Redemption In The Kite Runner

Redemption involves the act of absolving or being absolved from a previous wrongdoing. In The Kite Runner, Amir commits a great betrayal by abandoning his friend, Hassan, when he is raped. He furthers his transgression by attempting to have Hassan fired when he can no longer stand his own guilt. When his father’s friend, Rahim Khan, tells Amir “There is a way to be good again” (Hosseini 192), Khan is essentially telling Amir that there is an opportunity for redemption and a chance to mend the pain that he has caused Hassan. Amir flies to Pakistan to hear of this possibility to fix his mistakes. Amir receives redemption by saving Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from the Taliban. Although he is initially hesitant to take on the task of rescuing Sohrab, he eventually chooses to return to Afghanistan in an attempt to take him to a family in Pakistan. Amir achieves redemption by saving Sohrab from the same abuse that he allowed Hassan to go through. As he attempts to save Sohrab, he meets Assef again and has a

This is when he redeems himself because it shows that he is no longer a cowardly child and is now able to fight for others. He finds solace when Assef is hitting him because he feels as though he deserves it for allowing Hassan to get hurt. “I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this...my body was broken--just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later--but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed.” (Hosseini 289) Redemption was only achieved for Amir because he was truly repentant. His guilt constantly loomed over him and as a result, he underwent a change in character. He was no longer a selfish weakling and had grown into a remorseful and responsible adult. He does not repeat his past mistake and is able to rescue Sohrab and even takes him to America to give him a loving