Guilt In The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini shows that guilt can come in many forms, but the guilt in which Amir feels for the majority of his early adulthood is caused by an event that occurred when he was a young boy. He signifies the importance of Amir finding absolution to free himself from his guilt and sins. Hosseini illustrates the consequences of a guilty conscience over the course of Amir’s life by the choices he makes and how he attempts to redeem himself. Hosseini emphasizes the results of lasting guilt and how it can lead to devastating outcomes until atoned for. Additionally, he emphasizes the yearning to find peace, the consequences of sin, and the relief granted by finding redemption. In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini uses the life of Amir to illustrate

how guilt and the longing to find redemption, can negatively affect people’s lives until they find complete peace through forgiveness.
As a child, Amir envies Hassan for his ability to capture Baba’s attention and starts a rivalry between them that contributes to Amir’s actions. Amir tries to make Hassan appear foolish, however, he often regrets doing so. For example, he lies to his father about Hassan being sick because he wants to be the center of his attention when attending the opening of the orphanage. Hosseini shows that instead of Amir educating Hassan, he regularly taunts him for being illiterate, saying things such as, “When it comes to words, Hassan is an imbecile” (29). Amir does these things to make him feel superior to Hassan, further contributing to his need for recognition from Baba. Mriganka Sarma draws attention to Baba’s “disappointment with Amir because of the latter’s preference for poetry books to sports” (43). Baba feels more proud of Hassan due to their similarities in athleticism and masculinity. Amir purposely makes Hassan appear less educated to draw Baba’s attention to himself instead. Despite Amir finding amusement in teasing Hassan, Hosseini confirms Amir’s immediate shame by writing that in return he would “feel guilty about it later” (29). Although Amir ridicules Hassan as a child, he still feels a close bond with him. Critic Hesham Khadawardi proposes, “when it came to bravery, benevolence and, gaming, Hassan superseded Amir in many ways. This was the beginning of an embedded grudge” (90). There is a discrepancy between them from childhood that causes Amir to make dishonorable choices.Therefore, guilt becomes apparent early on for Amir as he taunted and belittled Hassan due to his own jealousy.
Hosseini emphasizes that after Hassan had been sexually assaulted, Amir struggles to face his own guilt for not helping him. When Amir’s father was proudly boasting about him, Hosseini portrays Amir’s shame by describing how he couldn’t find the same joy his father did, writing “it shouldn’t have felt this way” (85). Amir begins to feel remorse for his actions despite gaining his father’s praise and admiration. In addition, Hosseini captures Amir’s guilt when Amir accuses Hassan of stealing so he would be fired and would no longer have to face him. Khadawardi claims, “this was beginning of Amir’s guilt and disgust for the sins he committed against Hassan” (92). He points out that Amir’s guilt starts long before Hassan was assaulted, but it significantly increases after he chose to betray Hassan by not helping him or telling anyone of the assault. As a result of Amir still being young and childish, he cannot handle the guilt and resorts to the only thing that makes sense to him, which is getting rid of Hassan. He frames Hassan by planting his watch and “a handful of Afghani bills under it” (Hosseini 104). Amir hopes Baba will fire Hassan and his father so he will no longer have to confront his crimes. Sarma gathers that “Amir as a sensitive person bears the burden of a guilt-ridden conscience throughout his life for betraying Hassan” (43). The immediate guilt Amir begins to feel following his disloyalty to Hassan proves to continue for decades until he is able to find redemption. Although Hosseini shows that Amir feels remorseful for framing Hassan, he also shows that Amir feels it has to be done in order to forgive himself by emphasizing, “I was sorry, but I didn’t cry” (109). Ananya Mishra argues “the thing that makes him commit a crime for which he has to bear a lifelong sense of guilt is his inherent cowardice” (72). Amir carries out his wrongdoings and refuses to acknowledge his sin because of his inner weaknesses. Therefore, he decides to conceal and suppress his emotions and guilt rather than facing them.
Although Amir leaves behind his old life in Afghanistan, Hosseini shows he could not rid himself of the shame he feels for not helping Hassan the night he was raped. After Amir moved to America and marries his wife, Hosseini conveys that Amir still cannot forgive himself by expressing, “How could I, of all people, chastise someone for their past?” (165). Amir knows Soraya has brought shame to her family before meeting him, but unlike Amir, she learns to forgive herself. Despite Amir creating a new family of his own in America, Mishra claims, “Amir destroys the only family that he and his father had in Kabul” (82). Once Amir leaves Afghanistan, his family is torn apart and he is the cause of their separation. However, Hosseini acknowledges that Amir finally recognizes his guilt through his family by writing, “But I think a big part of the reason I didn't care about Soraya's past was that I had one of my own. I knew all about regret” (180). He comes to terms with the grief of his past and is one step closer to forgiveness, but still has many obstacles to face. When Amir sits down with Rahim Khan after returning to Afghanistan, talks about Hassan’s life, and realizes that Rahim Khan knows about the night Hassan was raped, he finally comes to terms with his guilt. He tries to conceal his shame and regret throughout his early life by not speaking of what happened, getting rid of Hassan, moving away from Afghanistan, and starting a new life in America; however, when he meets with an old friend, he is forced to face his guilt.
Hosseini describes Amir as spending his entire life trying to atone for his sins but reveals he is not faced with a chance to truly redeem himself until he returns to Afghanistan. During Amir’s visit with Rahim Khan, Hosseini shows his desperation when he gave Amir his dying wish, “‘I want you to go to Kabul. I want you to bring Sohrab here’” (220). Sohrab is the son of Hassan, who is left orphaned after his father was brutally murdered and Rahim Khan wants Amir to find the boy and rescue him to safety from an orphanage. Niraja Saraswat highlights, “In order to atone for his sin and Baba’s before him, Amir must erase the lines of discrimination he has lived with all his life by giving Sohrab an equal chance at success and happiness” (170). Amir is given a final chance to prove himself through the quest to find Hassan’s son. He quickly learns that his road to redemption is not going to be easy when he discovers Sohrab is not in the orphanage, but in the hands of the Taliban. Once Amir arrives at the Ghazi Stadium and meets with the man in custody of Sohrab he learns the man is Assef, saying “In the flesh, sitting less than ten feet from me, after all these years,” which creates another obstacle for Amir (281). He must find a way to get Sohrab back from the Taliban and finally confront his oppressor, Assef. Returning to Afghanistan presents Amir with many challenges such as meeting with Rahim Khan, facing his guilt, and rescuing Sohrab, but he knows he must continue in order to find full redemption.
In order to show that Amir finds a physical way to redeem himself for never standing up to help Hassan, Hosseini reveals Amir is brutally beaten by Assef to stand up for Sohrab in return.

During the meeting at the Ghazi Stadium, Assef says, “‘We have some unfinished business, you and I’” making it so the only way for Amir to rescue Sohrab is to fight Assef (286). Amir does not hesitate when Assef wanted to fight him, he sees the fight as a way to prove himself after years of shame. Hosseini emphasizes Amir’s release of guilt when he writes, “What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace… I hadn’t been happy and I hadn’t felt better, not at all. But I did now” (289). Amir now feels he has stood up for Hassan and Sohrab and finally proven himself worthy. However, after the fight with Assef, Amir is left with a scar, “clean down the middle. Like a harelip’” symbolizing Amir’s now likeness to Hassan in appearance and bravery (297). After atoning for his sins, Amir feels closer to Hassan both mentally and physically. Although Amir does not prove himself to Hassan the night in the alley, he finds a way to do so after Hassan’s death in the name of his son

instead.
Hosseini shows that Amir’s final chance of redeeming himself comes when he decides to adopt Sohrab and raise him in America.

Amir is faced with a life-changing choice when Farid informs him, “There never was a John and Betty Caldwell in Peshawar. According to the people at the consulate, they never existed. Not here in Peshawar, anyhow” (308). He has to choose between letting Sohrab stay in the orphanage in Afghanistan or bringing him back to America with him. When Amir talks with Soraya on the phone about adopting Sohrab, he finally admits to what he had done the winter of 1975, resulting in feeling free of any lasting guilt he had. Hosseini continues to show Amir’s struggles in seeking redemption, by describing the difficulties of adopting Sohrab, Sohrab’s suicide attempt, and the year of silence from him. Shahira Banu signifies that “somethings in life are uncontrollable and people have to do the best with what they have” (185). Amir encounters many dilemmas through his life where he has to handle and deal with the consequences in the best manner he can. Although Hosseini does not end the novel with Amir full redeeming himself, he does end with Amir ridding himself of all guilt and setting the path to full redemption, writing “I ran. A grown man running with a swarm of screaming children. But I didn't care. I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the Valley of Panjsher on my lips. I ran” (371). The running symbolizes Amir’s freedom from his sins; he

lets go of the past and begins a new life where he redeems himself. Saraswat expresses that “Although Amir destroyed the lives of many people, and he has had more than one opportunity to redeem himself of his guilt, he is not the selfish little boy he once was” (172). At last, Amir finds peace within himself and proves that he is not the same person he was the night he committed his sins. Amir has many chances throughout his life to do right by Hassan but it was not until over two decades later that he is able to finally prove himself.
Hosseini uses The Kite Runner to show how the desire to be better, the impact of guilt, and the need to make reparations for sin can consume people’s lives until they have found complete redemption. Banu defends, “Amir’s second coming to Afghanistan is a voyage to the country of blood and terror as to create a nostalgic world of love and redemption” (189). Throughout Amir’s late childhood until his middle adulthood, he struggles with his guilty conscience for never helping Hassan and it isn’t until he returns to his home country that he ultimately finds a way to redeem himself. Hosseini reveals that Amir’s journey to find peace and redemption will not be easy, but his perseverance and longing for atonement helps him to continue. He shows the path to redemption through Amir’s hardships, attempts to do right, his need to atone for his sins, and his final passage to finding complete redemption during his trip to Afghanistan. Guilt can be a lifelong consequence of sin that overtakes a person’s everyday life until they decide to accept what they have done and attempt to redeem themselves to ultimately make peace within themselves. f