The Kite Runner

A Thousand Times Over
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is inundated with the phrase “for you a thousand times over” (2) and it plays a major role in the life of the main character, Amir. The quote is present in his youth, as he grows and during a moment that greatly influences the man he becomes. Over time the saying “for you a thousand times over” (2) fills Amir with first internal anguish, then guilt, and finally what he needs, healing. Amir is riddled with mental anguish as a young boy when he discovers the true nature of Hassan’s loyalty. As Hassan sets out to run the kite for Amir he says “for you a thousand times over” (67). The promise that Hassan makes seems simple in the beginning. Amir sees it as a reminder that Hassan will always
“I drifted to sleep. And dreamed of Hassan running in the snow… He was yelling over his shoulder: For you, a thousand times over” (194). The dream represents Amir’s final happy memory of Hassan. The innocence of the young boy running in the snow is meant to bring Amir peace. It is there to remind him of all the great times they have shared together, the days they flew kites and did not think about losing one another. Now that Amir has left his youth he does not see the memory as a good one, but as the beginning of all the bad. The pledge from Hassan lasts as a reminder to Amir of his own betrayal. His guilt causes him to constantly reflect back on the past and never look forward toward healing. Along with reexamining his own pain, Amir knows that he has caused lasting pain for Hassan. The amount is portrayed through a second dream that Amir experiences. “ It is late afternoon and his long shadow sways back and forth on the gravel. He is muttering something under his breath. I step closer. A thousand times over, he mutters. For you a thousand times over” (239). The image makes it obvious to Amir that Hassan’s pledge lasted until death. It brings a vivid view to the effect that Amir believes his betrayal has had on Hassan. “ I see the barrel first… Then the man standing behind him… in a herringbone vest… He looks down at the blindfolded man before him with eyes that show nothing but
Fighting for Sohrab resembles how Amir should have fought to save Hassan. He recognizes this and surrenders his whole self to the efforts of bringing Sohrab to safety. The physical beating inflicted upon him acts as a final acknowledgment of his guilt. For Amir, the external pain did not hurt as much as the internal aching he has held onto for years. “My body was broken- just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later- but I was healed. Healed at last” (289). In his eyes, saving the young boy was a form of atonement for the boy he had abandoned at a young age. By laying down his own life, Amir saw how much it took for Hassan to stay loyal to him. Even though saving Sohrab was a large feat, it did not fully heal Amir of his guilt. Farid, a new acquaintance, is the man who unintentionally shows Amir his next step in healing. In the hospital, Farid pledges himself to Amir by saying “for you a thousand times over” (305). The promise evokes emotion from Amir because in the many years he knew Hassan, he was never able to say that to him. In contrast, Farid, a man that barely knew Amir pledged himself anyway. Amir cries because he recognizes the pledge’s effect on his life. He can see that loyalty is meant to be shared and in doing so, he must make himself vulnerable to the idea of someone else having it, just as Hassan and Farid had. Their examples lead Amir to share