Amir required forgiveness from his brother Hassan. Amir stood by and witnessed Hassan as he was raped at a young age. Amir framed Hassan; he left him in a country at war. In his novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini tells a story of finding redemption. A complex tale about a man who betrayed his brother and friend, The Kite Runner takes us through Amir’s life as he passionately searches for the redemption of his detestable acts as a child. Through his story and symbols, Hosseini describes the pain in finding redemption, the perseverance it takes, and the reward of gaining it in the end.
Receiving redemption is a difficult task. Amir knew this more than anything else. Amir, as a young and ignorant individual, didn’t know the severity of his actions until he was much older and much wiser. Amir carried those actions with him throughout his entire life. It wasn’t until an old friend, Rahim Kahn, called Amir to remind him that, “… there is a way to be good again. ” (Hosseini 2), that Amir realized something had to be done to make right a wrong that had been posed on Hassan years ago.. This simple statement presented by Rahim immediately became Amir’s driving factor.
This statement convinced Amir to do something, to seek his own redemption, instead of hiding from the past as he had done for his for his entire life. Amir knew that he couldn’t undo what had happened to Hassan, he couldn’t heal the scar that Hassan lived with everyday, but he could still do something to redeem himself,. He could help Hassan, and prove Rahim Khan’s words to be true. There was an issue, however. Amir arrived in Afghanistan only to find out that Hassan had been killed. But there was still hope; Hassan had a son.
Hassan had a son who was was living in an orphanage across the Taliban infested nation of Afghanistan. (Hosseini 214-223). At this point Amir could give up; he wanted to give up so much. But Rahim Khan’s words echoed in Amir’s head. Rahim knew that that Amir was worth more than his actions of the past, and Amir did too. Amir set off on his quest across the Middle East to find his nephew, to redeem himself. Amir was determined more than he had ever been to find Hassan’s son, Sohrab. All of Amir’s fear and cowardice that consumed entire life vanished as he pursued Sohrab, his resurrector.
The wound that had been left with him, would soon be healed, his conscious set free. At this point, Amir knew that he finally has his redemption in his grasp, and he couldn’t let it go now. Amir was at the mercy of Assef for the second time in his life. Sohrab watched, terrified, as his mysterious rescuer fought his life long persecutor. Amir was not going to be able to save him, unless Sorhab decided to do something about it. Sohrab took after his father, he was great with a slingshot. With the same bravery as Hassan opposed Assef, Sohrab fired a stone into his oppressors eye.
This brought the story full circle. Hassan defended Amir from Assef with a slingshot just like Sohrab did. Both endured torment from Assef for Amir’s sake as well. But the fundamental difference between the two circumstances is that the in latter of the two, Amir was redeemed, rather than indebted. Amir’s life had been set free, as he completed the deed that he was too scared to do his whole life: standing up for himself and for others. Although Amir was beaten and bruised, the way he felt in his heart was the best feeling he could ask for. He was forgiven, he was redeemed.
Throughout his novel, Hosseini’s symbol of choice was the scar. He utilizes this symbol many times throughout his story, ensuring that the reader knows how important it is. Every character carries a scar with them, whether it be physical, emotional, or both. Amir, who tells us his story, opens up about his scar from the very beginning. The entire plot focuses around it. His scar was a wound for his entire life, open and gushing, giving it no acknowledgement, yet still always knowing it was there. Amir’s scar didn’t heal until he rescued his nephew.
In fact, it grew more and more until the moment Sorhab was safe in Amir’s arms. After that moment, he felt no pain; his wound was gone. But the thing about scars is that they never disappear. When a person looks at them, they are constantly reminded of the wound that was once there. Amir’s wound was healed, but every time he looked at Sohrab, he is reminded of why he had that wound in the first place. Sorhab, a constant reminder of Amir’s past, present, and future. A symbol of his journey, a piece of his redemption. The word redemption is a noun and is defined as the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.
After reading The Kite Runner, defining the word would be completely unnecessary. Hosseini tells of a great redemption by Amir. By explaining the process of redemption, through its trials, difficulties, and relief at the end, Hosseini’s novel inspires readers everywhere to settle their differences, conquer their fears, and seek the redemption they require. Hosseini proves to the reader, over and over again, that no matter how wrong a person is, no matter how detestable an act may be, and no matter circumstance or challenge there is always a way out, a way to be redeemed; “there is a way to be good again”(Hosseini 2).
