The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini

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

“True redemption is when guilt leads to good,” Rahim Khan asserts. Khaled Hosseini compels the readers to think in the novel, The Kite Runner, by analyzing Amir’s quests. Additionally, readers must understand Amir’s journey to maturity throughout The Kite Runner, as a Bildungsroman novel. Amir’s journey to redemption ultimately accentuates his quest for adulthood.

He has traveled to Afghanistan to save his nephew he never knew. At this point Amir knows the dangers he faces in the war riddled country but he must seek a way to forgive himself for what he did to Hassan. In his quest to make things right again, Amir confronts Assef, ““WHAT’S SO FUNNY?" Assef bellowed. Another rib snapped, this time left lower. What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this.” (Pg. 289) This is a large turning point in the novel. Amir can finally feel like he is doing right by everyone and gaining redemption for his

The novel The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, is the story of a young, upper class boy by the name of Amir and his friend, a lower class boy named Hassan. While Amir is a Pashtun and a Sunni Muslim, Hassan is a Hazara and a Shi’a muslim, which causes the main conflict between the two. Amir and Hassan learn more and more about their social status, as well as their personal friendships and problems as they grow up in Afghanistan.

Atonement is the focal point of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner as portrayed through Amir’s guilt, the repercussions of his guilt and his effort to remove this guilt by atoning his sins.

“There is a way to be good again” (Khaled Hosseini 2). This quote implies that there is still hope for a better future through the redemption of past sins. Throughout the novel, the main character, Amir, develops deep regret from the actions he has committed in Kabul. He is haunted by this everlasting guilt for years until he gets a call from Rahim Khan whose suggestion of having a better future changes his feelings of remorse and regret. He undergoes this journey of redemption to eventually redeem himself for betraying his best friend and half brother Hassan to become “good again.” In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, symbolism and diction are used to illustrate the idea that guilt influences the mistakes made by Amir which affects himself, the people around him, and the events that occur afterwards in his life.

Redemption; it is often sought after suffering a defeat or committing a crime or wrongdoing. The past can never be undone, but only redeemed, or offset, by the present and future. In the dramatic novel, The Kite Runner, author, Khaled Hosseini, formed the main character of the story into a dynamic character in order to reveal that redemption can be achieved, even for someone with a sinister past. Amir, the protagonist of the novel, originally as an adolescent was weak and cowardly; Amir chose his own selfish desire over rescuing his loyal friend from abuse. Eventually, Amir’s life changed dramatically and he demonstrated selflessness and courage through his actions. Because of Amir’s alteration in character, he used his newfound qualities to

All human relationships are complicated, there are many instances in the Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, which portrays the complexity of human character. Throughout the book, the Amir is burden with his own guilt from his childhood summer of nineteen seventy-five . As the book progresses the reader is forced to grapple with the meaning if redemption and the true meaning of family. Many readers have often debated whether Amir has actually attained redemption for his actions; however through the latter half of the novel the reader comes to understand that Amir does in fact redeem himself.

“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

Humans make mistakes but it is their choice to learn from these mistakes and move on with their lives, knowing they have become a better person. There is no easy way to get through life’s obstacles unless they overcome that little voice in their head;, it is their job to conquer it. Sometimes, they need to take a step outside of their head and look at the world around them because that’s how they will find their answer. In the novel “The Kite Runner”, Khaled Hosseini uses the symbols of the kites, literature, and the scars to show that Amir must overcome his cowardice and selfishness to achieve maturity and redemption.

The book, "The Kite Runner" begins with the narrator, Amir, telling a story that happened in the year 1975. Amir was 12 years old and living in Afghanistan at the time of the story. He did not say what the event was, only that it made him who he is today. Amir told about a call he had received the previous summer from a friend of his in Pakistan, named Rahim. Rahim asks Amir to travel to Pakistan to visit him. Amir decides to take a walk through San Francisco, where he currently lived. Kites flying around him reminds Amir of his childhood and a boy, named Hassan, who had a cleft lip. He called the boy a "kite runner."

In Islam, the pomegranate tree is a representation of beauty and it is said that those who eat from it will encounter a prosperous future. To contrast, Christians believe that the pomegranate tree embodies traits that are parallel to the end of the world. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini exemplifies the beauty as well as the inelegance of Amir and Hassan’s friendship through the symbol of the pomegranate tree. At the prosperous times of their friendship, the tree being lush and blooming paralleled their lives that were full of promise and companionship. As the novel progressed and their relationship soon diminished, the pomegranate tree was bare and failed to blossom corresponding with their non-existent friendship. The challenges of Amir and Hassan’s friendship contribute to the protagonist’s desire for redemption for the reason that Hassan’s adherence to Amir induces the protagonist’s resentment, Amir’s fear of external judgement creates a tense atmosphere, and finally their friendship is composed of themes that demonstrate their fluctuating relationship.

In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, discrimination and prejudice is everywhere and nowhere. The Talibans do not seem to care who they are beating, torturing, or even executing. The novel The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini tackles the issue of ethnic discrimination in Afghanistan with an example of the relationship between Pashtuns and Hazaras. For several centuries, the Pashtun majority is treating the Hazara population as second class citizens, who are unworthy of education or decent employment because Hazaras are a minority ethnic group; this leads to many Hazaras suffering. The social and economic conditions in Afghanistan demonstrate the imbalance between the superior Sunni Muslims and the inferior Shi 'a Muslims and how people discriminate against each other because of their physical features and religious beliefs. The estrangement between the two causes many deaths. Furthermore the significant distinction between Hazaras and Pashtuns in Afghanistan is the major factor because it determines not only Amir and Hassan’s role in Afghan society but also determines how Hassan himself suffers and dies because of his religion. The physical and emotional division of prejudice between the Pashtuns and the Harzaras in the novel The Kite Runner is destructive and results in death because of the suffering the people endure.

Plot summary: Amir flashbacks to when he was twelve years old in Afghanistan. He lives with his father, Baba, and has two servants, Ali and Hassan, who are also a father and son duo. The latter two are Hazaras, Afghan’s minority, and as such, are subjected to racial slurs and cruelty. Amir and Hassan are playing when Assef, Kamal, and

Khaled Hosseini once said: “there are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood.” Rape in Afghanistan is said to be an “epidemic,” but according to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of the term is “a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.” Rape in this country is viewed as something that is inevitable and cannot be stopped. Usually, rape also involves domestic violence, hence the reason they’re paired together. Contrary to common misconception, men are raped as well as women, especially children of both genders. In the Kite Runner, rape is a topic that is prevalent in and throughout the book. Bacha Bazi is even a part of the Kite Runner.