Guilt In The Kite Runner

Guilt is a driving force in the actions of many people. Amir, the main character in the novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini has quite a few dark memories of his past that he greatly regrets. There are many important forces in his life driving him to fix the wrong choices he made when he was younger. As the novel progresses, the reader learns that no matter how many mistakes someone makes, there is always a way to redeem themselves, and true honor comes from love. Through the selfish choices, loss of family, and life sacrifices that Amir struggles through, he learns there is always a way to make things right. Amir made many selfish decisions in his early life. The most crucial one; however, is when he lied about his best friend, Hassan, in order to have him kicked out of his home.
This is the one of Amir's guiltiest moments. Before Amir plants the evidence to frame Hassan as being a selfish thief he admitted that, "One of us had to go" (Hosseini 102). Amir's full intent was to have Hassan removed so he could have his father, Baba's, full attention. This scene later results in Ali, Hassan's father, announcing that they will be leaving. Amir took the only chance Hassan had to live a good life; in doing so, he was left with much shame. Later in the novel when Amir is in the process of making things right by saving Hassan's son, Sohrab, he gets really physical with the evil antagonist, Assef. Amongst the chaos Amir states, "I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I'd even been looking forward to this... Healed at last. I laughed" (Hosseini 289). At this moment Amir felt as though he was close to redeeming himself of his past. Amir laughs at this moment because even though he is getting hurt by Assef, he is also being "healed" of his past betrayals to his close friend Hassan. Many of Amir's family members passed away in this novel, making him stronger and influencing him to make up for his past.
Growing up without a mother really caused Amir to look up to his father. Amir tried to make his father proud in everything he would do whether it was writing stories in his adulthood or fighting kites in his childhood. When Baba passes Amir wondered, "Baba couldn't show me the way anymore; I'd have to find it on my own" (Hosseini 174). Baba was a man of great honor and in Amir's eyes he seemed to make little to no mistakes. Because of his high amount of respect for his father, Amir feels as though he should right his wrongs with Hassan because he knew that Baba loved and truly cared for Hassan. When Hassan and his father, Ali, left it devastated Baba. As Baba mourns their departure Amir states that he "... saw Baba do something I had never seen him do before: He cried" (Hosseini 107). Baba never showed emotion. For Baba to breakdown and actually cry at the fact that Hassan and Ali are gone conveys that he loves and cares for them both. Amir experiencing this display of emotion by his strong father influences him to help Hassan out in any way he
can. Amir learns that you have to give some things up in order to make others right. He struggles through many sacrifices on his journey to free himself of past sins. Late in the novel Rahim Khan, a father figure from Amir's early life, informs Amir that Hassan had been murdered by the Taliban. He also told him how Hassan was more than just his best friend, he was his step brother. This was a major factor in Amir's decision to go help Sohrab, Hassan's son, and make up for his mistakes in the past. When Amir talks on the phone with Rahim Khan about going to Pakistan, Rahim informs him that "There's a way to be good again" (Hosseini 236). The only way he can make up for his ways of treating Hassan in the past is to make sure Sohrab has a good life. Amir is willing to give up his normal life in America to adopt Shorab and ensure that he lives a great life. When Amir asks Sohrab, " Would you like to come live in America with me and my wife?" (Hosseini 320), is when he finally stands up for his past regrets. This is the moment of redemption that Amir has much needed. Throughout Amir's life full of self-centered decisions, loss of family and friends, and changing for the better he discovers true happiness and realizes that no matter the mistakes he makes, there is always "a way to be good again". Rather than living with his guilty conscience, Amir saw a chance to make amends with his past compunctions and a way to bring love and joy to more people than himself. Amir went through many stages throughout the novel but he always knew deep down that he was going to have to make up for what he has done; therefore, in the end I feel as though he successfully accomplished his goal of redemption.