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
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expectations. Amir feels as if the death of his mother during childbirth is his own fault, creating in him a sense of hatred from his father. Because of this presumed disdain, Amir constantly feels belittled and battered by his own father. (Hosseini 6). These events cause Amir to deeply depend on his father's opinion and esteem of himself. This dependence causes Amir to act, and in some cases not, in ways he normally would not; namely, not acting and in effect allowing Hassan to be raped. In the present, Amir's inaction haunts his every thought. The past, whether filled with positive or negative memories, affects the present. From that day forward, Amir entertains a longstanding desire for Hassan to lash out and attack him for what Amir had done. This is especially present when Hassan and Amir climb to the top of the hill behind their houses and Amir begins to throw pomegranates toward Hassan, meaning to provoke him into a self-defense inspired rage; however, Hassan grasps a pomegranate and promptly smashes it over his own head, exhibiting his respect and reverence for Amir (Hosseini 93). Amir's mistakes of the past harass him until he is much older, twenty-six years older to be exact. In 2001, Rahim Khan, who is cognizant of Hassan's rape, called Amir and exclaimed, "There is a way to be good again," (Hosseini 2). Had Hassan never been raped, or Amir acted when he was presented with this predicament, it is doubtful whether or not he would ever go back to Afghanistan, adopt Sohrab, and "be good again." This shows how Amir's past mistakes and transgressions shape and form who is and, and we are, in the present. Similarly, yet dissimilarly, in the film Slumdog Millionaire, main character and protagonist, Jamal Malik, calls upon his past experiences of living in extreme poverty and oppression to correctly answer every question on the gameshow Who Wants to be a Millionaire, showing how struggles in ones past can actually lead to good. An oddness surrounding the memory is how it is called upon.
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…
Hassan. As the story is told, Hassan is killed by the Taliban before Amir ever meets him again (Hosseini 219).
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
from him. The next day Salim pawned the autographed picture that Jamal toiled so much for. This instance is an example of when Jamal was physically and emotionally betrayed by Salim (Slumdog). However, in the end of the novel, Salim becomes a martyr so that Jamal can win the twenty million Rupees, showing that no matter how much wrong one may do, a deliberate and decisive action is all it may take to repair broken relationships. Amir is unmistakably wrong in his apathy during Hassan's rape. His inaction haunts his every thought until he journeys to Afghanistan and adopt Sohrab. If Amir never acts on his promptings to do good, he will never "be good again," and never find the long desired forgiveness that he seeks. The past can be a haunting presence during life; however, Amir struggles and overcomes the oppression of his memories.
The Kite Runner is a book about a young boy, Amir, who faces many struggles as he grows up in Kabul and later moves to America to flee from the Taliban. His best friend and brother , Hassan, was a big part of his life, but also a big part of guilt he held onto for many years. The book describes Amir’s attempt to make up for the past and resolve his sins so he can clear his conscious. Amir is worthy of forgiveness because although he was selfish, he was very brave and faced his past.
Actions made in a moment of pain, anger or simple immaturity can take anyone to make mistakes that can change their lives completely. Everyone has something in the past that is shameful, embarrassing and regrettable that is kept present daily. Whether this event happened during childhood, adolescence or early adulthood, this event could haunt and have shaped that person’s life into what he or she is today. In a similar way, in the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is shaped by a tragic and eventful past that has shaped Amir’s, Baba’s, and Hassan’s life. The four literary elements that will be used in this essay that Hosseini strategically uses in this book are: irony, simile, Metaphor, and personification.
... Finally, Amir chooses to redeem himself by opting to protect Hassan’s son Sohrab. The guilt which estranged Amir from his childhood friend in a way manages to reunite him with Hassan, albeit in a different manner. Thereby, the two works that are Macbeth and The Kite Runner not only present before the humanity, the immense power and potency of guilt, but also emphatically reveal the eventual consequences of the guilt traceable to an evil act or an act of cowardice or betrayal. These two works expose the psychology of guilt in a very vivid and threadbare manner, which explains their appeal and the human interest they accrue.
Throughout The Kite Runner this theme is shown many times without this aspect and understanding of this part of the book it would be incomprehensible. Amir eventually learns how to cope with his own guilt and his
In Amir’s early childhood, kites represented happiness. Flying kites was his favorite pastime, as it was the only way that he connected fully with Baba, who was once a champion kite fighter. However, the kite takes on a different significance when Amir doesn’t stop Hassan's abusers from raping him in order to prevent the kite from being stolen. The kite serves as a symbol of Amir’s guilt throughout the novel. Hechose his fragile relationship with his father over the well-being of his best friend and half-brother: “Baba and I lived in the same ...
The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, shows how lying and deceit is a counterproductive route when trying to live with a dreadful past, exhibited through the actions of Amir. Amir’s decision to withhold the truth and blatantly lie in several situations due to jealousy and his desire for Baba to be proud of him amounts to further pain and misery for himself and those he deceives. Because of Amir’s deceit towards Baba and Hassan, his guilt from his past manifests itself into deeply-rooted torment, not allowing him to live his life in peace. The guilt from Amir’s past is only alleviated when he redeems his sins by taking in Sohrab, contributing to the theme that the only way “to be good again” is through redemption, not shunning the past.
Redemption is gaining honor and self-forgiveness through a selfless act that reflects off of one’s regretful actions of their past. In the novel, The Kite Runner, Amir is the main character who goes through many life struggles and mistakes, then finds himself on a road to redemption. Amir and Hassan were best friends throughout their childhood and Hassan was the honorable, trusting best friend, the one to always take a stand for what he believed was right. Amir’s lack of courage caused him to stay silent in the worst of times, letting Hassan get tortured for the things he did not deserve. The themes of sacrifice, honor and redemption are carried out in many ways throughout this novel being shown through the actions of Hassan, Baba, and Amir.
(2) The Kite Runner follows Amir on his odyssey to redeem himself for his hurtful actions. Through this journey, Khaled Hosseini delivers the message that sin and guilt can always be atoned for. At the beginning of The Kite Runner, young Amir wins a kite fighting tournament. He feels like he has finally redeemed himself for his father.
Redemption is a capacity that both Amir from the remarkable novel Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseni along with Walt Kalwoski the main character of the unforgettable movie Gran Tornio, directed by Clint Eastwood, withhold. Both Walt and Amir were collided with life changing events that later shaped the individuals they are today. Nevertheless, throughout both stories, the protagonists are faced with opportunities to redeem themselves, often at the risk of hurting their loved ones more than they already have. “There is a reason for everything” and in Walt and Amirs case that saying is quite evident. Walt and Amir are two completely divergent characters with opposite personalities. However, this doesn’t interfere with the fact that both carry the weight of guilt and regret upon their shoulders. In spite of that, both characters atone to their faults by PUT POINTS HERE. Kite Runner and Gran Torino, both, break the ice with introducing the characters and efficiently showcasing their complications. As mentioned earlier, Amir is the protagonist of the novel. Typically, a main character that discusses their problems in the opening of a novel, catches the readers attention, let alone makes the reader them self feel sympathetic for this character. However, Amir is far beyond that statement. Amir expresses his feelings about his relationship with his father, Baba, and his shenanigans with Hassan. Amir struggles with his selfish conscious. Nevertheless, his adult view point when recollecting memories of the past, reminiscing on childhood events, isn’t as different. Running away is the one thing Amir tends to be best at. Running from his problems, people, past etc, As for Walt, Walt Kowalski is the main character of the film Gran Torino. ...
To begin, the first instance of redemption is found and portrayed through irony. As Amir's mother died giving birth to him, he has always felt guilty. Leading up to the annual kite-fighting tournament, Amir feels as if winning will redeem her death, and solidify his relationship with Baba. When he comes upon Hassan who is cornered by Assef, Amir feels as if his rape might be justified: “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay to win Baba. Or was it a fair price?” (Hosseini, 82) If Amir gains the kite, he wins Baba's heart. Ironically, the sacrifice of Hassan is the catalyst to Amir's need for redemption. Instead of redeemi...
The story The Kite Runner is centered around learning “to be good again.” Both the movie and the book share the idea that the sins of the past must be paid for or atoned for in the present. In the book, Amir can be seen as a troubled young boy who is struggling with a tremendous amount of guilt. It is easy to blame Amir’s actions on his guilt and his father’s lack of love for him.
... Kites are symbolic in the novel as it helps to support the themes of guilt, redemption and freedom in the novel. In the beginning of the story, Amir overhears Baba telling Rahim Khan that if Amir could not stand up for himself, he would never be able to stand up to anything when he becomes a man. It takes Amir over twenty years to finally muster up enough courage to stand up for himself in front of Assef. Amir takes the beatings from Assef as his punishment for what happened to Hassan. He rescues Sohrab and bonds with him through kite fighting, similar to when he flew kites with Hassan. Kites represent the freedom from the worries and burdens that Amir, Hassan and Sohrab has. It brings together the two participants in kite fighting. It gets rid of the discrimination of the ethnic caste system, any cultural differences, and also emphasizes unity amongst difference.
“It's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out” (Hosseini). In The Kite Runner, Hosseini shares Amir’s journey to atonement. As Amir states, he was unable to bury his past, similar to his father, Baba, who spent the majority of his life haunted by his sins. While both father and son are consumed by guilt, the way in which they atone for their iniquities is dissimilar.
The themes that are similar in both of the novels are that guilt is detrimental to oneself and that redemption is key to happiness. These points are especially
Amir’s redemption is a large part of the novel and is carried out almost entirely until the end of the story. He travels to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from the orphanage he was placed in after the death of his parents. He promises to find him a safe home with someone but after time passes he feels like this is not enough. He then speaks to his wife and decides to take Sohrab back to the United States with him and take care of his as if he was one of his own. Earlier in the novel when Baba is speaking Amir over hears his conversation as he is referring to him stating, “A boy who won 't stand up for himself becomes a man who can 't stand up to anything” (Hosseini, 22). Thus meaning that if he is able to stand up for himself as a young boy, when he is grown he will not be able to stand up for anything that is in his future. This is true throughout the story until he stands up for himself and Sorhab when he is arguing with his life long bully, Assef. Amir lacked the courage to defend himself in the novel until he finally took charge and went against