How Does Amir Use Memory In The Kite Runner

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The past is often described as a haunting and chilling combination of memories and emotions. This is especially true of a past which is filled with fear, anger, and remorse. In Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, the main character, Amir, fights an internal battle to correct his mistakes of the past. Similarly, in the film, Slumdog Millionaire, Jamal Malik uses his own memories of the past to answer every question correctly on Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
Both works exemplify how individuals use the past to fuel themselves in the present. Events of the past are set in stone, however, Amir's wrongdoings can be atoned for through deliberate action and forgiveness.
The entirety of Amir's childhood is plagued with the reality of complying with …show more content…

When attempting to remember a specific instance from the past, one finds that it is difficult to recall specific elements of the past. However, when met with a familiar sound or scent, the mind automatically calls upon every detail of the memory associated with that trigger. Both characters, Jamal and Amir, find themselves vividly remembering certain instances of the past in times where they are reminded of the past. In Amir's circumstance, whenever he is reminded of a kite or another symbolic object from his childhood, he remembers how he betrayed Hassan. In Jamal's case, each question brings up a pivotal memory from his childhood, whether it be jumping into the latrine to meet a celebrity or watching his mother killed before his eyes. Because memory works in this way, it effectively improves the situation both characters found themselves in. Eerily, these memories are never demanded, they arise and haunt without any provocation. This shows how truly nagging the past can be to someone who has experienced a traumatic event. These flashbacks contain much symbolism in The Kite Runner. One poignant figure of symbolism is the string of the kite. As the story closes, Amir flies a kite in San Francisco with his wife and Sohrab. As he cuts the kite of the opposition, this action symbolizes the final ending of the memories of how he betrayed …show more content…

This tragic end to Hassan's life makes atoning for Amir's sins more complicated; without the victim offering forgiveness to the assailant, how can Amir ever find peace without being forgiven by Hassan? Amir struggles with the fact of his best friend dying coupled with never being able to make reparations to him. Eventually, Amir discovers fulfillment in the adoption of Sohrab; he views this as his last opportunity to correct his sins concerning Hassan. Conclusively, it is not Hassan that Amir seeks forgiveness from; he seeks forgiveness from himself. Amir lives in a life of always being belittled by his father, and when he doesn’t live up to his lofty expectations, he angers himself and construes a worse situation than beforehand. Amir needs to forgive himself both because Hassan cannot, and because he will never find peace until he does so. A struggle similar to Amir's fight for forgiveness can also be observed in the film Slumdog Millionaire. Many times Salim, Jamal's brother, instigates situations in which Jamal ends up being harmed, whether it be emotionally or physically. An example of this is when Jamal is using the latrine when a famous movie star came to the boys' hometown. Once Jamal enters the room, Salim blockades the door so that Jamal has no way out except through the toilet and into a pool of human waste. Once Jamal meets the star he receives an autograph

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