Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Themes of the kite runner
The kite runner amir characterization
The kite runner dealing with guilt and redemption
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Themes of the kite runner
The Kite Runner Guilt can do many things to a person; harm them, make them become a better person, or a person simply does not feel remorse for what they have done. Many things can cause a person to feel guilt, they could’ve lied to someone, stole something committed a sin, and much more; everyone experiences guilt at some point of their life. In the novel, guilt is portrayed throughout the course of the main characters journey to redemption. “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, and 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.” In The Kite Runner, a key theme that was present was that your past will always haunt you unless you redeem yourself- Amir will always remember about Hassan, the death of his father, and the extremity of his lies, but in the movie version, the element that was missing was the thoughts of Amir, to help the viewer get a better take on his pain and guilt; in present time many people go through life changing events that can torment them for the rest of their lives, some people manage to break free from the chains of guilt by redeeming themselves, and go on to live a happy life, like Amir. Guilt can impact a person’s life and their choices in the future. Although Amir and his beloved wife Soraya have what seems to be a perfect life, there are many things that lack in their relationship. Amir is afraid to tell Soraya about his past, so he never told her; this causes him to begin his marriage with guilt and distrust, affecting his relationship with her. In the beginning of their relationship, Soraya told him everything about her past- lea...
... middle of paper ...
... important exchange was excluded from the movie, it changes things. With Amir learning more about his mother and how amazing and wonderful she was, it contributed to him becoming a better person, it helped him move forward with his life; and it helped him understand that it wasn’t his fault that his mother died causing his guilt to dissipate. In The Kite Runner a theme that is present is, your past will always haunt you; in order to redeem oneself and move forward, one has to go back to the past and make things better. In present time if one is charged with something, they have to go to court and plead guilty or not guilty; most people plead not guilty. Although people don’t like to admit it, they feel guilty deep down, which forces them to take drastic measures. Until the truth comes out and one redeems his or herself, their past will always haunt them.
Amir’s redemption is a large part of the novel and is carried out almost entirely until the end of the story. He travels to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from the orphanage he was placed in after the death of his parents. He promises to find him a safe home with someone but after time passes he feels like this is not enough. He then speaks to his wife and decides to take Sohrab back to the United States with him and take care of his as if he was one of his own. Earlier in the novel when Baba is speaking Amir over hears his conversation as he is referring to him stating, “A boy who won 't stand up for himself becomes a man who can 't stand up to anything” (Hosseini, 22). Thus meaning that if he is able to stand up for himself as a young boy, when he is grown he will not be able to stand up for anything that is in his future. This is true throughout the story until he stands up for himself and Sorhab when he is arguing with his life long bully, Assef. Amir lacked the courage to defend himself in the novel until he finally took charge and went against
... Finally, Amir chooses to redeem himself by opting to protect Hassan’s son Sohrab. The guilt which estranged Amir from his childhood friend in a way manages to reunite him with Hassan, albeit in a different manner. Thereby, the two works that are Macbeth and The Kite Runner not only present before the humanity, the immense power and potency of guilt, but also emphatically reveal the eventual consequences of the guilt traceable to an evil act or an act of cowardice or betrayal. These two works expose the psychology of guilt in a very vivid and threadbare manner, which explains their appeal and the human interest they accrue.
As implied by the title, kites play a major role in the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. They appear numerous times within the text and prove to be surprisingly versatile in their literary function. They provide common ground for characters whose interests do not normally intersect. They are also present as a very powerful symbol, which adds an extra dimension to this already literary rich novel. Reversing the roles transcending generations, it shows itself to be a multifaceted medium.
Throughout The Kite Runner this theme is shown many times without this aspect and understanding of this part of the book it would be incomprehensible. Amir eventually learns how to cope with his own guilt and his
The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, shows how lying and deceit is a counterproductive route when trying to live with a dreadful past, exhibited through the actions of Amir. Amir’s decision to withhold the truth and blatantly lie in several situations due to jealousy and his desire for Baba to be proud of him amounts to further pain and misery for himself and those he deceives. Because of Amir’s deceit towards Baba and Hassan, his guilt from his past manifests itself into deeply-rooted torment, not allowing him to live his life in peace. The guilt from Amir’s past is only alleviated when he redeems his sins by taking in Sohrab, contributing to the theme that the only way “to be good again” is through redemption, not shunning the past.
There is one human emotion that can paralyse us, lead us to lie both to ourselves and others, to take action that we don't like, and to cripple any rational thought processes. It is self perpetuating if allowed to get out of control. Its side effects are either anger, aggressiveness or fear and reclusiveness. Its symptoms are irrational behaviour, lying, anguish, lack of self-esteem, and in extreme cases, thoughts of suicide. It is guilt. In The Fifth Business, by Robertson Davies, guilt is a reoccurring theme throughout the novel and is a major force in one’s life. Davies demonstrates this by having one character feeling guilt while another who does not.
Guilt coupled with remorse is debilitating in most individual 's lives. People 's mindsets are completely altered to solely revert back to the action committed. This is explicitly portrayed in Khaled Hosseini 's The Kite Runner as Amir cannot break free of a mind trap imparted upon his thoughts by his past actions concerning Hassan. His eventual liberation is not complete as he will always bear the consequences of his engagements, but he does gain a sense of relief in finality. Comparatively, Tim O 'Brian similarly weaves a comparative story-line in "The Things They Carried" as Lt. Cross is enslaved by the prospect of a young lover across the shores. Ultimately, Cross seeks restoration in his life as he desires to alleviate his remorse by forgetting
The Kite Runner focuses on the relationship between two Afghan boys Amir and Hassan. Amir is a Pashtun and Sunni Muslim, while Hassan is a Hazara and a Shi’a. Despite their ethnic and religious differences, Amir and Hassan grow to be friends, although Amir is troubled by Hassan, and his relationship with his companion, one year his junior, is complex. Amir and Hassan seem to have a "best friend" type relationship. The two boys, Hassan and Amir, are main characters in the book titled, The Kite Runner. The two boys have a relationship that is significantly different compared to most. There are many different facets that distinguish the relationship the boys possess. The boys do write their names in a pomegranate tree as the "sultans of Kabul" (Kite Runner 27) but, their friendship is not strong and it is one sided. Hassan has love for Amir. He loves him like a brother. Hassan is exceedingly loyal to Amir. The relationship between the two boys is emotionally wearing and rather gloomy for the most part. The main reason for their complicated relationship is the fact that Amir is Pashtun, and Hassan is Hazara. The Afghan society places Hassan lower than Amir. Hassan is Amir's servant. The placement of Hassan in the Afghan society disenables Amir from becoming Hassan's true friend. Amir sees Hassan as lower than human. Amir ruins the chance for friendship between himself and Hassan because he is jealous of Hassan, he thinks of Hassan as a lower human, and because Amir possesses such extreme guilt for what he has done to Hassan. Amir is an unforgivable person overall.
People need redemption from our continual sin, otherwise, we just wallow in the shallowness of that aspect of our lives. Sin stays with an individual and effects the way their lives are lived. Unless they confront their past the sin will always be present. For example, Khaled Hossei’s , The Kite Runner explains how Amir- one of the main characters in the novel redeems himself because he undergoes strong guilt from his past sins. By examining Amir’s sins in his childhood, in his teenage years and in adulthood, his attainment of atonement is revealed. Particularly Amir atones for his past sins of being an eyewitness of Hassan rape who is his most loyal and devoted servant. He is influenced by this moment because he realizes that Hassan always
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, follows the maturation of Amir, a boy from Afghanistan, as he discovers what it means to stand up for what he believes in. His quest to redeem himself after betraying his friend and brother, Hassan, makes up the heart of the novel. For most of the book, Amir attempts to deal with his guilt by avoiding it and refusing to own up to his mistakes. Because of his past, Amir is incapable of moving forward. His entire life is shaped by his disloyalty to Hassan and his desire to please his father over helping his friends. Throughout the novel, his attempts to atone for his sins end in failure, as neither physical punishment nor rescuing Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from Assef prove to be enough for Amir to redeem himself. Only when he decides to take Sohrab to the United States and provide his nephew with a chance at happiness and prosperity that was denied to his half-brother does Amir take the necessary steps toward atonement and redemption. Khaled Hosseini uses a series of symbols to reinforce the message that atoning for one’s sins means making up for past mistakes, rather than simply relying on forgiveness from either the person one betrays or from a higher power.
Amir is a character who is eventually able to forgive himself, however in the film Healing, Matt and Viktor cannot acquire this and because of it, redemption is much more difficult to come by. Throughout Amir’s life he carries a sense a guilt with him, not only for being the cause of his Mother’s death but also because of the one sided relationship he has with Hassan. Hassan treats Amir with everlasting loyality and Amir cannot give this to Hassan in return. This glues to Amir making him struggle with the power to forgive himself, until meeting Hassan’s son, Sohrab. Amir chooses to take Sohrab as his own son, “I will drive you because I am a father like you”, because of this, Amir feels as if he has reached the forgiveness within himself that he had been seeking.
...achieves redemption and finally succeeds in overcoming his guilt. Hosseini uses this struggle to persuade those who feel extreme guilt for a wrongdoing to seek forgiveness and to help others in need. The author emphasizes that atoning one’s sins comes from reaching out to others. He expresses this when Amir offers to help Sohrab and he rids himself of guilt from his former relationship with Hassan. In addition, Hosseini writes to those who challenge the ideals of society in order to encourage them to create and follow their own values. The author uses Amir’s struggle in his relationship with Baba and his acceptance with Amir’s writing career to demonstrate this idea. Throughout his novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini develops a main character that questions his decisions, yet conforms to societal ideals to represent his theme of redemption and self-acceptance.
When people sin they go to great lengths to seek redemption after being tormented from their guilt. In “The Kite Runner”, Hosseini writes about the life of Amir, who sinned at a young age and was left with psychological, emotional, and physical struggles that put him on a journey to find redemption. Betrayal is one of the many sins that can create pain and suffering in a person caused by their guilt which leaves them seeking an important healing process called redemption.
The themes of the loss of innocence and redemption is used throughout the novel The Kite Runner to make a point that one can lose innocence but never redeem it. Once innocence is lost it takes a part of oneself that can never be brought back from oblivion. One can try an entire life to redeem oneself but the part that is loss is permanently gone although the ache of it can be dampened with the passing of time and acts of attempted redemption. Khaled Hosseini uses characters, situations, and many different archetypes to make this point.
As the sun rose behind the Grand Mosque in the center of the city of white stone