The Kite Runner Forgiveness Analysis

“Forgive me if you wish. But, most important, forgive yourself,” Rahim Khan wrote to Amir. (Hosseini, 2003, p 302). Throughout The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir, the main character, made some bad and selfish decisions that some might think are unforgivable. However, as Amir grew older, he demonstrated not only bravery and courage, but alsoredemption of forgiveness for his past. Amir is worthy of forgiveness because of the letters from both Rahim Khan and Hassan, constantly fighting for Sohrab, and letting Sohrab in the family.

Amir deserves to forgive himself because if Rahim Khan and Hassan both forgive him in their letters, then why should he not do the same? For instance, Rahim Khan stated,“I know that in the end, God will forgive.
He will forgive your father, me, and you too. I hope you can do the same” (Hosseini, 2003, p. 302). Even though Rahim Khan knew about Hassan’s rape, Rahim Khan always saw the good in Amir even when Amir could not see it himself. In his letter, Rahim Khan assured Amir that everyone forgave him and his past except for himself; he deserves to reprieve himself because of the many years he bullied himself for the shameful things he has done and for saving Hassan’s son, Sohrab. Rahim Khan was proud that Amir went to go save Sohrab and knew that even when he is no longer there to direct him into the right path Amir would choose the right decision. In addition, Hassan also reveals his forgiveness through a letter to Amir by saying, “And I dream that someday you will return to Kabul to revisit the land of our childhood. If you do, you will find an old faithful friend waiting for you,” (Hosseini, 2003, p. 218). Hassan is telling Amir that he is welcome to come back to Kabul and would be thrilled to see him. He is willing to let Amir back into his life with no hard feelings with hopes of Amir becoming his friend once again. If Hassan, the boy that got raped for Amir, is willing to forgive and forget about the past then Amir deserves to forgive himself and keep moving forward with his future. If Amir does not go to see Hassan and clear things up in person, then he should at least be able to feel completely forgiven by both Hassan and himself. In the long run, Rahim Khan and Hassan have shown that they have forgiven Amir, however Amir more importantly deserves to find the courage to forgive himself.

Amir did more than enough to redeem himself of what he did in the past and should have earned forgiveness from Sohrab and even more forgiveness from Hassan if he was still alive at the time.
One example of Amir trying to make things right was when he was willing to sacrifice his life for Sohrab during the fight with Assef. When Assef was explaining the limits and rules of the fight, Amir was ready to do so for Sohrab even after Assef said the fight would be to the death (Hosseini, 2003). This expresses Amir’s character development dramatically because he is now braver in this moment than he was as a child during Hassan’s rape. Amir is able to redeem himself by stand up for Sohrab now when he could not stand up for Hassan when they were kids. Hassan would have been so thankful and proud of Amir because he knew what a huge accomplishment this was to Amir. If Hassan would have been alive to hear about the great news that his son was safe, he would have forgiven Amir to a way higher extent. Secondly, Amir tried to do what was best for Sohrab when it came to getting him to America as soon as possible. Although Sohrab did tell Amir that he would never go to another orphanage again, Sohrab should have listened and heard Amir out before making his rash decision. When talking on the phone with Soraya, she kept coming back to the idea of putting him in an orphanage for a couple of months and then come back to get him because that was, at the time, the fastest way possible for Sohrab
to come to America (Hosseini, 2003). Amir obviously didn’t like the thought of putting him back into an orphanage, but he eventually decided it was the fastest way. It is safe to say that this was not the smartest choice made by Amir because of the consequences of almost losing, however, nobody can be perfect all the time. Sohrab should have forgiven Amir after hearing Amir’s reasonings but unfortunately didn’t let Amir explain at all; instead Sohrab was just silent. Clearly, Amir is willing to sacrifice his life for Sohrab and unfortunately did not make all of the right decisions but overall deserved the forgiveness of Sohrab and Hassan.
Lastly, Amir deserves not only forgiveness but also just plain respect from Sohrab after letting him into his life and family. After Amir brought Sohrab to the U.S.