Ms. Abitbol English 1 Date: TKR Essay At some point in our lives, we’ve all misbehaved and made selfish mistakes, which leaves us with a heavy burden of guilt and regret. Amir, a troubled young boy who must face his sinful actions and make amends for them, is shown throughout Khaled Hossienis’ realistic fiction novel The Kite Runner. Amir seeks for personal cravings of his fathers affection; the repercussions of his actions were a heavy burden of guilt. Amir makes an effort to let go of the weight of the burden as a result of his actions, but must accept responsibility for his deeds. Initially, Amir’s cowardness hinders his atonement, but his realization of his sins shapes his self-sacrificing and remorseful character. In the beginning …show more content…
Specifically, as Amir is leaving Wahid’s house to find Sohrab, “[Amir plants] a fistful of crumpled money under a mattress” for Wahids poverty stricken family. Then reflects, “I did something I had done twenty-six years earlier”(242). In spite of his past actions, Amir conveys his compassion for others and reflects on his past offenses. The fact that he’s aware of his past wrongdoings and reflects on them shows his internal sense of empathy continues to develop. His desire to partake in actions for his own benefit dwindles and his sense of consideration for others' needs flourishes. Later, As Rahim is discussing Hassan's life to Amir, Amir ponders “But I had driven Hassan and Ali out the house. Was it too far-fetched to imagine things might’ve turned out differently if I hadn’t?”(226). The fact that Amir considers the positive possibilities that Hassan and Ali could’ve had without his actions presents his internal sense of growing contrition. This conscientiousness of his poor actions demonstrates that he’s not only growing as a person, but his desire to atone grows. He prioritizes his personal pursuit of redemption and disposes of any selfish behavior as a result of his