Kite Runner Parallelism

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Throughout The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini, there are many structural elements that support the theme of redemption and how salvation is possible no matter how terrible an act is. Early in the book, the main character Amir watches his friend/servant Hassan get raped by the neighborhood bully. After realizing what he had done, Amir felt incredibly guilty and it became impossible for him to even be near Hassan. After moving to America and growing up, he continues to struggle with his guilt, and keeps it buried inside. Eventually, he is faced with an opportunity for redemption, and there are many signs leading him toward it. One structural element that supports the idea of redemption was the line "There is a way to be good again" being italicized. …show more content…

In the first half of the book Hassan spends his life working for Amir, doing everything he needed, just so he could eventually be let down. Now that Amir realizes his mistakes, he spends his adult life dedicating his life to Sohrab, Hassan's son. A specific similarity would be when Hassan ran Amir's Kite during the competition as a child and when Amir teaches Sohrab how to run kites at the end of the book. Hassan and Amir's competition as children ended in victory, and Hassan telling Amir "For you a thousand times over," (Pg.67) meaning that he would help Amir as much as he needed to. When it becomes Amir's turn to run the Kite for Sohrab, they successfully took down a kite, leading to a special moment between the two. During this moment, Amir repeats the same line said to him so many years ago; "For you a thousand times over." (Pg.371) This repetition shows that Amir is recognizing the growth and resemblance between himself and …show more content…

One example is the letter he receives from Rahim Kahn telling him that it is his time to pass and that Amir needs to learn to forgive himself. The letter is completely focused on Amir's acceptance of what has happened, and his belief in salvation: " And that, I believe, is what true redemption is, Amir Jan, when guilt leads to good." (Pg.302) This message is clear to Amir because of the form it was expressed, a letter. When one writes a letter, especially a letter that contains the last words they'll ever tell someone, they are including very specific thoughts that could not wait to be said in person. These words written by Rahim Kahn were important for Amir's redemption, which is why they were said in a letter, which stands out from the rest of the chapter due to spacing and its