The Kite Runner Forgiveness and Redemption Theme Essay Example

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini has a powerful message about redemption and forgiveness. The author has illustrated this from the quote, "For you, a thousand times over." (Pg.194, 239, 305, 371), which appears multiple times in the book. The Kite Runner follows the main character, Amir, through his youth and adolescence, as he encounters a variety of positive and poor scenarios. To solve the negative, he wants to undo what he has done before. Redemption. As an individual, Amir has matured. He battled with family problems and still found a way to overcome them, which made him successful and courageous like his father.

Baba, Amir’s father, didn't care much for Amir before they immigrated to America. Amir had a strong desire to be appreciated by Baba, but he was uninterested. Amir was ecstatic because he had written a story and wanted Baba to hear it, but he, once again, was uninterested.  "Most days I worshiped Baba with an intensity approaching the religious. But right then, I wished i could open my veins and drain his cursed blood from my body." (pg.32) This Contrast and Contradiction describes how Baba didn't pay attention to Amir at all, and that made Amir feel like he was unwanted, and he had a thought of him not being related to Baba. This demonstrates Amir's dissatisfaction with his father and how he wanted to become the center of attention and not an outcast. This matters because it shows Amir and Baba’s relationship when they lived in Afghanistan, before immigrating to America. Another reason to support was how jealous Amir was towards the relationship between Baba and Hassan. As Hassan draws Baba's attention, Amir attempts to assert himself by targeting Hassan in a passive-aggressive way. He makes fun of Hassan's stupidity, for example.

Baba's attitude changed after they both immigrated to America. Their bond shifted, and Baba appeared to be more proud of who Amir had become. When he gave Amir a car and told him, "You'll need to go to college," (pg.133) Amir was overjoyed. This Contrast and Contradiction  reflects Baba's wish for Amir to attend college and excel in the future. This shows Baba was concerned about Amir's future and wished for him to achieve the same level of success as himself. This is significant because I believe Baba is giving Amir a car because he recognizes that he needs to do good by attending college. Another reason to support is when Amir asks Baba if he could marry Soraya, Amir says “go khastegari” (pg.161) meaning a suitor's official visitation to the family to propose marriage. Baba’s dry lips stretched into a smile, and asked him if he was sure. Amir then replies, “Balay, Baba” meaning yes, Baba. This Aha Moment shows Amir doing this because he wants to be with Soraya and before his dad leaves him. This proves how Amir feels towards Soraya, How much he cares.

When Amir discovered that Hassan was his half-brother, he was shocked. He felt as if he had been deceived his entire life. Amir says to himself in the text, “How could he have lied to me all those years? To Hassan? He had sat me on his lap when I was little, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, There is only one sin. And that is theft. . . When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. Hadn’t he said those words to me?” (pg. 225) This Again and Again explains why Amir was so furious with Baba for not telling him that Hassan was his brother. Baba had used his own words against him. This is significant because Baba did not follow up with his wise words, and as a result, he was found guilty of robbing Hassan and Amir of their right to know the truth about them being brother’s. Another reason to support this is when Rahim Khan told Amir that Hassan was his brother. “How could you hide this from me? From him?” (pg. 223). This Aha Moment changes things between Amir and Rahim Khan because he feels like he was betrayed and now can't trust him because of this lie that was kept from him. A final reason to support this is When Hassan and Ali were going to leave, Baba was begging them not too. (pg, 108) This gives me a realization that Baba did really love Hassan, which is why he didn't want him to leave. Baba also dismissed it when he found out Hassan was a thief.

Amir has matured over the course of the book. He battled with family problems and still found a way to overcome them, which made him successful and courageous like his father. He had a deep desire to be noticed by his father, but it didn't work out and after they immigrated to America, he developed a stronger relationship with his father, he also received the unexpected news that Hassan was really his brother. This demonstrates how Amir had grown as a person, as he dealt with family issues and eventually resolved them. This is why I think Amir, like his father wanted him, achieved success at the end of the story.