Redemption Through The Kite Quotes

The Path to Redemption through the Kite
Mr. Hammond
ENG3U1-07
Paul Sulcs

The road to redemption is a path that one must take in order to make amends with the past. In the novel “The Kite Runner”, the author, Khaled Hosseini, illustrates the struggle of achieving redemption through the protagonist’s eyes. Amir’s desperation to please Baba leads him into making a choice that will haunt him for the rest of his life. When given the opportunity, Amir looks to right his past sins and is sent on a path to redemption. In the novel, the kite symbolizes Amir’s path to redemption by being the object through which he intends to gain Baba’s respect, by being the cause of his guilt, and by being the object that brings him back to a relative state of innocence.

Amir feels that he must redeem himself to Baba in order to gain his respect. When Baba tells Amir that he and Hassan have a good chance of winning the kite-fighting tournament, Amir becomes puzzled, as Baba has rarely shown an interest in him. Amir stands there with a blank expression in his face, as he “doesn’t know what to think or what to say.

Was that what it would take? Had he just slipped me a key?” (Hosseini 59). Amir realizes that the key to unlocking Baba’s respect is by winning the kite-fighting tournament. If Amir does this then he believes that Baba will view him as the ideal son: a winner. The kite presents itself as a symbol of hope of as Amir sees it as the only way by which he can finally earn Baba’s respect. As Amir sets his sights on winning the tournament, he envisions a future where Baba embraces him as the ideal son. Amir understands that in order to see this dream become a reality he must first demonstrate that he can be more like Baba because “Baba was used to winning, winning at everything he set his mind to. Didn’t he have a right to expect the same from his son? And just imagine. If I did win...” (Hosseini 59). Amir foresees a future where he wins the tournament and earns Baba’s respect. It is implied that Amir’s vicctory will lead him to become someone who is looked at, not seen, listened to, not heard. This can be seen as an element of forshadowing as this is what happens to Amir after he wins. When Amir tells himself “didn’t he have the a

right to expect the same from his son?” (Hosseini 59), it further illustrates that Amir looks down upon himself and that he is ashamed of being a disappointment to Baba. Amir is desperate to win over Baba’s approval and ironically this leads to his lack of action while Hassan is being raped. On the day of the kite tournament, Amir fought a long hard battle with the though of victory lingering in the back of his mind. With the slice of a string, Amir beats the odds and comes out triumphant. He looks up to the balcony and sees Baba “pumping both of his fists. That right there was the single greatest moment in [his] twelve years of life” (Hosseini 71). Amir finally accomplishes his goals of winning the kite fighting tournament and redeeming himself to Baba. When he sees Baba “pumping both of his fists” (Hosseini 71), it illustrates that Baba is exceptionally proud of Amir. Amir proved that he could be a winner just like Baba. As a result of this, Baba has a greater respect for Amir and he is no longer disappointed with him. Amir’s desire to please Baba leads him to make a choice that requires him to search for redemption again.
The kite becomes the source from which Amir’s guilt stems from and he struggles throughout the rest of the novel to cope with it.

After the kite-fighting tournament, Hassan gets trapped in an alleyway and refuses to give the kite to Assef. Instead of taking action, Amir “turned [his] back to the ally an Hassan. Assef was right: nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price [he] had to pay, the lamb [he] had to slay to win Baba” (Hosseini 82). The fact the Hassan would not part with the kite shows that he understands how important it is to Amir. This further displays the strength of Hassan’s loyalty to Amir. If Hassan had just given into Assef’s demand then the entire situation could have been resolved. However, Hassan refuses to give up the kite, which results in him being raped by Assef. As this is happening Amir just stands by and watches which illustrates that he is a coward. Amir is only concerned with receiving the kite so that he can go home and make Baba proud. Ironically, he turns into the man that Baba feared he would become. Amir’s guilt stems from the fact the he did not stand up for Hassan. The kite has now become the symbol of Amir’s guilt. After Hassan’s rape, the kite remains unseen for the majority of the novel. This is because “in 1996 [the] Taliban rolled in and put an end to the daily [kite] fighting” (Hosseini 224). The absence of the kite demonstrates that Amir is afraid to shed light on his past. Amir is incapable of associating himself

with kites, as it is a constant reminder of his betrayal to Hassan. In order to lessen the burden of his guilt, Amir suppresses his memories of Hassan’s rape just like how kites are being suppressed by the Taliban. After years of being eaten away by guilt, Amir is given the chance to atone for his past sins. He returns to Afghanistan and meets with Rahim Khan. When Rahim Khan tells Amir that Hassan is his half-brother, he feels “like a man sliding down a steep cliff, clutching at shrubs and tangles of brambles and coming up empty handed” (Hosseini 234). Amir’s description of himself falling is similar to how a kite descends down after it has been cut. The fact that Amir feels like this shows that he is overwhelmed with the information regarding Hassan and he is trying to comprehend it. This further reveals how great of an impact the kite has had on Amir. As Amir’s mind is falling, he tries to grab “shrubs and tangles of brambles and [comes] up empty handed” (Hosseini 234). Amir is trying to reach for forgiveness, but comes out “…empty handed” Hosseini 234), because he has done nothing to deserve it. Amir goes back to Kabul in order to rescue Sohrab and seek redemption. The kite can be seen as both the object that destroys and saves Amir.
After saving Sohrab from Assef, Amir returns to a relative state of innocence. Amir tries to mend the relationship between he and Sohrab through kite fighting. Amir “took off running, [his] sneakers splashing rainwater from puddles, the hand clutching the kite end of the string held high above my head” (Hosseini 388) The kite has become the symbol of Amir’s innocence. The fact that Amir is able to fly a kite again shows that he no longer feels the burden of his guilt. Through Sohrab, Amir is able to redeem himself and he has become innocent once again. Amir tries to establish a connection with Sohrab through kite flying because it was a passion he and Hassan used to share. As Amir is battling another kite, he “… felt a rush like this was that day in the winter of 1975, just after [he] had cut the last kite, [he] spotted Baba on [the] rooftop, clapping and beaming” (Hosseini 390). Amir has a flashback to the day of the kite flying tournament and Hassan’s rape. Amir’s ability to revisit his past shows that he is no longer affected by the events that occurred on that day. This again illustrates that Amir no longer feels guilty. Also, this was the last day where Amir was innocent. By feeling “a rush like this was that day in the winter of 1975” (Hosseini 390), Amir returns to his previous state of innocence. After Amir cut the string of the final kite he asked Sohrab ‘“do you want me to run that kite for you?’ His Adams’ apple rose and fell as he swallowed. The wind lifted his hair. I though I saw him nod. ‘For you a thousands times over’” (Hosseini 391). Amir now puts himself in Hassan’s shoes and becomes the kite runner. By saying “‘for you a thousands times over’” (Hosseini 391), Amir has devoted himself to Sohrab in the same way that Hassan was to Amir. Amir has rid himself of all his guilt and became innocent. Though it was not easy, Amir has achieved redemption and the kite is the ultimate symbol of it.
Author Khaled Hosseini clearly explores the theme of redemption through the symbolism of the kite. At the beginning of the novel the kite is a beacon of hope for Amir, as he wanted to use it in order to gain Baba’s respect. However, Amir’s decision to run instead of helping Hassan leads him to become even lesser of a man and he is burdened with immense guilt. By the end of the novel Amir is able to seek redemption through Sohrab and he is brought back to a relative state of innocence.