Theme Of Guilt In The Kite Runner

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Guilt is seen throughout the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Amir, as a twelve year old boy witnesses Assef rape his best friend. Initially he felt guilty for not helping Hassan, but the fact he did nothing about the situation made him carry his guilt with him. The smallest thing would bring him back to the moment of Hassan being rapped. Guilt, something Amir carries around because he feels bad about what he did, yet he still wants something to be done about the situation. Every time a chance comes up for Amir to relieve guilt he shoots it down and carries it longer. Amir holds on to his throughout his life, and it affects him both negatively and positively. He never able found true happiness, he lost he friendship with Hassan, and Amir’s guilt blocked his ability to find true happiness. Even on graduation night, he was brought down by what he did years ago in a country halfway across the world. “I wish Hassan had been with us today” (133). In his new car Amir should have been overjoyed the entire time, but when his father reminded him of Hassan, Amir’s mood changes instantly. He suddenly found it hard to breathe because he did not want Baba finding out the truth, and he still had guilt weighing on him. This also prevented him from being truly happy on his graduation night which for most people is one of the happiest nights of their lives. Even though his guilt weighed on him he did not want anyone to know. Amir thought if someone knew he or she would have thought differently of him. Hiding the truth from the people closest to him caused him to constantly hide the truth. Amir’s wife and her importance in his life played a big role in him holding onto his He was a shy kid who depended on other people to stand up for him. For example Baba and Hassan. His guilt changed him. When Rahim Khan said “A way to be good again” (192). The chance came up for Amir to do something about his guilt. He took his chance. That was the first time in his life he stood up for something he believed in his life. Amir’s guilt negatively affected him before, but when he went to Afghanistan his guilt changed him positively. Amir, now able to stand up for what he believed in, wanted to fix his wrong, and he felt going to meet with Rahim Khan would help him. This change was not temporary for the time in Afghanistan. When he returned to the United States, General Taheri questioned Amir about bringing back a Hazara boy. When Amir said “You will never refer to him as a ‘Hazara boy’ in my presence. He has a name and it’s Sohrab” (361), Amir stood up for himself, Sohrab, and his father at that time. Standing up for himself and others signifies the change in Amir’s personality caused by

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