Amir bewedded to an Afghan woman, Soraya, but before marriage there was concern about her past. When she was younger she ran away with a man without her father's approval, which to the afghan culture was just unheard of. Soraya came back but she had brought shame to her parents for what she had done. Baba says to Amir “It may be unfair, but what happened in a few days, sometimes even in a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime…” (Hosseini 142).
A significant point when Amir understands that he must change his actions was at Baba’s funeral, “Listening to them, I realized how much of who I was, what I was, had been defined by Baba and the marks he had left on people’s lives… now he was gone. Baba couldn’t show me the way anymore; I’d have to find it on my own. The thought of it terrified me.” (Hosseini, 174) This thought process was the start of Amir’s personal journey; it was what led him to return to Afghanistan and later to adopt Sohrab.
The author had us view Amir as selfish, guilty, and then working towards forgiveness. These characteristics help us to better understand the overall theme of the novel. They showtime stages that one goes through when they are on a path toward forgiveness. The themes of betrayal, guilt, and forgiveness all appear in this novel and are able to be seen clearly through the feelings and actions of
The theme of loyalty has a major impact on how the Kite Runner develops. As the novel unfolds, the characters begin to learn that loyalty comes with both positive and negative connotations. Loyalty is putting your trust and faith into someone else's hands, although this can be broken, resulting in destroyed lives and relationships. These destroyed lives and relationships are how loyalty affects the novel. Loyalty will drive you to do stuff you would never have seen yourself doing, even loyalty that has been broken will make one seek redemption and attempt to gain it back.
Amir’s fear of disappointing Baba is what caused him to build up regret and guilt. Amir knows Baba’s standards, and after betraying Hassan numerous times he senses that he may never be able to redeem himself. In fear of disappointing Baba, Amir grows up and becomes a much more respectful and honest person. Soraya also redeems herself after fearing her father when she ran away. Her father “told him that he had two bullets in the chamber, one for him and one for himself if [she] didn't come home”.
Baba and Amir ultimately grew a stronger bond but at the expense of permanent guilt for Amir. The father-son relationship that occurs throughout this story enables the reader to personally connect with Amir, which explains the novel’s universal
In order to redeem their relationship, he travels far to find and save Sohrab. When Amir finds the tree he savored “the tangy taste of pomegranate” (Hosseini 230). Hosseini depicts that the fruit of their relationship many years later is now strong and piquant. With new revelation on familial affairs, the relationship to Amir has taken on a new sentiment. It’s something that cannot be buried.
Amir’s internal conflict negatively impacts his characterization by characterizing him as fearful. Amir’s growth is marked by his reluctance to solve his past transgressions. Many years later, when he is about to marry Soraya Taheri due to Baba discussing with General Sahib about the matter, Soraya tells
Journey to Redemption Throughout life, people will find themselves facing guilt or shame, some more significant than others. An individual experiences guilt knowing that they have committed some form of wrongdoing. To relieve themselves from this offense, they will try to be redeemed, or relieved from their sin. In Khaled Hosseini novel, The Kite Runner, Hosseini described Amir’s journey to redemption after he betrayed Hassan during their childhood years. The five steps for redemption are categorized as Conviction, Confession, Repentance, Restitution, and Reconciliation.
In the novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini tells the story of Amir, a young, Afghan boy who learns about what it means to be redeemed through the experiences he encounters in his life. The idea of redemption becomes a lesson for Amir when he is a witness to the tragic sexual assault of his childhood friend, Hassan. As a bystander in the moment, Amir determines what is more important: saving the life of his friend or running away for the safety of himself. In the end, Amir decides to flee, resulting in Amir having to live with the guilt of leaving Hassan behind to be assaulted. Hosseini shows us how Amir constantly deals with the remorse of the incident, but does not attempt to redeem himself until later in his life when Hassan has died.
As the story progresses, love is expressed in the novel. The author uses character perspectives to express the theme of love. Love is a common topic played in society. The many types of love include, love for an object or thing, family love, and the love for the
In most coming-of-age novels, authors define childhood as the period of rose-colored glasses and complete innocence that comes to an end with a sudden profound revelation of reality; however, in Hassan, Amir, and Sohrab’s childhoods that was not the case. Their innocence was stolen from them; their rose-colored glasses shattered. The loss of the rose-colored glasses forces Amir, Hassan, and Sohrab to see reality before they could have a profound revelation and fully understand the harsh realities of life; they come of age and lose their innocence at far too young an age. Throughout the coming-of-age novel, The Kite Runner, loss of innocence is a very common theme made apparent via Amir, Hassan, and Sohrab; the theme, loss of childhood innocence, shapes the novel by introducing the themes of betrayal and redemption. Hassan’s loss of innocence assists in shaping the novel because when Hassan loses his childhood innocence, the novel’s protagonist, Amir, loses his childhood innocence as well.
Someone once said, “Loyalty isn’t grey. It’s black and white. You’re either completely loyal, or not loyal at all. And people have to understand this. You can’t be loyal only when it serves you.”
Redemption, the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil. In the novel The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini, the theme of redemption is evident throughout the book. Hosseini himself explained redemption in his own way, stating “true redemption is… when guilt leads to good”, and this “fiction is inspired by his memories of growing up in pre-Soviet-controlled Afghanistan and Iran, and of the people who influenced him as a child.” (768 Gale) The theme is shown through each and every character, whether it be Amir the protagonist or Sanaubar, the mother of Hassan.
Baba neglected Amir, which caused him to make poor decisions, while vying for his father’s love. Amir finds his true self and in the end his relationship with Baba helped to form him into the man he was at the end of the novel, one Baba is proud of. A loving and empathetic fatherly figure is necessary in a son’s
