“Sometimes, the person you’d take a bullet for ends up being the one behind the gun” (Picture quotes). People are not what they seem; selfishness and greed can play a huge part in betrayal. Betrayal often comes with great consequences of guilt or a need for forgiveness. Most often, it is driven by selfish desire, greed, hatred or lust. In most cases, the act of trying to redeem oneself becomes a prolonging guilt stuck for the rest of one’s life. Learning to forgive oneself becomes the passage to gaining the desired redemption. In the novel The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, Hosseini displays the theme of forgiveness and redemption. After Amir and Baba’s betrayal toward those most loyal to them, they realize that one must forgive themself …show more content…
Baba betrayed Hassan by not telling him that he was his real father, which subjected him to a life of bullying and poverty. Baba’s main concern was his “ honor, his name” (223), by not revealing his secret he was to keep him prestige status because that was “ All that a man has back then, all that he was” (223). By not telling Hassan that he was his father, he became a hypocrite. He referred to theft as “ the only sin’ and when you tell a lie “ you steal someone’s right to the truth” (225) but his betrayals for Hassan contradicts all his upheld morals, since “he committed the biggest theft because: the things he had stolen had been sacred: [...] from Hassan his identity” (225). Due to Baba’s Hassan is subjected a life of poverty and inferiority because he is not able to know his real identity as half Pashtun, but instead he is subjected to his identity as a full Hazara, which is looked down upon on society. Baba spends the rest of his life trying to forgive himself and gain redemption by “ feeding the poor on the streets, building the orphanage, and giving money to friends in need” (302). Through these acts of trying to forgive himself and gains redemption, because “ he found a way to create good out of remorse” (303). Through the guilt of his betrayal, he was able to forgive and achieve
Baba would always tell Amir how lying was a sin yet Amir eventually finds out that Baba had lied to him about Hassan being his brother. Baba said, "There is only one sin. And that is theft... When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth."(pg.237) By him lying, he completely went against what he said was right. Baba had not only lied to Amir, but to Hassan and others as well. Baba had been doing something he knew was wrong, but he had still chosen to go against his own beliefs and do it anyway. The theme addressed here is simply betrayal. Baba is consistently hypocritical throughout the novel. For example, Baba is immensely ashamed of 11 year-old Amir for crying when he saw a man murdered in the street, but later in the novel when Ali and Hassan leave for good, Baba is full of tears. This reveals the bias and corrupt personality Baba possesses. Baba is not a great father and only shows his affection for Amir when great successes occur such as the kite competition victory. Baba betrays many characters in the novel, however he does most of an injustice to Amir, his son. Baba never informing him of his sibling relationship with Hassan appears as stupidity and selfishness. Baba does not wish to provide joy for his sons at the cost of revealing that he had slept with Ali’s wife and produced Hassan. Baba is really just a coward. The lying demonstrated by Baba contributes to the main idea of forgiveness. Baba does a poor job as a father for the most part of his life and on his deathbed he receives the forgiveness from Amir for all of the pain he has caused Amir throughout his
Amir cannot stand to look at Hassan and seeing the lamb-like eyes, so to make himself feel better about the situation, he frames Hassan. Amir is upset that Baba forgives Hassan but it is ironic because he is the one doing the sinful act and yet again it is Hassan who is saving and protecting Amir. These unfaithful acts are not in fact an act of selflessness but and an act of selfishness. Everything Amir is doing is for himself. He only cares about his own feelings but never is he putting himself in others people’s
Despite Ali and Hassan’s loyalty they are still betrayed by their masters. Baba’s betrayal is much worse than what Amir did to Hassan. Baba intentionally betrayed Ali who he claimed to be his friend. Baba even said that he felt Ali was like a brother to him. But Baba caused what happened and directly harmed Ali because of what he did. Amir didn’t directly harm Hassan and he also didn’t cause what happened to his friend like Baba did. But Amir didn’t do anything about what was happening to Hassan either. Baba broke his own rule; he robbed Amir and Hassan of their brotherhood by not telling them they were related. He robbed Ali of his honor by sleeping with Sanaubar. And he robbed his own wife of the truth by cheating on her while she was pregnant. He also robbed Amir of his innocence because while trying to make Baba proud he became guilty for what happened to Hassan. Amir could have run home to tell Baba what was happening to Hassan but he hid and waited so that his kite would be brought to him. Not only that but Amir goes to great lengths to try and get rid of Hassan so that his guilt can leave with Hassan. Both masters betray their best friends and “brothers;” but later on in life they try to compensate for it by doing good deeds. Baba builds an
In the book the Kite Runner there are many examples of betrayal and here are two of them. First Amir betrays Hassan by watching and doing nothing when Hassan is abused by Assef“I ran because i was a coward”(pg82).“But before you sacrifice yourself for him think of this would he do the same for you”(pg77). Secondly Amir is betrayed by Rahim Khan when he learns that Hassan is his half brother“How could you hide this from me from him”(pg235).“i’m 38 years old and i’ve just found out whole life is one big lie”(pg235).
In Runner, Robert Newton conveys that Charlie the protagonist is bound to mature early to make completely selfless choices. When his father dies, Charlie is contrived to fill his father’s boots, meaning he had to take up his father’s role of being the financial provider of his family. Additionally, Charlie makes an altruistic choice by running for squizzy Taylor. Lastly, Charlie makes the self-sacrificing decision by gambling his large saving from Squizzy on the Ballarat Mile. In summary, Newton demonstrates that Charlie is forced into adulthood early through necessity and make self-denying decisions due to his family's desperate circumstances.
Forgiveness is a necessary part of human existence, although it is rarely easy to give, and sometimes hardest to give to ourselves. The Kite Runner illustrates humanity's tendency, and even willingness, to dwell on past mistakes. The opening sentence sets this theme with "I became what I am today at the age of twelve," as Amir unapologetically relates how he believes one action at that young age defined his entire life. However, as the novel progresses, the reader comes to the conclusion that it was not one action, but a series of choices and events that created Amir's persona as an adult. By holding onto his guilt and fear of discovery, Amir could only bury his past for short periods of time before his own conscience uncovered it and the
Happiness is a feeling you have when something is going your way and all you can do is smile. Betrayal is to disappoint or disloyal someone. In the novel, “The Kite Runner,” kites are used as a symbol of Amir’s happiness and the betrayal of his best friend, Hassan.
Hassan is a loyal and caring person even though these traits are the ones that hurt him the most. Hassan does not betray anyone in the book yet is continuously the victim of betrayal. One example of how he was betrayed is when Amir witnesses his rape and does not help him. Amir says "Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba," in reference to why he had betrayed Hassan (77). Hassan was Amir's sacrifice to gain Baba's attention. Another example of betrayal towards Hassan is the betrayal he caused toward himself. Hassan's loyalty ultimately caused his demise in the end. Rahim Khan explains Hassan's last moments to Amir saying, " The Talibs said he was a liar and a thief like all Hazaras and ordered him to get his family out of the house by sundown. Hassan protested... Hassan protested again. So they took him to the street... and shot him in the back of the head," (218-219). Hassan was so loyal to Rahim Khan and to the land he grew up on that he sacrificed himself in the effort of it preservation. This ties in with his character and actions throughout the rest of the book. Loyalty was not a foreign trait to Hassan and, unfortunately, neither was
“There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love” (Bryant H. McGrill). This message is greatly conveyed throughout Khalid Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. The main character, Amir, experiences certain situations which require him to stand up for those he loves or which require him to forgive either others or most importantly: himself. The whole novel leads us through a roller coaster of Amir’s life, which in the end, finally finds peace and forgiveness within himself. Hassan, “the innocent lamb,” teaches Amir and the readers how to live a life of love and virtue. Although Baba’s betrayal and Hassan’s departure cause sorrow for all, Hassan’s naiveness and loyalty show Amir the power and significance of
Baba is one of the few muslims in Afghanistan that believes there is only one sin, theft. He states to Amir with a great sense of sterness, ''When you kill a man, you steal a life . . . [you] steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness” (18). Although Baba tries to teach this lesson to Amir, he himself is a thief; he stole the “right to the truth” by retaining the truth of Hassan (18). Along with Baba’s betrayal to his son, he also betrays his beloved servants, Ali and Hassan through adultery. Sanaubar, Hassan's mother was potentially driven away by guilt; leaving Hassan without a mother and Ali without a wife.
In Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, mistakes and their confrontation is a major theme. The Kite Runner takes us on the journey of life as an immigrant through the eyes of refugee Amir. It is through the mistakes of Amir and his family and friends that the novel develops. The most significant and central mistake in the novel is of Amir not standing up for Hassan whilst he is being raped. Although this mistake is the most significant and central one, I will also look into two others; Baba cheating with Ali’s wife and Soraya and her previous marriage. To confront our mistakes we may try to ‘redeem ourselves’ by doing good that we believe may make up for this mistake or even just getting this mistake out in the open and talking about it. The
“There is a way to be good again” (2). This is the line that rolls through Amir's mind over and over throughout Khaled Hosseini's novel, The Kite Runner. This is the story of a mans struggle to find redemption. The author illustrates with the story of Amir that it is not possible to make wrongs completely right again because its too late to change past. In this novel Hosseini is telling us that redemption is obtainable, and by allowing us to see Amirs thought process throughout the novel, Hosseini shows us that it guilt is the primary motivation for someone who seeks redemption. Hosseini also uses not only the main character, but other secondary characters to show how big of a part that guilt plays in the desire for redemption. In this
In the book, “The Kite Runner,” the role that forgiveness plays and the lack of forgiveness is a major role. There are many internal conflicts that the main characters face and all of these challenges or conflicts revolve around forgiveness. Amir, Baba, and Hassan have a difficult time living in their society. The author of this book, Khaled Hosseini, makes the point that forgiveness is much harder for the different characters because of their places in society. This book is set in the Middle East during the 1970’s, at this point in time things were beginning to change. This change is what affects these characters the most and the ways in which they handle things.
Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is an award-winning novel and considered one of today’s most popular, contemporary classics. The story is one of familiar themes such as loyalty, forgiveness, betrayal, love, and redemption. It follows the tale of Amir and how he must atone for his sins and find a way to “be good again” (Hosseini 2). The quintessential message of this book relies on the idea of second chances. Themes of redemption, betrayal, loyalty, and forgiveness are not only shown without doubt through this book, but are also common among many literary works and religions. Hosseini is successful in showing the significance of these themes throughout the novel.
In this statement, Amir realizes Baba is not the perfect man he once perceived him as. He makes mistakes too. Amir also compares the likeness of Baba and himself since they both betrayed their best friends: “As it turned out, Baba and I were more alike than I’d ever known. We had both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for us” (238). Baba steals an important piece of information from Amir’s life and betrays him by not telling him the secret and being hypocritical.