Role Of Insecurity And Guilt In 'The Kite Runner'

The kite runner essay

In the novel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini there are several themes that are

present throughout. The themes in the novel help to show the progression of the characters.

Insecurity and guilt play a major role in the life of Amir. It is evident in this story that

insecurities lead people to do things they do not want to do and brings about guilt, which leads to

Amir’s primary insecurity was never being able to please his father. Amir tried just about

anything to make Baba happy. Amir would go to soccer games, attempt to play sports, even

though he did not like it just so that his father would be happy with him and love him. He also

ran and battled with kites which Baba was an old time champion at. Amir

After cutting the last blue kite, he looks at Hassan and

he runs right after that kite. Amir went looking for Hassan and his prized kite. Amir saw that

“Hassan was standing at the blind end of the alley in a defiant stance: fists curled, legs slightly

apart. Behind him, sitting on piles of scrap and rubble, was the blue kite. [His] key to Baba’s

heart.” After everything Hassan does for Amir, he can’t do one thing to help him even if that

meant getting hurt. Amir is witnessing a horrible tragedy, right in front of his eyes, but only

focuses on the “key to Baba’s heart.” These insecurities about never being good enough for his

father lead him to ignore a horrible experience, just to get a kite, which in the long run only

reminds him of the shame and guilt he feels for letting his insecurities get in the way of the right

The guilt of watching the rape and not protecting Hassan is consuming Amir to the point that

more insecurities come about. He lies to Baba and tells him that Hassan has stolen from his

birthday gifts. Hassan always protects Amir so even though he did not steal the watch he

Amir couldn't stand the guilt he had so he blamed untrue events on

Hassan but it backfired and now more than ever he couldn't feel Baba's love. Even when his best

friend was going to leave and he was probably not going to see him for a long time, all Amir

could think about was himself. The only thing on his mind was that "[he] would have to explain

and [he] would be revealed for what [he] really was." He was a liar and a thief according to Baba

because lying is a form of theft. He was displaying his insecurities here and felt guilty about

Once he was no longer insecure, Amir was able to forgive himself. Rahim Khan helped him and

told him that he had to forgive himself to move on and forget about all the insecurities and guilt

he had. Amir had realized that "Rahim Khan had summoned [him] to atone not just for [his] sins

but for Baba's too" because of how similar they are. He let go of his insecurities and it took him

years to finally forgive himself but when he did so he was free from all of his guilt. The cycle of

insecurities and guilt had come to an end when he learned that he only had to please himself and

Amir went through a cycle of guilt and insecurities until he finally atoned. Once he let his