahim Khan tells Amir “Ali was sterile”, he is shocked. Amir realizes that Baba was not the perfect character he had always imagined Baba. He realizes Baba too had committed serious sins. Baba attempts to atone for his sins by doing things such as “hiring Dr. Kumar to fix Hassan's harelip … never missing Hassan's birthday.” Baba doesn’t consider new servants and treats them like family, saying “Hassan's not going anywhere.He's staying right here with us, where he belongs. This is his home and we're his family.” Not only does he try to redeem himself by caring for Hassan, Rahim Khan reveals Baba’s actions, “feeding the poor on the streets, building the orphanage, giving money to friends in need, it was all his way of redeeming himself.” In this, Rahim Khan also reveals to us what the meaning of true forgiveness is, “when guilt leads to good.”

In the Kite Runner, characters such as Baba or Amir, make important decisions or perform certain actions for the purpose of the atonement of their sins, and receiving forgiveness. These characters' actions reflect the actions of people who make mistakes and attempt to make amends for those