Guilt In The Kite Runner

While most people would think that when you make a mistake in the past, you should move on from it instead of letting it take control of your life. This is easier said than done as no one can simply forget about their past. No matter what, a sin committed in the past will always find a way to bring itself back into the present. The process to redeem oneself may not be quick or easy, but it could transform one’s life in both favorable and unfavorable ways. It causes them to experience guilt for a large portion of their lives. Such as in The Kite Runner, where many of the characters each have their own individual sins and face great difficulties in trying to redeem themselves. However, once all of that hard work has paid off they will find forgiveness

Throughout The Kite Runner, it is shown how common sin is in a country like Afghanistan, how it would like be like to live in a war-torn country. Each sin has lasting effects on the characters in The Kite Runner such as feeling incredibly guilty and determining when or if they will ever get over that feeling. When “[Amir] [had] stopped watching, [he] [turned] away from the alley. […] In the end [he] ran.” (Hosseini, p77) Amir’s sin was being too cowardly to save his friend Hassan, who was getting raped by Assef in the alley. This sin causes Amir to regret his actions that day, but he manages to overcome it by bringing Hassan’s son back to America with him. While both characters were put through an event which stripped them of their innocence, they do share something in common. Amir’s mother Sofia died giving birth to him due to excessive hemorrhaging and “[…] Hassan lost his less than a week after he was born. […] She ran off with a clan of traveling singers and dancers.” (Hosseini, p6) This quote portrays Sanaubar as someone who is careless and could care less about her

As previously stated having a sin that will haunt them for the rest of their lives unless they atone for it. Such as when Amir stated that “There was so much goodness in my life. So much happiness. I wondered whether I deserved any of it.” (Hosseini, p183) In this quote Amir talks about how he has had such a wonderful life, aside from the war going on in Afghanistan. Amir thinks that he is unable to conceive a child with Soraya was his punishment for leaving Hassan alone in the alley with Assef. Also of the moments in his life that can be considered good are lessened and his achievements are all ruined because of it. He questions why he deserved any of it, considering all the things that he has done and the things that he has not done that he should have done for others. To find peace from a sin is to find a way to redeem oneself with an act of the complete opposite nature. An act to atone for their sins of the past. However, redeeming oneself is not as easy as it sounds and often requires a lot of time to do so. Such as Amir repeating what Rahim had said on the phone to him. Rahim had told Amir that “There is a way to be good again. […] With a little boy. An orphan. Hassan’s son. Somewhere in Kabul.” (Hosseini, p226-227) After hearing those words from Rahim, Amir was intrigued that there was finally a way to redeem himself. However, Amir was afraid of the thought of having to go back to Kabul for a