preview

Amir's Redemption In 'The Kite Runner'

Decent Essays

In the novel The Kite Runner, the main character, Amir, lives a normal, happy childhood until he faces a moral dilemma, in which he could save Hassan, the person he had grown up with, from being raped, or he could give in to cowardice. Sadly, he chooses the second choice. But later on in the story Amir tries to redeem himself in multiple ways, and like Salim from the film Slumdog Millionaire, he carries this need for redemption from childhood all the way into his adult life. Finally in the end of the story, Amir attempts a final act of redemption in saving Sohrab, Hassan’s son, from his enemy Assef. And just as Salim believes that he is redeemed in the end of the film Slumdog Millionaire, so does Amir after saving Sohrab and bringing him into …show more content…

This can be seen when Amir responds to Rahim Kahan’s words “There is a way to be good again.” Rahim Khan knows that Amir is guilty of what had happened to Hassan, and he also knows the truth of how Amir and Hassan are related. But Amir’s decision is made of a true desire to redeem himself, especially considering that he blindly went to Rahim Khan, without knowing what he would have to do, and without knowing that he and Hassan are related. If he had known that he is related to Hassan and Sohrab, he would have done it from a feeling of obligation, not because he wanted to redeem himself. This can also be seen when he thinks of the phrase Hassan had said many times, “For you, a thousand times over.” Amir wants to be loyal to Hassan, just as Hassan had been loyal to Amir, and because of this he wants to redeem himself, without any selfish reasons. This can be seen with Salim when he finds Latika watching the show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”, and he gives his phone to Latika. Although him giving Latika his cell phone wasn’t the greatest act of selflessness, but through this he shows that he has finally realized that he has deeply wronged Latika, and that we wishes to redeem himself. This can also be seen when he asks forgiveness from Latika, thus showing that he actually feels guilty for what he has done and wishes to make …show more content…

When Amir betrays Hassan, he doesn’t betray Hassan by not stopping the rape. It is the fact that he is willing to break the bond between him and Hassan by not stepping up for Hassan. Thus, for him to truly redeem himself, he has to reconnect that bond. Sadly he couldn’t reconnect that bond between himself and Hassan, but he can connect with his son, Sohrab. This can first be seen when Amir hugs Sohrab for the first time. By doing this, he is showing that he is willing, and happy, to accept Sohrab into his life and to bond with him. Sohrab is an “injured soul’, who had been affected partially by Amir’s betrayal. If Amir would not have betrayed Hassan, Ali and Hassan would not have moved away, and thus Hassan and his family would not have had to come back to later be killed, and Sohrab would not have been in the orphanage. Thus Amir is redeeming himself by bonding with the one who had to bear the consequences of his actions. Later on, Amir tightens this bond by breaking the discriminatory line between General Taheri and Sohrab by saying, “You will never refer to him as ‘Hazara boy’ in my presence. He has a name and it’s Sohrab.” By saying this, Amir shows that he has fully accepted Sohrab, and doesn’t have any of the thoughts he previously had about Hassan. Salim does the same thing when he gives Latika his phone and his car. All through his childhood and even into

Get Access