Redemption and Regret: A Study of 'The Kite Runner'

In Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner,” redemption develops the story plot surrounding Amir, who had lived with regret and guilt for 26 years before he finds a way to redeem himself. Watching his own friend getting rape had became the deeping secret in his heart. A childhood fault had followed him for the rest of his life. Hosseini’s development of such theme controls the plot, the characters, and the structures of the novel. The characters grow through the mistakes they made and learn from their introspections. Hosseini stretches the plot accordingly to make the impact of redemption influential. Although redemption and forgiveness come in side by side, they are not meant to be a true erase for the mistake.

There are many plots vary from part to part in the novel. At the beginning, it is the rape of Hassan happens in childhood that started all the betrayal from Amir. Hassan knows Amir saw everything but Hassan chooses

The biggest difference between redemption and forgiveness is from whom it comes from. The Kite Runner is a typical example to symbolize an unforgivable mistake. Amir is redeeming his mistakes but unforgiven from himself. He might have never thought to correct his mistake if Rahim Khan never called him. It is remarkable that Amir rescues Sohrab, but it is more of a responsibility than willingness. Hassan would forgive Amir and maybe not even blame Amir at all. Amir needs to save his nephew as his last hope for redemption. However, making it up from Sohrab does not make up the guilt Amir has to Hassan. What was done was done. Redemption is only a way to lessen one’s guilt, it is not to erase the mistakes in life. When Amir lives comfortably in America, Hassan and his wife are killed by the Taliban. How can Amir forget about those even though he saves Sohrab? Redemption and forgiveness come in together to lessen the feeling of guilt, but they are not to delete a happened