Redemption In The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini

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Novel The Kite Runner Essay In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, there are several major themes. One of the themes that stands out the most is redemption. This theme is shown through the thoughts and actions from the protagonist of the novel, Amir. He is seeking redemption for betraying his childhood best friend and half-brother Hassan. Due to Amir’s cowardice during Hassan’s rape, he feels guilty for committing the vilest sin in Afghan culture. “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. I ran because I was a coward” (Hosseini 77). Deep down, Amir feels as if he should have done something, and because of his nagging guilt he is not able to lead a peaceful life. He For example, “I [Amir] 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…I understood the nature of my new curse: I was going to get away with it.” (Hosseini 86). When Amir is lying in the dark with his thoughts he feels the guilt slowly taking over his life. He realizes that he will get away with his crime and feels that he should be punished for it, only then will he feel redeemed. Amir tries to provoke Hassan by throwing pomegranates at him to give himself the punishment he deserves, “Hit me back!’ I spat…I wished he would. I wished he’d give me the punishment I craved, so maybe I’d finally sleep at night. Maybe then things could return to how they used to be between us.” (Hosseini 92). The guilt is so deep that Amir is consumed by it and not able to sleep at night. Amir then decides to forget about his sin because he thinks nothing can be done now that it is already

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