A redemption journey in The Kite Runner

In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, many main themes arise. One particular of the most dominant themes is the idea of redemption for past wrongdoings. The protagonist, an Afghani-American named Amir, relays the story of his childhood by way of this, a single realizes the concerns he went by means of and the events that will come to shape the plot of the novel. Amir seeks redemption for his betrayal of his childhood greatest pal, Hassan. Since of his cowardice during Hassan’s rape, his betrayal of Hassan right after the incident, and his committing of the vilest sin in Afghani culture, Amir have to depart on a long and debilitating journey for the ultimate goal of total redemption that will take him back to his violent and war-torn homeland and beyond.

As youngsters, Amir and Hassan were inseparable. The two of them “used to climb the poplar trees in the driveway of [Amir’s] father’s residence and annoy our neighbors by reflecting sunlight into their homes with a shard of mirror” (Hosseini 3). The two young boys, although they were of different social classes and ethnicities, have been in a position to stay steadfast friends no matter the circumstances presented to them. Amir, a Pashtun, was of a larger class and a distinct religious sect than Hassan, a Hazara. This did not matter to either of the kids. Even though Hassan was a servant to Amir’s family members, Amir held nothing at all above Hassan in that respect. The friendship was golden, till 1 fateful day right after a kite fight. Assef, a boy equivalent to Amir in the truth that he is a Pashtun but drastically distinct in so a lot of other elements, finds and chases Hassan in an attempt to steal Amir’s lavish blue kite. Hassan will not give up the kite, and Assef refers to him in terms of a pet: “A loyal Hazara. Loyal as a dog” (72). Assef lunges himself onto Hassan even though Amir timidly stands by out of sight, performing nothing at all to help his companion. Hassan is raped by Assef in an effort to assert his authority. Soon after the rape, Hassan, on the verge of collapsing, walks towards Amir, who acts as even though absolutely nothing has occurred: “Just like I pretended I hadn’t noticed the dark stain in the seat of his pants. Or these tiny drops that fell from between his legs and stained the snow black” (78).

Amir’s betrayal at some point leads to the appearance of other problems in between the two former greatest pals. Amir cannot seem to control the guilt he feels about Hassan’s rape he even provides up a chance for Hassan to use physical violence in order to alleviate some of his internal pain: “[Amir] hurled the pomegranate at him. It struck him in the chest, exploded in a spray of red pulp. Hassan’s cry was pregnant with surprise and pain. “Hit me back!” [Amir] snapped” (92). Hassan refuses to harm Amir, which angers Amir even additional. Any try by Amir to rid himself of the guilt he feels fails miserably. He then decides that the only way to rid himself of these feelings is to get rid of Hassan. He goes as far as to ask his father, “Baba, have you ever believed about obtaining new servants?” (89). Baba rejects any notion of ridding the loved ones of Hassan or his father, and chastises Amir for suggesting such a preposterous thought. Amir still feels that Hassan have to be gotten rid of he secretly places his own watch and stacks of cash beneath Hassan’s bed to make it appear like Hassan stole the things. Amir tells Baba, who confronts Hassan about the watch and funds. Hassan, who “never denied [Amir] anything” (two), took the blame for the incident, and he and his father moved out of Baba’s home. Stealing was regarded as the highest crime in Afghani culture. Ironically, although, it was not Hassan that stole one thing, but Amir: he took away any innocence that Hassan nevertheless possessed by framing him for this crime.

Redemption nonetheless reveals itself in the novel, even though. Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Baba and Amir are forced to move to America. There, they settle in Fremont, California, among a number of other Afghani refugee families. Amir assimilates much a lot more effectively than Baba he goes to college, gets married, and sooner or later begins a life of his own. Baba ultimately passes away, and as a result Amir no longer has any ties to his old life-style that is, until he receives a life-altering phone get in touch with: “One day last summer season, my friend Rahim Khan known as from Pakistan. He asked me to come see him. Standing in the kitchen with the receiver to my ear, I knew it wasn’t just Rahim Khan on the line. It was my previous of unatoned sins” (1). Amir travels to Pakistan, exactly where he finds out that Hassan and his wife have been murdered, and that their son, Sohrab, has been taken away. Rahim Khan deems the process of acquiring Sohrab back as Amir’s “way to be very good again” (two). Amir discovers Sohrab’s whereabouts, and departs to retrieve him. The only point standing in his way upon arrival is the indirect trigger of all his grief, his childhood rival, Assef. Assef will not give up Sohrab and forces Amir into a fight. Amir is practically beaten to death, but Sohrab, considerably like his father would have completed, protects Amir by shooting Assef’s eye out with a slingshot. In this respect, it seems that the progression of the novel has come full circle, and that the journey for redemption is comprehensive. Although life is far from excellent as Amir and Sohrab return to the United States, a glimmer of hope appears on Sohrab’s face as Amir provides to be his kite runner.

Redemption is not straightforward to accomplish, but often the hardest-fought battles reap the greatest reward. Through his struggles to make amends for his previous wrongdoings, Amir not only finds redemption for his actions, but gains back a little piece of his innocent, immaculate childhood with Hassan in the type of his nephew, Sohrab.