Analyzing Symbols in the Catcher in the Rye

The road to redemption is a long and uncomfortable one. In Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, Amir’s journey is much the same as he tries to find freedom and redemption from his guilt and the unatoned sins of his past. The inner turmoil he faces forces him to come to grips with the years of guilt he has suffered. Amir’s desire for redemption and forgiveness for his sins allows him to mature both mentally and emotionally and accept the society he now lives in. The factors leading to his redemption are the mending his relationship with his father, the rescue of Hassan’s son Sorahb, and his final confrontation with Aseef. Like father like son - this is never the case with Amir and Baba, their different interests and Amir’s lack of masculinity causes him to think that Baba will never be proud of him. Even his kite tournament was a victory short lived with Baba as it soon fades. The only time Baba is genuinely proud of Amir is when he graduates from high school in America:
He walked to me, curled his arm around my neck and gave my brow a single kiss. I am moftakhir Amir, proud. His eyes gleamed when he said that, and I liked being on that receiving end of that look. (Hosseini 139).
This allows Amir to mature mentally. It gives him a sense of relief and redemption that his father’s love is unconditional regardless of their dissimilar interests and beliefs. It also encourages Amir to pursue his desires while not lacking the love of his father.