The Kite Runner Theme Analysis

The opening paragraph of Khaled Hosseini’s novel "The Kite Runner" immediately expresses one of the central themes, guilt. Amir, the main character, is continuously antagonized by guilt. While on the surface, Amir seems to be a lighthearted child of a rich and popular father, he harbors the guiltiness of his sins deep within his heart. These guilts come back to haunt him throughout his whole life, resurfacing as vivid recollections in which he re-experiences his sins. While he tries to suppress his past and overlook these tragic moments, he feels remorse is persuaded him to take action. His father, who he fondly calls Baba, likewise harbors the guilt of his sins. To Amir, as well as to the rest of the world, Baba is seen as a strong and authoritative man, strong willed in both actions and heart. Yet under these fallacies lies a guilt that is so strong that all of his actions are based upon it. Both Amir and Baba are driven by these feelings of guilt, and every action they take and every decision they make is an attempt to reach redemption. Baba expresses his explanation behind that all sins are a variation of theft. “If you kill someone, you steal a man’s right to life and his family’s right to a father
While Amir and Hassan were young and lighthearted and as close as a servant and master can be, they inscribe their names in the tree, and it bears fruit. Thus, the tree symbolizes their relationship. Years later, however, after Hassan is dead and Amir is exhausted with remorse, the tree, just like Amir's memories, still exists but no longer bears fruit. The tree not only symbolizes a uniting strength between Amir and Hassan but also serves as a source of detachment. Amir wants Hassan to hit him with the pomegranate fruit in order to inflict a physical punishment to lessen his guilt as a partial equalizer; instead, Hassan breaks the fruit over his own head causing Amir more