The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini

585 Words3 Pages

Human sin is a measurement of a person’s immoral acts. Often, humans commit sins against each other, leading to guilt. This is the key motivation for one to redeem themselves to atone for their sins. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, Amir struggles with his own guilt after betraying his childhood friend Hassan and seeks redemption. Amir only starts to seek redemption after recognizing his past actions as wrongful. Amir reflects on his past and “spent years trying to forget what happened,” but realizes that “Forgiveness doesn’t just sit there like a pretty boy in a bar. Forgiveness is the old fast guy you have to haul up the hill.” (Hosseini 286) As Amir reminisces about his childhood, he acknowledges that he has been trying to forget about …show more content…

One instance of danger is when he is stopped by a Taliban soldier and tries to convince the soldier to let them go, “You are a Pashtun just like us. You will let us go. You will show us hospitality. Because that is what Pashtuns do" (Hosseini 297) Amir uses his understanding of Afghan culture and customs, learning from his past mistakes in order to finish his redemption using all his resources. It also shows how he has reconciled his identity and heritage, and considers himself apart of Afghanistan culture. As Amir and Sohrab fly kites, “it seemed to Amir that he was a boy again, running with Hassan in the empty streets of Kabul" (Hosseini 363) This highlights how Amir’s journey to redemption has come circle, from being a boy running with Hassan to a man fighting for his childhood friend’s son. The kite flying symbolizes his success in making amends for his past mistakes, as he is able to regain his sense of innocence and purity that he had when flying kites with Hassan all those years ago. The kite being able to fly again also represents the weight of his sins being lifted and now Amir is able to finally thrive with no