Kite Runner Betrayal Quotes

When individuals betray people and refuse to forgive themselves for their past actions, they will be troubled by the memory until they stop ignoring their mistake and take action to redeem their past. Despite whatever Amir’s motives were, he betrayed Hassan, a true friend. Once he left him in the alley to be raped by Assef and his gang, nothing was ever the same. He was consumed with the idea that winning the kite competition would finally impress his father, and allowed this to consume his moral judgment as well:

I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. 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)

When Amir was considering what to do and decided to run from the incident in the alley, he not only betrayed Hassan, but he betrayed himself as well. This quotation demonstrates that in that moment he knows whichever decision he makes will have an effect on the rest of his life but also shows how loyal he is to Hassan. Still, he decides to choose his own personal gain over protecting Hassan. This act of betrayal is then engraved in his mind for the rest of his life and no matter how hard he tries, he can never rid the fact that he did not choose to stand up for Hassan. He truly believes that by forgetting his sin from the past, it will naturally correct his act of betrayal. Even while living in America, whenever his mind would wander to that winter day, he would convince himself that America was the place to drown the memory:

America was different. America was a river, roaring along, unmindful of the past. I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far. Someplace with no ghosts, no memories, and no sins. If for nothing else, for that, I embraced America. (136)

Amir loved America not because it was somewhere safe, but as he mentions in this quotation, it is somewhere he can escape the memory and sin from his past. Amir grew up thinking that by ignoring his act of betrayal towards Hassan would cure his feelings of regret and guilt, especially when he left Afghanistan. *** He tried his best to move on with his life and suppress the memories from that day in the alley, but failed to realize that by doing this it would not make his problems go away, but just make things worse.

Not only Amir’s act of betrayal but his ignorance towards his actions continue to have a negative effect on his life as he grows older.

His life in America seems perfect on the outside, however, his life and relationships with others are always affected by guilty feelings he has. The specific memory of leaving Hassan in the alley to get raped begins haunting his mind not only once he moves to America, but also shortly after it happens:

“I watched Hassan get raped”, I said to no one […] A part of me was hoping someone would wake up and hear, so I wouldn’t have to live with this lie anymore. But no one woke up and in the silence that followed, I understood the nature of my new curse: I was going to get away with it […] That was the night I became an insomniac. (86)

This is the first instance where Amir actually admits that he betrayed Hassan. Ever since the incident in the alley happened he is unable to stop thinking about what he did and he wishes someone will hear him. However, since no one does, he decides that he will have to suppress this memory and feelings of regret for the rest of his life. In this quotation, Amir also reflects that this is the night he became an insomniac, and this represents the feelings of guilt that disturbs him so much that he is never able to properly sleep again. Amir thinks that by ignoring his actions, it will erase the fact that him betraying his loyal friend never actually happened, however this is not the

case.

It is only once Amir takes action to improve Sohrab’s future that he accomplishes redemption for betraying Hassan. Once Amir returns to Afghanistan he begins to realize that he can no longer run from his past because the memories will never fade. However, when he starts helping Sohrab by saving him from Assef and promising him a better life, he is accepting his past and moving forward. By doing this, he is moving past the sin from his past, which he attempted to only bury in America before. Therefore, when Sohrab attempts to commit suicide, instead of betraying him, Amir prays he can do just the opposite of his past: “I will do all of this and I will think of him every day from this day on if he only grants me one wish: My hands are stained with Hassan’s blood; I pray God doesn’t let them get stained with the blood of his boy too” (346). In this quotation it is clear that Amir still feels guilty about the fact that he betrayed someone who loved him so much because it stains his hands like blood. However, instead of dwelling on this memory he acts upon the past, and in that moment decides to do nothing but protect Sohrab. He wishes only one thing, which is for him to survive so that he can properly reconcile himself betraying Hassan in the past. Amir finally understands that he can not change what happened between Hassan and him in the past, but he can take action to better his own future and the future of Hassan’s son. He realizes that reconciliation does not mean erasing past mistakes, but moving forward with acceptance.

In conclusion, when individuals are unable to forgive themselves for their past mistakes they believe that ignoring these thoughts will erase the past, but after being bothered by the memories they realize that they must act for themselves and others in order to achieve a true sense of redemption. Jealousy is such a powerful sentiment that it can often lead to cruel actions, and once individuals reflect back on this resentment, they wrongfully believe that ignoring their mistake will solve their feelings of guilt. Occasionally individuals make the mistake of betraying important people in their life and continue living with the ideology that concealing their memories will fix their wrongdoing. Frequently, people find that forgiving oneself is more painful than the mistake itself; however, one cannot be in harmony with themselves or others without this act of pardon. Instead of dwelling on the past, individuals can finally understand the true meaning of redemption and move towards a brighter future.