Preview

The Theme Of Redemption In 'The Kite Runner'

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
506 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Theme Of Redemption In 'The Kite Runner'
Redemption As we go through life we all make mistakes, how we deal with them shows more about us than the mistake its self. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir makes a huge mistake that he will struggle with for many years to come, until one day he gets a phone call telling him that “There is a way to be good again.” (Hosseini 2) After this he sets off on a journey to redeem himself.
As we read, we realize that redemption is very difficult but possible to achieve. Some may have to do things that they never thought about doing, or never wanted to do. Amir had to travel back to Kabul and find Sohrab to get his redemption. “I knew it wasn’t just Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins.” (Hosseini 1) Here Amir had just got the phone call from Rahim asking him to come back, which Amir had never even thought about doing but he did anyways because he knew it was what had to be done. However if you truly seek redemption you will do almost anything to get it including things that are uncomfortable.
…show more content…
Some it may be as simple as apologizing to someone but for another it could be as juristic as traveling across the world for someone. Amir got his redemption when he got beat by Assef, but Rahim just had to tell Amir the truth. As Rahim hinted to the truth about Baba, Amir stated, “I began to see where he was going. But I didn’t want to hear the rest of it.” (Hosseini 222) After all the years of keeping Baba`s secret, Rahim had to tell which provided him with his own personal redemption. His journey to redemption was much easier than Amir`s who had to get beat by Assef. During that time Amir confessed, “I don’t know at what point I started laughing, but I did.” (Hosseini 289) Although Amir was getting severely beat, he laughed because he knew that he had finally gotten what he had deserved which provided him with

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Year 11 Assessment Task

    • 1516 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Amir’s journey through guilt, atonement and finally redemption shows the reader a prevalent idea, Amir’s strength of character. He commits terrible sins against his friend and half-brother, Hassan. The story of what Amir does and how he seeks and finds atonement is a lesson for everyone who wants to find a way to be good again. Amir’s journey is very difficult, both emotionally and physically, yet he manages to see it through and achieves his objective. The reader can relate to Amir’s experience because he is ‘everyman’. What he experiences, the reader con relate to either specifically or…

    • 1516 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini discusses the life of Amir and his quest for redemption. In his early childhood, Amir forms what appears to be a strong bond with Hassan, his servant; however, Amir betrays Hassan after only seven chapters of the story which begs the question: Why does Amir allow his friendship with Hassan to fail? After some analysis, a few possible reasons for this betrayal can be deduced, but what ultimately causes the destruction of this friendship is the imbalance of power. Similarly, brothers Salim and Jamal from The Slumdog Millionaire experience this uneven distribution of power as well. Salim holds power over Jamal simply because he is the older brother and that makes him feel more entitled to power. In…

    • 168 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “There is a way to be good again.” Marks a point in Amirs life when he truly discovers redemption can be attainable even in the worst of circumstances. After years of dnial, lies, hiding and ignorance this phone conversation with Raham Khan plants the seeds for Amirs ultimate redemption. Khaled Hosseni’s The Kite Runner explores this theme as Amir faces emotional and physical hardship in an effort to quash the ghosts of his past. Throughout the novel Hosseni uses symbols to help illustrate Amir’s guit…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After Amirs betrayal he had the courage to search for atonement, saving Sohrab relieved him of his sins from the “winter of 1975” and the beating he receives from the “sociopath” Assef helps him to feel “healed at last” this is significant because it shows that Amir has been suffering for his sin and the suffering that Amir has been living with proves that he is good, because “A man who has no conscious, no goodness, does not suffer.” Even if it is the guilt that’s motivates Amir’s actions it is the deed that should be recognized and not the force behind…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This quote is important to the novel because it represents the crucial point in Amir’s life. At that moment, Amir is fighting against Assef, but he’s also sacrificing his life to save Sohrab as like Hassan sacrificed himself for Amir 26 years ago. Although Amir is badly beaten, he actually feels relieved as the guilt that he’s been suffering all his life has now been atoned for. From this quote, I learn that without being able to forgive yourself for your mistakes, you can’t have a fulfilled life. And, forgiveness only comes when you have truly tried to atone for your…

    • 102 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although it took Amir a quarter-century to learn it, redemption can only be earned by acknowledging one’s sins and proving to whomever they wronged that they are really there for them. This is what Hosseini was trying to convey to his readers when he wrote The Kite Runner and included redemption as the main theme of the novel. No matter how long it has been, redemption can always be…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Amir was listening to the phone conversation, Rahim Khan says “There is a way to be good again” (script) This phrase morally affects Amir. He decides to go to Pakistan; even though, Rahim said “very bad time now” (script) When he is heading to meet Rahim, the taxi driver says “it is terrible what’s happening in your country”. Amir put himself in danger to go Afghanistan to rescue his friend’s son. Amir watches the stone to death punishment carried out by the Taliban in the stadium in Kabul. He urged to meet the Taliban authority consider as life threatening situation. When Amir rescue Soharb from Taliban, he is beaten, wounded but he focuses on his mission to Afghanistan. When he returns to California, he plays with Sohrab as he played with his friend Hassan. Amir said to Sohrab “do you want me to run that kite for you? For you, a thousand times over”. (script)The same phrase Hassan said to Amir earlier. This indicates sacrificing his life for his friend’s son Soharb gives him complete redemption.…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Set during the rough times of the Taliban's reign of terror in Afghanistan and Afghanistan's war with Russia, Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner takes us through the agonizing journey t main character Amir makes as he struggles to gain redemption from his past sins, as well as gain the acceptance of his father, Baba. Hosseini shows us the death of a child's innocence when Amir horrifically witnesses his best friend, Hassan, getting raped and does nothing to stop it because society's social rankings hold him back. This death of Amir's innocence propels the story forward by pushing Amir to come to extreme measures in order to rid himself of the guilt pressing down on him, and allows the theme of redemption to be displayed through his desperate journey. Hosseini employs the device of imagery throughout his novel, which allows the characters to come alive off the pages, and aids us in truly understanding the immense suffering and pain the novel's characters endure.…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Redemption is a process that takes place in different stages and although it can be difficult to achieve, Amir is able to find the right path to go on in order to redeem himself from neglecting his friend Hassan after he saw him get rapped. Amir begins his process of redemption once he actually goes to…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Everyone in their lifetime will acquire some form of guilt no matter how big or small. From not cleaning your room after your parents have told you for the thousandth time, or just telling a little white lie. The way we deal with this guilt is through redemption. Either telling the truth about not cleaning your room and then cleaning your room plus the bathroom or just doing something that makes up for the cause of guilt. Throughout The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, there is a theme of betrayal and redemption. This is mostly shown through the main characters Amir and his father, Baba. Amir is living with the guilt of what he did to Hassan in the winter of 1975 while Baba is living with the guilt of not being able to acknowledge Hassan as…

    • 215 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    After Amir finds out that Hassan has passed away, his first instinct is to go and save his son Sohrab. Amir returns back to Kabul and finds out that Sohrab is under the control of the Taliban. As Amir finally finds Sohrab he is faced with the leader of the Taliban which is the man who sexually assaulted Hassan as a child. Amir then sacrifices himself for Sohrab and takes a beating from the leader and escapes with Sohrab later on.(Hosseini 247).This is showing that Amir has figured out that he has to put others before himself sometimes in order to make them happy and do what is right. It is a major step for Amir because he has not done this before. After Amir rescues Sorhab from the Taliban he brings him to a hotel so they can stay together until he brings him back to America. The morning after they settle at the hotel, Sohrab runs away to a Mosque and Amir had no idea where he went. Amir then started to panic because he knew that Sohrab was now his responsibility. Amir then asks the man at the front desk several questions until he mentions the Mosque and Amir immediately ran there hoping to find Sohrab. He finds Sohrab there and has a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders because he has found him, and knows that he is okay.(Hosseini 271). As Amir stays with Sohrab he is trying to get the papers which allows…

    • 1719 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Guilt In The Kite Runner

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages

    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.…

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dr. Lickerman explains that,”To label anyone, even the most despicable of figures, as purely evil is to delude ourselves”(Redemption). Labeling Amir as a bad person suggest that he never did anything to change or continued to act as the same misguided boy from his past. Even with his weaknesses he turns his life around and transcends to do the right thing instead of behaving egocentrically. He puts massive efforts in helping Sohrab recover emotionally and physically. His recovery suits as his last step in finding peace with himself and accepting that he has no power in changing the past. Amir becomes a parental figure for him which helps him deal with his emotions until Amir breaks his promise. When Amir breaks his promise, he reminisces his past betrayal and must take another step to make things right with Sohrab. After the incident Amir saves Sohrab from the danger of Afghanistan and takes him back to America. Amir then expresses that he has, “brought Hassan's son from Afghanistan to America, lifting him from the certainty of turmoil" (Hosseini 356). His feelings change from guiltiness and self condemnation to clarity and peace when he stands up for Sohrab. He becomes his protector from society and himself. When General Taheri asks why he made such an effort for a Hazara, Amir responds, “He’s my nephew. That's what you tell people when they ask... You will never refer to him as ‘Hazara boy’...he has a name” (Hosseini 361). Standing up for Sohrab shows Amir’s development throughout the story, proving his goodness and redemption. According to Diane Barth’s study on redemption, “Development and growth only occur when we are able to recognize and attempt to rectify our transgressions”(How Much Guilt is Enough). Amir works his way slowly to change his actions becoming someone honest, caring, and…

    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Kite Runner

    • 496 Words
    • 2 Pages

    No one just decides they want forgiveness from someone, they do something they wish they could take back then realize what they have done is wrong. Amir for example has a long list of things he dose wrong. Not only dose he do wrong, he dose these things to his best friend, Hassan. While Amir knows he much smarted that Hassan he uses that as an advantage by teasing him about the meaning of words when he is reading to him. Small things like that happen everyday but some actions are so terrible they will haunt you for the rest of your life. Amir’s experience with this happening to him is when he witnessed Hassan being raped and did absolutely nothing to help him or tell anyone about the incident. “I had one last chance to make a final decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be… In the end I ran” (Hosseini 77) Here Amir tells him self that he can do what is right and save Hasssan but instead chooses to run, a decision that he will regret for almost the rest of his life. Amir isn’t the type of person that can just let something like this go, he thinks about it every minute of everyday and he cant just tell someone or talk to Hassan about it. He has his own way of dealing with his problem.…

    • 496 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    When making choices that causes one to feel guilt, one tries to purge their guilt through the act of redemption. Hosseini exhibits this through the characters of Sanaubar, Baba and Amir.…

    • 1522 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays