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Theme of guilt and redemption in the kite runner
Theme of guilt and redemption in the kite runner
Essay on kite runner guilt and redemption
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What is life? Life is a collage that every individual has been gifted with. Unfortunately, there are people who don’t realize the significance of this endowment and treat it with disrespect. By decorating their memories with arrogant attitudes, egocentric behaviors, and cowardly acts, they are igniting their steady downfall. Guilt within the mind and a lack of self courage are often the two main components that lead to harm. In The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, Amir is displayed as a classic tragic hero to articulate how the breaking of the moral code through excessive cowardice can lead to the hero’s downfall.
Amir’s wealthy status in the city of Kabul allows him to have excessive hubris, which eventually initiates his tragic downfall.
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Amir’s father, Baba, is a well-respected man in the city because not only does he portray qualities of determination and courage, but also proves everyone wrong and became “…one of the richest merchants in Kabul” (Hosseini 13) without any assistance. Baba’s background and status gives Amir the right to boast his image and name, thus resulting in the development of his hubris. The excessive pride in Amir influences his relationship with Hassan because he treats him inferiorly since “…Hazaras were despised and bullied in Kabul” (Bunce). Due to this, Amir “…never thought of Hassan and [him] as friends…” (22) even though Amir spends majority of his time playing and socializing with Hassan. This illustrates the hubris that Amir carries around because he doesn’t consider Hassan his friend since he is his family’s servant. Despite having arrogance, Amir can be considered a coward after evaluating his actions during Hassan’s time of need. His cowardice causes him to neglect the people who truly care for him, like Hassan, for fake happiness that leads to his demise. Amir’s cowardice causes him to commit the hamartia of not helping Hassan during a crucial moment, which forces the guilt inside of Amir to direct him to his downfall. Amir watches Hassan getting raped by the ruthless bully, Assef, and decides to walk away instead of helping. Once again, Amir commits a cowardly act by running from the scene because he “…was afraid of getting hurt” (68). Ultimately, this weakens Amir and Hassan’s friendship because Amir believes his actions were justified since Hassan “…was just a Hazara…” (68). However, Amir’s neglectance creates a sense of regret because of the guilt that built up within him each new day. This excessive build up discourages him from facing Hassan and in an attempt to free him of his guilt, he accuses Hassan of stealing his “…new watch and a handful of Afghani bills…” (91). Unable to bear the humiliation Ali and Hassan decide to leave their household. In the end, Amir pays a heavy price because Baba becomes tormented within since he loses his illegitimate son causing Amir to move one step further from ever receiving his love. Due to his hamartia, Amir lost his only friend and his father’s love, but gained a life full of remorse. This shows that with greater sins comes excessive guilt, which only causes one to make poor decisions, leading to their downfall. With each sin comes a grave punishment that allows fate to catch up with the sinner and direct them to their demise.
Despite living majority of his life with the guilt of not helping Hassan, Amir’s nemesis is yet to come. Destiny plays a huge game with Amir and reveals to him that Hassan is his illegitimate brother during his visit with Rahim Khan. Reacting with various emotions, Amir first decides to head back about to America, but in the end makes the first brave decision in his life by going back to Kabul “…to atone not just for [his] sins, but…Baba’s too” (198). Amir tries to compensate for his sin by rescuing Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from the brutality occurring in Kabul. Amir puts his entire life in jeopardy by facing the oppression in Kabul so he could make a genuine effort in eliminating his sins. In an ideal world, when one truly makes an effort to redeem themselves for their wrongdoings, they are usually gifted with forgiveness. However, in reality, Amir’s heroic act of saving Sohrab, did not free him of sorrow because he still has to live with his nemesis for the rest of his life. By taking Sohrab to America with him, Amir constantly is reminded of his hamartia by envisioning Hassan through Sohrab. This shows how the guilt from a cowardly act leads one into a lifelong feeling of
condemnation. The result of great tragedies leads to a purging of emotions from the characters that are affected the most. In Amir’s situation, when he first finds out that Hassan’s real father is Baba and that Hassan wasn’t aware of this painful truth, he reacts will an incredible amount of anger by yelling “…you bunch of lying goddamn bastards” (195) to Rahim Khan. In a matter of few seconds, Amir’s perception on his father being an honest and ideal person changes completely. He declares Baba and himself to be alike because “…both [of them] betrayed the people [that] would have given their lives…” (197) for them. However, Amir’s catharsis continues to show during his fight with Assef. After a long time, “Amir finds peace in the beating that he takes from Assef…” (Bunce) because he finally feels punished for his deed of not helping Hassan. Even though Amir is beaten brutally by Assef, he laughs because he had “…been looking forward to…” (253) that moment for a long time since he finally finds relief from the guilt that had captivated his body. Whenever the breaking of a moral code occurs, a purging of emotions is bound to happen. The principles of society are so adamant that by committing a sin, one will always be humiliated. Therefore, it is wise to make the correct decision from the beginning in order to avoid repentance. In the end, majority of all of the basic charactertics of a tragic hero apply in Amir’s life. Being of high rank in Kabul, Amir’s hubris and cowardice led him to suffering far beyond what he deserved. If Amir had managed to gather some courage when he saw Hassan getting molested, his entire life would have been different. One poor decision is all it takes for a lifetime feeling of grief. Amir’s story should serve as an example of how excessive cowardice leads to an overwhelming feeling of guilt. Sometimes one receives an opportunity “…to go back and change…” (Bunce) the past, but that is not always guaranteed. Therefore, it is better to make ethical decisions from the start to evade the feeling of self-condemnation.
Amir is, to be put bluntly, a coward. He is led by his unstable emotions towards what he thinks will plug his emotional holes and steps over his friends and family in the process. When he sought after Baba’s invisible love, Amir allowed Hassan to be raped in an alleyway just so that the blue kite, his trophy that would win his father’s heart, could be left untouched. In the end, he felt empty and unfulfilled with the weight of his conscience on his shoulders comparable to Atlas’ burden. Unable to get over his fruitless betrayal, he lashes out and throws pomegranates at Hassan before stuffing money and a watch under his loyal friend’s pathetic excuse for a bed, framing Hassan for theft and directly causing the departure of both servants from his household. Even after moving to America, finding a loving wife, and creating a career for himself in writing, he still feels hollow when thinking of his childhood in Afghanistan. Many years later, he is alerted of Hassan’s death and sets out on a frenzied chase to find his friend’s orphaned son. He feels that he can somehow ease his regrets from all of those years ago if he takes in Hassan’s son, Sohrab. He finds Sohrab as a child sex slave for Assef, who coincidentally was the one to rape Hassan all of those years ago. After nearly dying in his attempt to take back Sohrab, he learns that he can take the damaged child back to the states with him. Sadly, Hassan’s son is so
Although Hassan is his best friend, there are many instances where Amir reveals his jealousy, most notable when Baba sees Hassan as the stronger boy, "self-defense has nothing to do with meanness. You know what always happens when the neighbourhood boys tease him? Hassan steps in and fends them off. I 've seen it with my own eyes…” (Hosseini 24). Clearly, Amir hears how his father compares the two, and unlike Hassan who manages to meet Baba’s expectations, Amir grows bitter towards Hassan. He is unable to fight off his envy which later causes him to sacrifice his best friend’s innocence: “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (82), and this is all because he realizes “his shame is complicated by his own realization that in part he doesn’t help his friend precisely because he is jealous of him” (Corbett, 2006). From here, Amir develops strong feelings of guilt that induces him to perform even more destructive acts, such as having Hassan and his father evicted from the house. Amir not only loses a close friend, but now he has to continue to live with remorse as he dwells on these memories. The only way for Amir to redeem himself of his repercussions is through a challenging process of sacrifice and self-discovery. Although one is unsure at this point whether Amir succeeds at his endeavors, it is clear that this story
In the novel The Kite Runner, author Khaled Hosseini writes about Amir a young Afghan child who is a coward and who later as an adult seeks redemption from past mistakes. These characteristic effects Amir’s live throughout the novel from childhood to present. However, these are just words on a paper without some proof and the novel happily supports this either through the events or the behavior of other characters. Now let’s start with Amir’s past childhood.
Sources exhibit examples of greed that result in impoverished conditions for all circumstances of life. Greed is evident through the actions of social groups, and at the individual level. Selfishness would not benefit the good in life if it is expected to gain and not be expected to lose. Gluttony is evident in today's social environment just as much as it was years ago, whether it be using someone for self purpose, exploitation, damaging relationships, creating wars and oppression, destroying nature, countless other evils and many live without the necessities that we take for granted.
The way our friends treat us in the face of adversity and in social situations is more revealing of a person’s character than the way they treats us when alone. In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, ethnic tensions, nationality, and betrayal become the catalyst that drives and fuels Amir, Assef, and other characters to embark on their particular acts of cruelty. Serving as a way to illustrate the loss of rectitude and humanity, cruelty reveals how easily people can lose their morals in critical circumstances. Through Amir, Assef, and the Taliban’s actions, cruelty displays the truth of a person’s character, uncovering the origin of their cruelty. Amir’s cruelty spurs from his external environment and need for love from his father, choosing
Amir goes through many events that take place in the book that change him, and the way he is perceived within the book. Amir is a young boy, who is tortured by his father’s scrutinizing character. Amir is also jealous of Hassan, because of the fact that his father likes Hassan instead of Amir. Amir fights for his father’s approval, interest, and love. This is when Amir changes for the good as he deals with the guilt of the rape of Hassan. Amir witnessed Hassan getting raped, but decides to nothing in order to win over his father’s interest. The guilt that Amir builds up is carries from his premature times as a child to his mature times. From Afghanistan to
To atone for his past sins, he embarks on a journey back to Afghanistan to redeem himself to Hassan for not treating him the way he was treated. He redeems himself by saving Sohrab and giving him a safer and enjoyable life in the Untied States. Amir tyres to attain redemption to baba for being the cause of his mother’s death as he believes. Gaining his fathers love and care will make him feel redeemed from all of the resentment and lack of care that his father shows to him. He must prove to Baba that he is worthy of spending time with everyday because he feels the hatred that his father shows to him. One way how he gets redemption from his father is by winning the kite running tournament to prove to him that he is worthy of being his son. Amir’s path of redemption is not only directed to other people but personal redemption for himself. He attempts to redeem himself by building an orphanage with his wife Soraya and giving Sohrab the childhood that is safer and more suitable for a young boy to grow up in. Amir has to realize that the past doesn’t define who someone is although you can’t forget the past, the actions that they decide to do to redeem themselves from the past mistakes defines who someone is. If Amir’s mother did not die at birth would he be resented from his father greatly and have to make great
However there are some characters that become better people and change becoming a better, stronger, more loyal individual in the end. The individual that demonstrates this development within this novel is Amir himself. All of the guilt Amir holds with him as a child allow him to realize his duty to be loyal to his brother Hassan ion the end. An example of this is when Amir goes back to Kabul, Afghanistan to retrieve his nephew Sohrab. Amir says, “I remembered Wahid’s boys and… I realized something. I would not leave Afghanistan without finding Sohrab.’ tell me where he is,’ I said” (Hosseini 255). Here, Amir is at the orphanage waiting to find out where Taliban has taken his nephew. Amir remembers the three young starving sons of Wahid, a man whose home he had been in earlier, and realized that Afghanistan is not a safe place for Sohrab. Amir is finally aware of one thing, Hassan has always been there to protect Amir like a loyal friend and brother would and now Amir knows that it is his turn to return that loyalty to Hassan by protecting Hassan’s flesh and blood. A second example of Amir’s loyalty to Hassan near the ending of the book is during Amir’s confrontation with General Sahib and the dinner table after Sohrab is safe in America with him. Amir proclaims to General Sahib, “…That boy sleeping on the couch
What is it that makes us human and what does it mean to be human? These questions should be frequently and relentlessly contemplated by all members of society. What makes us human is the notion that we have complex thoughts and emotions. No two individuals are exactly alike in every way who share the same opinions, tastes, thoughts, ideas, or feelings. Which is quite fortunate, because it would be a complete bore if everyone acted completely identical to one another. So, what is it that makes us abhor another based on their uniqueness as an individual or as a group? The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is about a friendship between two boys set in Afghanistan. The story spans over the last thirty years. Amir is the son of a wealthy business man, Baba. Ali is a longtime childhood friend of Baba’s and works as a servant for him. Hassan is the son of Ali and spends time with Amir. Hassan and Amir one day run into Assef—who has a superiority complex—and threatens to beat Amir for being friends with a Hazara. Later on in the story, Hassan is cornered by Assef and his two friends and Assef rapes Hassan. Amir witnessed the event concealed in the shadows, and is tormented for the rest of his life with his decision for not standing up for Hassan. The author,
“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.”(77). The constant cowardice and uncertainty Amir feels towards his relationship with Hassan forces a wedge and a lack of loyalty on Amir’s part. Consequently leading to Amir sacrificing Hassan to be raped by Assef in the alley is as a ‘greater good’ for Amir’s relationship with Baba. Directly showing the negative consequences of the one-sided friendship between Amir and Hassan and Amir’s view that Hassan is not important. “How had Baba brought himself to look Ali in the eye? How had Ali lived in that house... been dishonored by his master in the single worst way an Afghan man can be dishonored?”(225). Earlier in the book, Baba stated how theft is the worst possible sin a man could commit. Yet he commits the same exact sin. The affair Baba had with Ali’s wife, Sanaubar, which leads to Hassan’s birth is the ultimate betrayal Baba commits towards Ali. The unbalanced nature in Baba and Ali’s relationship ultimately leads to the betrayal. The unbalance consequently created by the deeply rooted cultural divide in Afghanistan leading to the betrayal and ultimate sin Baba transgressed against
Violence is a guiding force in the development of theme and of characters. In such a case, Khaled Hosseini 's The Kite Runner demonstrates the importance of violence that effectively contributes to Amir’s development throughout the novel and its purpose. Most specifically, the two acts of violence including the rape of Hassan and the brawl between Amir and Assef. As Amir faces an internal battle waging within, the immense guilt is contributed and influenced by the acts of violence Amir had witnessed. Without these acts of violence, The Kite Runner would lack in significance of Amir’s journey to redemption and the idea of redeeming any wrong doings.
In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the author follows the development of protagonist Amir through a life filled with sorrow, regret, and violence. Amir encounters numerous obstacles on his path to adulthood, facing a new test at every twist and turn. Amir embarks on the long journey known as life as a cowardly, weak young man with a twisted set of ideals, slowly but surely evolving into a man worthy of the name. Amir is one of the lucky few who can go through such a shattered life and come out the other side a better man, a man who stands up for himself and those who cannot, willing to put his life on the line for the people he loves.
This self-condemnation that he had from the past haunted him throughout his life and was a major factor in every decision that he made. “There was so much goodness in my life. So much happiness. I wondered whether I deserved any of it.”(183). He questions himself about what he deserves for the mistakes he has made in the past, he cannot live with the fact that he is happy and well off when he blames himself for completing ruining anothers life. Amir travels back to Kabul in attempt to make up for the injustices he once committed. Amir indicts himself for Hassan’s murder and for the current status of Sohrab, all events he truly believes were set in motion by his actions. Amir exhibits why the past cannot be buried, he is an example of how the past can affect things in the future and that there is no true way to be rid of it, no matter how hard he tries to push away his feelings of guilt from all those years ago, it finds a way to return. Sohrab the son of Amir's childhood friend Hassan is the boy Amir seeks out to redeem himself for his actions in the past. Similar to Amir, Sohrab has a disturbing past that continues to influence his present actions and behaviors. Sohrab suffered from rape and physical pain much
Amir always looks up to his father Baba, everything he says he takes to heart and all he wants to do is receive his approval. Amir always heard his father preach about how lying is stealing the truth from someone. Amir becomes enraged when he learns that Baba never told him that Hassan was his brother. Amir then comes to realize that even though his father lied he was still right about some things. Amir said, “Baba had lied about a lot of things as it turned out but he hadn’t lied about that”(Hosseini 227). Amir forgives his father because even though he deceived him he was only trying to what was best for him. Amir comes to the realization that the only way that he can redeem himself is by rescuing Hassan’s son Sorhab. Amir still feels the guilt press down on his shoulders. He is still overwhelmed with regret for what he did to Hassan. After he goes to rescue his nephew he has an epiphany while Assef is bludgeoning him, “My body was broken-just how badly I wouldn’t find out till later-but I felt healed. Healed at last”(Hosseini 289). Amir finally forgives himself for everything that he has done. When he is getting beat to a pulp he feels as if it is atonement for what he had done in the past. The role forgiveness plays in Amir’s life is one of healing. When he forgives his father and himself he feels whole, he feels happy. As if all of his sins have washed from his
When Amir finds out about Sohrab. He tries to redeem his own self-worth by rescuing Hassan's son; from Assef and the taliban by going all the way to Afghanistan. He risked his own life because he thought it was a second chance to bury the 'Long open wound' between him and Hassan. The relationship after the lie, they both became more close. (Hassan was killed by the taliban before Amir was told the truth.)