Persistence Of The Past In The Kite Runner

Joshua Glunt
Nelson
Kite Runner Essay
18 April 2018
Persistence of the Past
    “So we beat on boats against the current borne back ceaselessly into the past”- F. Scott Fitzgerald. In the novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini; two characters constantly live their lives looking back to the past, hindering them in their lives in the present. Amir is overcome with guilt because of past actions, making him unable to live in the present. Sohrab, on the other hand, is affected by the past so much it cripples him. Amir and Sohrab display the theme of the constant persistence of the past; as each character finds their identity in the past.
    Amir’s guilt over past actions causes him to be unable to put the past behind him, which is the reason

for his identity to lie in the past and not the present.

Amir displays his past identity when 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’ve been peeking into that dessert alley for the last twenty-six years” (Hosseini 1). The phrase “the past claws its way out” shows how despite any effort from Amir to conceal his past, the past always comes back to him. Even 26 years after the incident with Assef and Hassan, the event still haunts him and remains a part of Amir’s life. Amir struggles to find a new identity, one without guilt for past actions. Amir describes his guilt when he says “I watched Hassan get raped,’ I said to no one. Baba stirred in his sleep. Kaka Homayoun grunted. A part of me was hoping someone would 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” (86). Amir comes to the realization that his guilt will be with him forever. Amir describes it as a “curse”, which can be interpreted as an identity; an identity

that Amir will struggle to ever get rid of. His struggle to get rid of his guilt and past identity is shown when it says “I envied her. Her secret was out. Spoken. Dealt with. I opened my mouth and I almost told her how I’d betrayed Hassan, lied, driven him out, and destroyed a forty-year relationship between Baba and Ali” (165). While analyzing the quote, Amir has a tone of envy towards Soraya, who has been open and honest with him; at this point in Amir’s life, the past has become such a tremendous part of his life that he cannot let go of it. Many psychologists point to the importance of openness and honesty to deal with tragedy and guilt. However, Amir is struggling to even be open and honest to his wife, which not only causes the guilt to grow, it begins a distrustful relationship with Soraya. The past’s influence on Amir is shown when it says “There is a way to be good again, he said. A way to end the cycle. With a little boy. An orphan. Hassan’s son. Somewhere in Kabul” (226-227). The past has become such a large part in Amir’s life to the degree that it motivates Amir to go save Sohrab, who is Hassan’s son. The phrase “a way to be good again” demonstrates that redemption is the only way to move on from the past. Amir’s tendency to remain focused on the past and the guilt that comes with that motivates him to redeem himself by saving Sohrab.
Sohrab does not just identify with the past, he is traumatized by it; which affects all of his actions and physiological behaviors.

The reason for Sohrab’s traumatization is explained when it says “Sohrab danced in a circle, eyes closed, danced until the music stopped. The bells jingled one final time when he stomped his foot with the song’s final note” (280). Sohrab was bought by the Taliban and made a sex slave. Sohrab will always remember those moments and it certainly affects him throughout the rest of the novel. The effects of his “enslavement” is shown when Amir says to Sohrab “You’re not dirty, and you’re not full of sin.’ I touched his arm again and he drew away” (320). Sohrab described himself as “dirty” and “full of sin” which shows that he believes that he is to blame for what the Taliban did to him, however that is certainly not the case. Sohrab is also psychologically damaged and will now have trust issues for the foreseeable future. Sohrab is also severally affected by the loss of his parents when he says “Please promise you won’t! Oh, God, Amir agha! Please promise you won’t!” (342). Sohrab is afraid of being abandoned again, which is another example of the past affecting Sohrab’s life. Over and over again, Sohrab pleads with Amir to “promise” that he will not leave him and send him to an orphanage; Sohrab’s need for assurance shows that he has been lied to before either by the Taliban or his parents. Sohrab’s recovery from his tragic past is displayed when it

says “It was only a smile, nothing more. It didn’t make everything all right. Only a smile. A tiny thing. Leaf in the woods, shaking in the wake of the startled bird’s flight” (371). Unlike Amir, Sohrab’s recovery does not need redemption, it needs love and time. The words “only a smile” shows that Sohrab will heal, but it will be a slow and difficult process. Sohrab needs the love that only a father can provide; Amir fits that role of a father who can show Sohrab how to move on from the past, just like he did through saving Sohrab. Sohrab is another character that seemingly cannot move on from a horrible and tragic past, however, there is hope that he can recover through the help of a father figure.
Events in the past affect the lives of Amir and Sohrab to the degree of hindering their future, however; both characters look for a glimmer of hope to escape their past. Amir looks to recover from his past guilt by an act of redemption, saving Hassan’s son named Sohrab. Sohrab, who faced many tragedies in his past life, begins to slowly move on from the past with the help of Amir, who has gone through a very similar and horrific past. Overall, the theme of the persistence of the past is evident in two main characters, Amir and Sohrab, making it a significant theme for readers. In short, despite any effort to conceal the past, the past always comes back; it is up to them to either be encompassed by guilt or embrace the past and seek redemption.