What Is Hosseini's Idea Of Redemption?

their sins, no matter how far one may go. “Those thorny old barbs of guilt bore into me once more, as if speaking his name had broken a spell, set them free to torment me anew. Suddenly the air in Rahim Khan's little flat was too thick, too hot, too rich with the smell of the street” (Hosseini 174). Amir is still haunted by his past mistakes, decades later, and must face them for him to reach redemption. People can change, even if they have committed monstrous sins, and that is what ultimately saves someone, according to Hosseini, is attoning for so within themselves. “I was afraid that I'd let the waters carry me away from what I had to do. From Hassan. From the past that had come calling. And from this one last chance at redemption. So I
Hosseini presents two ideas of redemption: one of Amir, who works tirelessly and deals with internal anguish, and of Assef, hedonistic and sadistic. Amir owns up to his faults and Hosseini presents him as the flawed, but morally good character, while Assef ignorant to his own maliciousness, as sinful and essentially damned both emotionally and spiritually. “‘You don't know the meaning of the word 'liberating' until you've done that, stood in a roomful of targets, let the bullets fly, free of guilt and remorse, knowing you are virtuous, good, and decent. Knowing you're doing God's work..’ He kissed the prayer beads, tilted his head." (Hosseini
When Rahim Khan writes to Amir, “‘When he saw you, he saw himself. And his guilt. You are still angry and I realize it is far too early to expect you to accept this, but maybe someday you will see that when your father was hard on you, he was also being hard on himself. Your father, like you, was a tortured soul, ..that, I believe, is what true redemption is...when guilt leads to good….’ What had I done, other than take my guilt out on the very same people I had betrayed, and then try to forget it all?,” he is ultimately stating the underlying theme of the novel. (Hosseini 259). Suffering is essential to realizing one’s mistakes and leading a life of good, which is what Amir had to do before reaching his kite running moment with Sohrab. Du writes, “suffering from conscience, condemnation and torture become transformed…. In this way, the journey of Amir from ... betrayal to redemption cannot merely be seen as self-actualization of the protagonist himself but also the return of bright side of the humanity of a common person as