Making Mistakes In The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini

Humans are responsible for their own actions, but not always will something go the way they want it to. Making mistakes is a part of being human and it is a part of life. Forgiveness for a sinful mistake is to acquit for what one has done. In the story “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, the narrator Amir has gone through hardships just to live up to the saying “there is a way to be good again,” because of the mistake he made as a child. In order to be reconciled in the Eyes of Islam one must first recognize the offense from those they have committed the offense to; not to repeat the same offense more than once; do what needs to be done to amend the offense; and lastly, ask forgiveness from God. By the end of the book, Amir is able achieve

forgiveness in the Eye of Islam because he was able to execute each one of the criterias needed for his pardon.
1975 was a year Amir would never forget.

He has had to live with the regret that he caused by deserting Hassan left to be raped by Assef. Ever since the day he abandoned Hassan in the alley, Amir allowed the guilt from that tragic event to eat him up. Amir then fled to the US to escape the grief that was back in Afghanistan. Next, Amir put himself at risk to save Hassan’s only son from the dangers of Kabul. Lastly, Amir was to forgive his own self. Amir recognized the problem through guilt; avoided repeating the offense by fleeing; did what needed to be done by saving Sorhab; and asked forgiveness from God by accepting

himself.
When the faithful Hassan went to go chase the blue kite he encountered Assef who then raped him, and Amir witnessed it. Amir did not do anything about what he saw and only remained a coward. From that day forward he had to live with the fact that he did absolutely nothing to help Hassan, though he always knew what he did was wrong.
As Amir begins the book he says, “that was a long time ago, but 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. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.” He tried not to dwell on the past after the event happened, but it seems that guilt has always managed to arise. Despite the fact that it happened many years ago, the thought of what he did to Hassan acted like a burden to him throughout time.
For the first two and a half decades after what had happened, Amir would not budge to tell anybody about his secret, not even to Soroya.

He identified his childhood actions as immoral and it had turned him into an insomniac because he would be bothered by the thought of it. Amir feels like he is eternally trapped in a stage of anguish until he is able to restore the sin that he made.

When the Russians invaded Afghanistan and they ruined the peace and harmony that Baba and Amir were used to. As a result, Baba feels that it is best for the two to flee the country as refugees and go to America where they find it much safer. Baba had another reason for fleeing too, and it was to give Amir the opportunity to receive a better education. Amir and Baba find themselves living in Fremont, California.

Amir reflects on how much his and Baba’s life have changed since they arrived in America and stating that, “for me, America was a place to bury my memories. For Baba, a place to mourn his.” By leaving Afghanistan, Amir is abandoning his painful memoir of his life in Afghanistan the way he abandoned Hassan in the alley. It is a way for him to start new as if he was given a second chance at

life.
When he moved to America he is able to briefly forget about his past. In the beginning it was rough for the both of them because they had to the adjust to the new culture, but eventually they were able to fit in with the Afghan community there. Amir found a significant other and successfully pursued his writing career, but was not able to bring up a child with his wife. Amir uses America as an escape to move on with his life, so that a big mistake would never encounter him ever again.
After 20 years of living in the US, Rahim had summoned Amir back to Pakistan to tell him that Hassan's son is in danger. He wanted Amir to bring Sorhab out of Kabul and send him to American caregivers so that he may live in peace. At first, Amir was hesitant, but later realized that he should change the way he thinks.
Rahim told Amir what Baba had told him about Amir back when he was twelve years old, “a boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.” Baba felt that if he never saw Amir come out of his wife’s uterus, he would not believe that he was his son because of his lack of courage. Baba is a well respected man around Kabul and is not afraid to stand up for himself, it was even rumored that he fought a bear. In contrast, Amir is the complete opposite. He is much like his mother because he enjoys reading and reciting poetry rather than playing sports. Amir’s biggest flaw is his cowardice, as he is not able to fight his own battles and lets Hassan take care of them.
For the first time, Amir had finally put himself in danger for somebody else. In attempt to redeem himself from not saving Hassan, he is sent to instead save his son. Amir is nearly beaten to death and ironically that is the time where he felt the most healed. This is because he is relieved from all his guilt and got what he thought that he deserved.
Amir always failed at being able to be proud of himself. During his childhood he never thought that Baba loved him because he felt that the cause of his mother's death was entirely his fault. He was selfish because he revolved his life around striving to make Baba happy and he also wanted Baba all to himself. On top of that, the incident of abandoning Hassan made him feel like a terrible person.
Though years passed, Rahim noticed that Amir’s attitude towards his internal struggle never changed, “A man who has no conscience, no goodness, does not suffer. I hope your suffering comes to an end with this trip to Afghanistan.” He wants Amir to understand that even though what he did was wrong, there should be a time where one should finally forgive themselves for what they did. He does not want Amir to be so hard on himself because at least he was able to pick out his fault.
The final stage of reconciliation is to ask for God’s forgiveness, Amir does this by first forgiving himself and putting his past aside. God believes that all people should be forgiven for their sins and He does not want anybody to suffer in their own guilt. The fact that Amir did not just leave things the way they were, but constantly thought about how reprehensible it was of him to betray Hassan deserves forgiveness from God.
Reconciliation in the Eyes of Islam is what it means to be forgiven for a sinful act. Amir was able to meet the needs of redemption as his guilt guided him to something good. Amir never neglected the scarring memory of leaving Hassan behind in the alley which haunted him daily. By trying to relieve himself of his past in Afghanistan, he made an effort to start a new life in America. As an adjustment Amir devoted his time to save Hassan’s son so that he could live in a safe home. After all that has happened, Amir was able to look past his young cowardice actions and this led to his own personal forgiveness. Alexander Pope once said “to err is human, to forgive is divine” Amir has demonstrated such through his eventful journey which ultimately led to total forgiveness.