Mistakes are a part of life; they are needed to help people learn and make better decisions in the future. However, mistakes that manifest into guilt can be haunting. The mind replays moments over and over and will not let them be forgotten. Amir in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini struggles with this. As a child, he witnesses his friend Hassan getting raped, and does not try to save him. His entire life he is burdened by the guilt of letting this happen and is set on a journey of redemption. This process of reconciliation reveals his cowardice, shame for his actions, and determination to be redeemed.
Amir is cowardly in how he deals with his guilt. He first shows cowardice when he sees Hassan getting raped but does not help him; instead, he just runs away. While running away, he rationalizes his actions by thinking “I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt” (77). …show more content…
In the novel, Rahim Khan told Amir “You know, you can tell me anything you want, Amir jan. Anytime” (99) to which Amir thinks “ I almost did tell him. Almost told him everything, but then what would he think of me? He’d hate me, and rightfully so” (99). He is too embarrassed of his actions to tell them to Rahim Khan, thinking he would resent him for them. When Amir and Baba are having fun and celebrating his graduation from high school, Baba says “ I wish Hassan had been with us today” (133), reminding him of his guilt. Amir then feels as though “a pair of steel hands closed around [his] windpipe and the sound of Hassan’s name” (134). Amir feels remorse because it is his fault that Hassan is not there. When Amir becomes engaged to Soraya, she confesses to him about her shameful past. He then “opened [his] mouth and almost told her about how [he had] betrayed Hassan” (165). This is a perfect opportunity for Amir to confess what he has done, but he is too ashamed. Eventually though, he does face up to his
Amir is cowardly in how he deals with his guilt. He first shows cowardice when he sees Hassan getting raped but does not help him; instead, he just runs away. While running away, he rationalizes his actions by thinking “I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt” (77). …show more content…
In the novel, Rahim Khan told Amir “You know, you can tell me anything you want, Amir jan. Anytime” (99) to which Amir thinks “ I almost did tell him. Almost told him everything, but then what would he think of me? He’d hate me, and rightfully so” (99). He is too embarrassed of his actions to tell them to Rahim Khan, thinking he would resent him for them. When Amir and Baba are having fun and celebrating his graduation from high school, Baba says “ I wish Hassan had been with us today” (133), reminding him of his guilt. Amir then feels as though “a pair of steel hands closed around [his] windpipe and the sound of Hassan’s name” (134). Amir feels remorse because it is his fault that Hassan is not there. When Amir becomes engaged to Soraya, she confesses to him about her shameful past. He then “opened [his] mouth and almost told her about how [he had] betrayed Hassan” (165). This is a perfect opportunity for Amir to confess what he has done, but he is too ashamed. Eventually though, he does face up to his