To What Degree Did Amir Atone for His Sins and Gain Redemption? - the Kite Runner
To what degree did Amir atone for his sins and gain redemption? “There is a way to be good again,” is a quote from Rahim Khan that comes up repeatedly throughout The Kite Runner. This story revolves around Amir, the protagonist, who tries to seek forgiveness and redemption after living twenty six years with unatoned sins. When Amir was twelve, he witnessed his loyal servant and friend, Hassan, get raped in an alley. Amir was too coward to intervene and stand up for his dear friend. Later, Amir betrayed Hassan by framing him and forced him to leave their house. These events shaped the rest of the novel as Amir tried to be good again by returning back to Afghanistan and saving Hassan’s son, Sohrab from danger. One of the major questions to ask after reading this novel is: To what degree did Amir atone for his sins and gain redemption? Although, Amir committed sins that were unforgivable, by the end of the novel, Amir atoned for his sins and was able to earn forgiveness by risking his life and going back to Kabul, saving Sohrab and adopting him.
Amir’s first act of atonement in this novel is when he risked his life by going back to Kabul. In 2000, Rahim Khan asked Amir to go visit him in Pakistan. When Amir went back to visit him, he found out that Hassan was dead and Hassan’s son was somewhere in Kabul. Rahim Khan wanted Amir to rescue Sohrab and bring him back to Pakistan. However, after learning that Hassan was his half-brother and Sohrab his nephew, Amir realized that saving Sohrab will be the only way he could atone or redeem himself after the sins he committed. Therefore, he risked his life and went back to Kabul which was a very dangerous place at that time. “There is a way to be good again, he’d said. A way to end the cycle. With a little boy. An orphan. Hassan’s son. Somewhere in Kabul.” Amir says this after he stormed out of Rahim Khan’s apartment. In this quote, Amir thinks to himself that his whole life had been a cycle of lies, betrayals
Amir’s first act of atonement in this novel is when he risked his life by going back to Kabul. In 2000, Rahim Khan asked Amir to go visit him in Pakistan. When Amir went back to visit him, he found out that Hassan was dead and Hassan’s son was somewhere in Kabul. Rahim Khan wanted Amir to rescue Sohrab and bring him back to Pakistan. However, after learning that Hassan was his half-brother and Sohrab his nephew, Amir realized that saving Sohrab will be the only way he could atone or redeem himself after the sins he committed. Therefore, he risked his life and went back to Kabul which was a very dangerous place at that time. “There is a way to be good again, he’d said. A way to end the cycle. With a little boy. An orphan. Hassan’s son. Somewhere in Kabul.” Amir says this after he stormed out of Rahim Khan’s apartment. In this quote, Amir thinks to himself that his whole life had been a cycle of lies, betrayals