Theme Of Happiness In The Kite Runner

A fear of empathy dictates one’s ability to achieve true redemption. This is proven many times throughout the novel, “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. The character of Amir often struggles to allow people to both feel for him and to allow himself to feel for others. While the characters Hassan shares similar problems, they have different causations and solution. They both fear experiencing empathy in the beginning, effectively hindering their ability to progress appropriately. However, while Hassan is eventually able to accept his and other people’s feeling of empathy, Amir continues to fight against them, letting his fear control his life. This is shown when Amir fights against a relationship with both Baba and Hassan, while Hassan

Although irony may be associated with negative events or actions, it can also be a sign of good for characters within stories. According to Dictionary.com, irony in literature is defined as “a technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated.” The use of irony is found within the novel The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini. Hosseini uses irony to portray and develop the main dynamic character in this story, Amir. Most of the major events Amir is faced with at a younger age seemingly come full circle when he reaches adulthood. Irony plays a role as Amir lives through tragic events that ultimately teach him how to become a better person.

Amir's entire life had been haunted by what he saw happen to Hassan. Although he was a child at the time, he couldn't accept his shortcoming during a time of need. He was jealous of his father for being able to stand up for himself and others and Hassan's undying loyalty to him. He developed a pattern of behavior - of covering up his mistakes and hiding his past – that he could not rid himself of until he suffered like Hassan did. He made it up to Hassan by saving his son, and he made it up to himself by suffering the way he

This one decision left a stain on Amir for the next thirty years. A quote on pg. 88 states “I wish someone would wake me up, so I wouldn’t have to live with this lie anymore” This quote explains how guilty Amir felt after seeing Hassan get raped as he desperately sought for anyone to find out but didn’t chose to tell anyone the actual truth. Another example from the text is when Amir tries throwing pomegranates at Hassan, as an attempt to get Hassan to fight back and punish Amir for choosing to leave Hassan. However, Hassan refused to throw any pomegranates at Amir, but instead smashed one into his face. A quote on pg.94 states “I wanted Hassan to fight me back for the way I failed him” This quote indicates that Amir wanted Hassan to fight him back, so he could have the “punishment [he] craved” (93) This demonstrates that Amir wanted to feel the act of being punished for his wrongdoing, similar to how Hassan was brutally raped due to Amir’s apparent mistake. Amir’s guilt forces him to travel across two countries to seek redemption for the mistake he made. 15 years later, Amir’s guilt led him to make the hefty decision of returning to Afghanistan “to be good again” (189) by rescuing Hassan’s orphaned son, Sohrab, from the terrible conditions he was left to face in Kabul. Amir sees this as an opportunity to redeem and free himself from

In the book The Kite Runner Amir feels guilty about the things that he has done to Hassan. What he let Assef do to him in the winter of 1975, and the way he let Hassan cover for him through everything he did so he wouldn’t get in trouble, no matter how little or small. In the book Hosseini shows Amir’s guilt in the book when Amir tried to fault Hassan with stealing his presents. Hosseini states,“Baba came right out and asked. “Did you steal that money ? Did you steal the Amir’s watch, Hassan?” Hassan’s reply was a single word, delivered in a thin, raspy voice: “Yes.” I flinched, like I’d been slapped. My heart sank and I almost blurted out the truth. Then I

The beginning of Amir’s journey causes him to feel guilty enough that he causes a chain reaction where he inflicts more cruelty upon himself and others. Amir and Hassan used to live a simple life with the biggest negative in Amir’s life being the fact that his father liked Hassan more. Right after a kite tournament that Amir won, Hassan goes to run the kite for Amir, and Amir finds him being abused by Assef in an alley. Amir decides to do nothing and feels guilty about it for most of his life. Although the initial cruelty is inflicted upon Hassan, it is Amir who is hurt the most. His guilt causes him to inflict cruelty upon Hassan in order to cause Hassan to “give [Amir] the punishment [he] craved, so maybe [he]’d finally sleep at night” (92). Amir’s cruelty leads Hassan and his father to walk out of Amir’s life, leaving Amir and his father, Baba,

The guilt that Amir feels due to his destroyed relationship with Hassan haunts him throughout his entire life. First, Hosseini uses the scene of Hassan’s rape as a haunting source of

Amir has had to deal with his guilt for years. Every time Amir seen Hassan he had to get reminded of what he had seen and did nothing about. In the article of how to deal with guilt it states , “what was done can't be undone , but the guilty one doesn't need to continue to be identified with the sin” (Century 1). This means that Amir's actions can't be undone , but he shouldn't feel guilty within himself after it's already happened and Years have past. Amir shouldn't have to live with that guilt throughout his life it was a careless

Amir regrets that he abandoned Hassan when he was attacked, and he lives with the unbearable sin. As Assef attacks Hassan, Amir realizes that he could stand up for his friend or run as a coward:

The guilt Amir felt because of letting Hassan be raped affected many of his future decisions. He made the choice to make it look as though Hassan stole from him, which caused Hassan and Hassan’s father to leave. Amir then moved to America with his father and thought moving would diminish his guilt.

Hosseini shows that it is Amirs immense guilt that drives him to want to make things right and to earn redemption. We learn the basis Amir's guilt through his memories. It is caused by a lack of response at a time when his loyal servant and close friend Hassan is in trouble. Amir makes a conscious decision to hide in the distance and just watch, not because he was afraid. He sacrifices Hassan in order to earn his fathers attention and affection. This decision results in Hassan suffering though a traumatic experience and is the root of Amir's lasting regret.

One triumphant day, Amir won the local kite fighting tournament and finally earned Baba’s praise. Hassan ran to retrieve the losing kite, which was considered a trophy, and told Amir “For you, a thousand times over”. When Hassan finally obtained the kite, he was cornered by Assef and his friends. Assef was the neighborhood bully and had tortured Amir and Hassan for years. When Hassan refused to give up the kite, Assef beat and raped him. Amir watched the whole thing but didn’t interfe because he didn’t want to lose the respect of his father. The guilt ate Amir alive. “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.” Soon after the incident, Amir tried to distance himself from Hassan and Hassan and his father eventually leave. A couple years later, Amir and Baba flee to America to escape the war in Afghanistan. Amir graduates and gets married but even after all those years;

True happiness is not simply handed out, it must be produced, cultivated, built from the ground up. Additionally, happiness cannot be measured, nor can it be perceived. Yet, above all else, it is what people seek most. Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini aims to explore the origins of true happiness through the trials and tribulations in the life of Amir, the novel’s protagonist. Throughout the novel, Amir suffers through perilous hardships as he strives to attain redemption for the wrongdoings of his past. Subsequently, through the process of cleansing himself of his sins, Amir obtains true happiness. The first step Amir took towards attaining happiness commences with the realization of his father’s flaws, which allows Amir to forgive his father’s shortcomings. Furthermore, Amir obtains happiness by marrying his love, Soraya, granting Amir the companionship for which he yearned most. Above all, however, Amir reached true happiness as a result of atoning for his betrayal against Hassan and sacrificing himself in order to give Sohrab the life he never had. Despite the hardships and struggles faced by Amir, kite runner beautifully displays the path to true happiness and how one is able to acquire it. In Amir’s case, he stumbled upon true happiness with the acceptance of his father's sins, the companionship he gains in soraya, the sacrifices he makes for Sohrab, and the journey to redeem himself from his past sins.

True happiness is the key to life, everyone strives to achieve it; however, hard work and dedication are needed for it to be obtained. The value of happiness plays a pivotal role in the novel “Kite Runner”, written by Khaled Hosseini. This can be examined throughout the novel as the protagonist, Amir, is on a perilous quest for true happiness. Amir faces numerous obstacles and hardships on his quest; moreover, his determination allows him to persevere and surpass these difficulties. As such, Amir achieves happiness through the accomplishments he worked ever so hard for. One of these accomplishments is the marriage between him and his love, Soraya, which gives him happiness through companionship and trust. Additionally, Amir also obtains happiness through companionship by giving his orphaned nephew, Sohrab, a father figure. Furthermore, Amir’s discovery of his father’s flaws helps him attain happiness since he forgives himself for not living up to his father’s expectations. Ultimately, however, Amir acquires the most happiness from the atonement of his betrayal against Hassan, his best friend. Despite the difficulties Amir faces throughout the novel, he transitions from a state of despair to a state of hope and happiness, due to his marriage with Soraya, the fatherhood of his orphaned nephew, the discovery of his father’s flaws and the atonement of his betrayal against Hasan.

Love, a universal feeling, the most powerful emotion a human being can experience, love is a significant emotion in The Kite Runner ; it motivates the characters to overcome their problems and creates a bond between one another. A relationship seeked by many, cherished by all. The connection between child and parent, can be pleasant and tender but it may also be filled with pain and regret. Love conquering all is a recurring theme in life, in which the novel and the film of The Kite Runner, displays characters overcoming their hardships.