The theme of guilt and redemption is ever-present in everyday life. Humans are notorious for committing acts that they wish to undo, and often struggle to achieve redemption for their wrongdoings to absolve themselves of their guilt. When someone is wrought with guilt, this feeling can take over their mind and can drastically affect the ways in which they live their lives. This idea is best exhibited in the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. More specifically, through two of the characters, Baba and Amir. Both of these character's journeys through life are great examples of how guilt can influence a person's life and actions. Baba and Amir appear as polar opposite personalities in the story, but their paths through guilt and redemption
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When he receives a call from Rahim Khan many years later, he recognizes it as a call to redeem himself and right his wrongs. Rahim Khan offers him what he has been searching for most of his life, "A way to be good again." (Hosseini 202). Amir travels to Pakistan to see him, where he hears the truth about Hassan's parentage and the truth about his father. He learns about his nephew and decides to do good for Sohrab to make up for his mistakes against Hassan as a child. His first act of redemption is a miniscule one, "I did something I had done twenty-six years earlier, I planted a fistful of crumpled money under a mattress" (Hosseini 254). He leaves the money for Farid's family, because he wants to change the action of leaving money under a mattress from a bad memory and a mistake to an act of goodness. His main redeeming action is saving Sohrab from the Taliban and from Assef, the same person who had abused Hassan so many years before. Amir's childhood bully becoming the final adversary between him and his redemption is ironic, because once again he has to stand up to Assef to do the right thing. During his fight with Assef over Sohrab, he falls into a fit of laughter because, "For the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden corner of my mind, I'd been looking forward to this." (Hosseini 303). The fight between him and Assef ends with Amir being saved by Sohrab and his slingshot, just as Hassan had saved Amir from punishment from Baba so many times when they were
When he receives a call from Rahim Khan many years later, he recognizes it as a call to redeem himself and right his wrongs. Rahim Khan offers him what he has been searching for most of his life, "A way to be good again." (Hosseini 202). Amir travels to Pakistan to see him, where he hears the truth about Hassan's parentage and the truth about his father. He learns about his nephew and decides to do good for Sohrab to make up for his mistakes against Hassan as a child. His first act of redemption is a miniscule one, "I did something I had done twenty-six years earlier, I planted a fistful of crumpled money under a mattress" (Hosseini 254). He leaves the money for Farid's family, because he wants to change the action of leaving money under a mattress from a bad memory and a mistake to an act of goodness. His main redeeming action is saving Sohrab from the Taliban and from Assef, the same person who had abused Hassan so many years before. Amir's childhood bully becoming the final adversary between him and his redemption is ironic, because once again he has to stand up to Assef to do the right thing. During his fight with Assef over Sohrab, he falls into a fit of laughter because, "For the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden corner of my mind, I'd been looking forward to this." (Hosseini 303). The fight between him and Assef ends with Amir being saved by Sohrab and his slingshot, just as Hassan had saved Amir from punishment from Baba so many times when they were