Amir’s Redemption Redemption means to seek forgiveness for previous mistakes a person has made and pursue a brighter future. This definition is a perfect fit for Amir as he is a person who has made many mistakes early on in his life. Originally Amir does not seem like a character who would seek redemption but more like a character to run from those mistakes. However, throughout the story we see Amir grow from a weak fleeing character to a strong one worthy of redemption, but how does he become this redeemable character. Amir was never the kind of character to stand up for anyone, not even himself he was always known as the ‘coward’. “ A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.” (pg.22). The best example of this would be when he hid his money and gifts under Hassan’s mattress in order to get Hassan in trouble so Baba would get rid of him. This shows how underhanded Amir would get just because he was jealous of how Baba treated Hassan. Instead of approaching Baba or Hassan and talking about how he felt like he was neglected, he decided to try and get Baba to dislike Hassan by making him look like a thief. However, this backfires on Amir as Hassan is a person of character and even though he did not actually …show more content…
“Earlier that morning, when I was certain no one was looking, I did something I had done twenty-six years earlier: I planted a fistful of crumpled money under a mattress.”(pg.242) We see that Amir once again hides money in the Wahid’s room but instead of blaming someone for stealing it. He hides it and allows them to find it so they would be able to afford things. This shows a big mark of maturity for Amir showing that tho he may have done the same actions as before with Hassan, this time he did it to help someone and not hurt them. Showing that Amir is beginning to look like a character worthy of
In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini the, main Protagonist is a man that goes by the name Amir. Some argue that he is an anti-hero, or not a hero. No. Amir is a hero. Amir is just another person who was lost at one point and needed direction and needed clear the guilty feelings he had. Through these actions he creates a heroic journey, he follows a hero’s path.
Amir watches Hassan get raped which leads him trying to find some sort of way to get rid of his guilt. All of this is caused by him knowing what he did was wrong. It shows Amir admits his guilt after it happens and he tries to relieve himself of it: “In his arm I forgot what I'd done. And that was good.” It shows him trying to get relief through hassan hurting him with a pomegranate. It shows Hassan knows this when he says “Are you satisfied? Do you feel better?” Amir keeps looking for ways throughout the entire book to relieve his guilt.
Baba is a very high standing man in Kabul, but seems to be extremely harsh to Amir when he was a child. He is a very large, tough man who was very well known in the town and as Amir stated in the novel, “Lore has it my father once wrestled a black bear in Baluchistan with his bare hands” (Hosseini 12). This small detail of Baba makes it known to the reader that Baba is a man of great courage and strength. Some may think that an honorable man is one with no flaws, but many disagree. Every human being makes mistakes, including Baba. When Amir grows up and goes back to visit Rahim Khan in Afghanistan, he finds out that his father lied to him his entire life about Hassan being his half-brother. He also finds out from Rahim Khan that all Baba had back then “was his honor, his name” (Hosseini 223). He did not tell Amir and Hassan that they were brothers because they had a different mother and that would have made their entire family be looked down upon in the town. He did it for their own good, and wanted for them both to grow up as honorable men, like himself. There is a difference in making mistakes and trying to do what’s best to fix them, rather than making the same mistakes over and over again, which is what Amir seemed to do in the novel. Amir was the exact opposite of his father, which made it very hard for them to have a
Amir makes mistakes and hurts his friend Hassan, and immediately afterwards he felt guilt, and wanted forgiveness, but Hassan acted like Amir did nothing, which bothered Amir even worse. And that lasted on, throughout his childhood he’s constantly upset about what he has done to Hassan, he doesn’t feel like it can be fixed. And he strives to do things throughout the novel to achieve that. One good deed he does trying to be good again, was when he goes back home, he is at a house with Farid and
Amir's actions showed how much of a coward he was. Amir suffered his whole life living with the guilt of knowing that Hassan was raped, much like Baba lived his whole life in guilt knowing that he stole the truth from Ali by committing adultery. Baba ran from the truth, and so did Amir to protect the family name, even if that meant betraying the people closest to him. Baba was a man more worried about his image than anything, and that is what he taught his son as well. Slowly that is all Amir knew how to do: protect his family and himself, leading him into a life of guilt, and running from people when situations were challenging, instead of making the admirable decision and help a
When Amir decides to plant his own watch and money under Hassan’s mattress he planned on getting Hassan in trouble from Baba. When Hassan is asked if he stole the watch and money he said yes. “I flinched, like I’d been slapped” (105). In this quote Amir shows that he was not expecting Hassan to respond in the way that he did. Right here is where Amir should have seen that Hassan cares about him and acted loyal like a real friend should have. Instead Amir Betrays Hassan again by not saying a word and letting Hassan take the blame for something he did not do. Amir continuously shows that he is Hassan’s betrayer by more actions that he
In the book, The Kite Runner, Amir was often selfish which was a reason he may not be worthy of forgiveness. One example of this was when Amir tried to pay for someone else to go to Kabul to save Sohrab instead of himself: “Why me? Why can’t you pay someone here
After the rape, Amir’s birthday, and the countless days of Hassan saying nothing, Amir had shoved money and his watch he got for his birthday under Hassan’s mattress. Amir does this because he believes that this will get Ali and Hassan out of his life so he doesn’t have to keep living with this guilt every day. Baba asks Ali and Hassan if this is true, and Hassan knows that he has framed him. Hassan tells Baba that he did do it, and even though he forgives him Ali says that they are going to move out and leave. Hassan had been upset ever since the rape and he knew that Amir had betrayed him during it all. Instead of being a best friend to him and helping the situation, he made it worse by pushing him and Ali away. The book shows that Amir is jealous from day one because Hassan and Baba’s relationship is much stronger than theirs will be. Hassan never betrayed Amir, he had always been loyal in very surprising times. Even though he was being framed as a thief, didn’t fight back when he was getting pomegranate's thrown at him, and had even ate dirt at Amir’s wishes, Hassan was giving up because he had no hope
Amir wants to get rid of Hassan because he feels so guilty about the rape that he thinks it would be best if either him or Hassan were gone. Baba has always told Amir that the biggest sin was theft, so Amir tries to set Hassan up by saying he stole Amir’s presents. Amir went into Hassan’s room and put his new watch and money underneath Hassan’s mattress. Then Amir went over to Baba’s office and knocked on the door. He then tells Baba that all of his gifts are missing and that he thinks Hassan stole them. When they go to check in Hassan’s room, they find the gifts where Amir had left them: right underneath Hassan’s mattress. When Baba asks Hassan if he stole the gifts, Hassan says yes. Hassan knew that he had been set up, but he still took the blame for Amir’s sake, because if Baba found out that Amir had tried to get Hassan in trouble, then Amir would’ve gotten in a lot deeper trouble than Hassan did. “My heart sank and I almost blurted out the truth. Then I understood: This was Hassan's final sacrifice for me. If he'd said no, Baba would have believed him because we all knew Hassan never lied. And if Baba believed him, then I'd be the accused; I would have to explain and I would be revealed for what I really was. Baba would never, ever forgive me.” (Hosseini 105). Hassan had once again, sacrificed himself for Amir’s sake. Amir finally realizes how good of a friend Hassan truly is, and begins to feel more
“I looked at Hassan, showing those two missing teeth, sunlight slanting on his face. Baba’s other half. The unentitled, unprivileged half. The half who had inherited what had been pure and noble in Baba. The half that, maybe, in the most secret recesses of his heart, Baba had thought of as his true son… Then I realized something: That last thought had brought no sting with it… I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.” (359). When Amir looks at Sohrab he sees Hassan and by giving Sohrab an escape from the orphanages and certain death he feels as if he is making up for betraying Hassan and drastically changing the course of their lives. Amir’s guilt feels as if it has “packed up and slipped away” symbolizes that by making things right with Sohrab he has redeemed himself for his actions as a child. Before Amir can fully atone for his sins there is one last thing he must make right that started it all. “ “Do you want me to run that kite for you?” His Adam’s apple rose and fell as he swallowed… I thought I saw him nod. “For you, a thousand times over,” I heard myself say. Then I turned and ran. It was only a smile, nothing more… A tiny thing… But I’ll take it. With open arms. Because when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting.” (371). This was the final hump that Amir had to get over and he had done it. The melting of the snow symbolized that his walk to redemption was over that he can finally forget what happened in that alley on that cold day one winter in Kabul. It shows how redemption is possible even if it looks like an uphill battle your guilt can be
The plot of the novel is founded on Amir’s guilt and need for redemption. The guilt is introduced in the beginning and is the antagonist of the novel. Amir lives in the past every day. No matter what he does he can’t let go of that night in the alley where he let Hassan down. He spends many sleepless nights as a result of the insomnia he developed from his guilt. Even after twenty years have passed, Amir cannot let go of his guilt. This guilt is what causes him to go back to the Middle East after so many years. The possibility of finally letting go
He shares the story of his early childhood to his adulthood. Amir is a complex character, and his traits often contradict one another. Amir is a fully developed, static character. He is the son of a very successful businessman in Kabul and is very sensitive about the lack of attention he receives from his father. The desire to please his father is the primary motivation for his unpleasant behavior early in the novel. After witnessing his best friend getting raped, he is driven by his feelings of guilt as he looks to find a way to redeem himself. "I watched Hassan get raped. I said to no one. A part of me was hoping that someone would wake up and hear so I wouldn't have to live with this lie anymore. That night I became an insomniac." (86) Looking back on the past Amir says, "There was so much goodness in my life. So much happiness. I wondered whether I deserved any of it" (278). But, Rahim Kahn tells Amir "There is a way to be good again," (2) and Amir ultimately he does so through courage and sacrifice; as he continues to tell his story as a form of
In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, there are several major themes. One of the themes that stands out the most is redemption. This theme is shown through the thoughts and actions from the protagonist of the novel, Amir. He is seeking redemption for betraying his childhood best friend and half-brother Hassan. Due to Amir’s cowardice during Hassan’s rape, he feels guilty for committing the vilest sin in Afghan culture. “I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan – the way he 'd stood up for me all those times in the past – and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran. I ran because I was a coward” (Hosseini 77). Deep down, Amir feels as if he should have done something, and because of his nagging guilt he is not able to lead a peaceful life. He
Over the course of the novel, Baba implies that he is not proud of Amir and the only reason he knows Amir is his son, is because he witnessed Amir 's birth. He states to Rahim Khan that he thinks Amir needs to stand up for himself more often. Countless times during the novel, Amir feels like he has to fight for his affection, that he has to earn Baba’s love. In order to prove himself worthy of affection and to redeem himself for not being a son Baba could be proud of, Amir yearns to win the kite runner competition. He reminisces on a memory, when all “I saw was the blue kite. All I smelled was victory. Salvation. Redemption” (65). In the aftermath of Hassan’s rape, Amir got rid of Hassan so he would not have to face the cause of his guilt on a daily basis. Amir buries the secret of the rape deep within him, where he hopes that it will not come back to haunt him, which is not the case. “We had both sinned and betrayed. But Baba had found a way to create good out of his remorse. What had I done, other than take my guilt out on the very same people I had betrayed, and then try to forget it all? What had I done, other than become an insomniac? What had I ever done to right things?” (303). As mentioned earlier, Amir is not one who stands up for himself. In order for Amir to redeem himself for betraying Hassan, and not standing up for him earlier,
In the beginning Amir is a coward who cant defend himself and through out the book this begins to change and finally he fully changes in the end of the book. Amir never was the type of boy to fight or stand up for himself. For example, Amir over hears Baba say to Rahim Khan, “You know what happens when the neighborhood boys tease him? Hassan steps in and fend them off…Im telling you Rahim, there is something missing in that boy” (Hosseini, 23). Baba is complaining to Rahim and he doesn't understand why Amir lacks the courage to stand up for himself. He puzzles that Hassan is the one to step in and defend Amir. He also is very confused over the fact that a hazara is more courageous than his son. Baba knows that Amir is not violent and he wishes that he would just stand up for himself. Amir overhears this and is very troubled that Baba doesn’t approve of him. To Amir this is a realization that he is a coward and his father notices it. Later in the book, Amir sees Hassan being raped and he is contemplation jumping in and being courageous because he says, “I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide ...