Redemption Through The Kite Quotes

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The Path to Redemption through the Kite Mr. Hammond ENG3U1-07 Paul Sulcs The road to redemption is a path that one must take in order to make amends with the past. In the novel “The Kite Runner”, the author, Khaled Hosseini, illustrates the struggle of achieving redemption through the protagonist’s eyes. Amir’s desperation to please Baba leads him into making a choice that will haunt him for the rest of his life. When given the opportunity, Amir looks to right his past sins and is sent on a path to redemption. In the novel, the kite symbolizes Amir’s path to redemption by being the object through which he intends to gain Baba’s respect, by being the cause of his guilt, and by being the object that brings him back to a relative state of innocence. …show more content…

Was that what it would take? Had he just slipped me a key?” (Hosseini 59). Amir realizes that the key to unlocking Baba’s respect is by winning the kite-fighting tournament. If Amir does this then he believes that Baba will view him as the ideal son: a winner. The kite presents itself as a symbol of hope of as Amir sees it as the only way by which he can finally earn Baba’s respect. As Amir sets his sights on winning the tournament, he envisions a future where Baba embraces him as the ideal son. Amir understands that in order to see this dream become a reality he must first demonstrate that he can be more like Baba because “Baba was used to winning, winning at everything he set his mind to. Didn’t he have a right to expect the same from his son? And just imagine. If I did win...” (Hosseini 59). Amir foresees a future where he wins the tournament and earns Baba’s respect. It is implied that Amir’s vicctory will lead him to become someone who is looked at, not seen, listened to, not heard. This can be seen as an element of forshadowing as this is what happens to Amir after he wins. When Amir tells himself “didn’t he have the a …show more content…

After the kite-fighting tournament, Hassan gets trapped in an alleyway and refuses to give the kite to Assef. Instead of taking action, Amir “turned [his] back to the ally an Hassan. Assef was right: nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price [he] had to pay, the lamb [he] had to slay to win Baba” (Hosseini 82). The fact the Hassan would not part with the kite shows that he understands how important it is to Amir. This further displays the strength of Hassan’s loyalty to Amir. If Hassan had just given into Assef’s demand then the entire situation could have been resolved. However, Hassan refuses to give up the kite, which results in him being raped by Assef. As this is happening Amir just stands by and watches which illustrates that he is a coward. Amir is only concerned with receiving the kite so that he can go home and make Baba proud. Ironically, he turns into the man that Baba feared he would become. Amir’s guilt stems from the fact the he did not stand up for Hassan. The kite has now become the symbol of Amir’s guilt. After Hassan’s rape, the kite remains unseen for the majority of the novel. This is because “in 1996 [the] Taliban rolled in and put an end to the daily [kite] fighting” (Hosseini 224). The absence of the kite demonstrates that Amir is afraid to shed light on his past. Amir is incapable of associating himself

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