The novel, The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, questions the meaning of being good and the steps to achieving goodness. The book opens with the life of a young boy living in Afghanistan, Amir, who is struggling with the social hierarchy and being friends with a Hazara; a group looked down upon in their society as impure Muslims. Additionally, Amir is dealing with the lack of his father’s love. When Amir finally discovers a way to win his father’s affection, he is struck with a decision that he feels guilty for the rest of his life about. He abandons his Hazara servant, Hassan, while he is being raped. The guilt takes Amir over, leading to Hassan and Hassan’s father’s departure from his house as servants as well as his whole life. Throughout
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“Sometimes, I think everything he did...it was all his way of redeeming himself” (302). Rahim Khan believes that all the kind deeds Baba completed throughout his life were to redeem himself for not saying he was Hassan’s father. Baba turned his guilt into goodness. As Rahim Khan stated, true goodness comes from when someone’s guilt turns into good deeds. “I had never in my life wanted to be away from a place as badly as I did now. ‘But we have to stay’” (269). As Amir and Farid are watching a soccer game in Kabul, they realize the halftime show will be an execution. Although Amir has a strong desire to leave the playing field and avoid watching the grotesque stoning, he knows that he must endure it as a step in the process of retrieving Sohrab. Amir is willing to make sacrifices to redeem …show more content…
Throughout the book, Amir transforms from being ashamed of Hassan to becoming proud to be his brother. “‘He was my half brother.’ I swallowed. Added, ‘My illegitimate half brother’” (237). Amir is ready to admit who Hassan really was to him. Amir is no longer ashamed of Hassan and is willing to share his story to other people. Amir learns from his mistakes about treating Hassan as an inferior, and does not care about what people will think of him anymore. “‘That boy sleeping on the couch is my nephew. That’s what you tell people when they ask’” (361). Amir stands up to General Sahib when informing him that Sohrab is his nephew. Amir does not want to hide the truth about Sohrab as he had done in the past with Hassan. Amir turned his guilt into a learning lesson. Good comes when the guilt transforms from a burden to knowledge of not repeating the same
“Sometimes, I think everything he did...it was all his way of redeeming himself” (302). Rahim Khan believes that all the kind deeds Baba completed throughout his life were to redeem himself for not saying he was Hassan’s father. Baba turned his guilt into goodness. As Rahim Khan stated, true goodness comes from when someone’s guilt turns into good deeds. “I had never in my life wanted to be away from a place as badly as I did now. ‘But we have to stay’” (269). As Amir and Farid are watching a soccer game in Kabul, they realize the halftime show will be an execution. Although Amir has a strong desire to leave the playing field and avoid watching the grotesque stoning, he knows that he must endure it as a step in the process of retrieving Sohrab. Amir is willing to make sacrifices to redeem …show more content…
Throughout the book, Amir transforms from being ashamed of Hassan to becoming proud to be his brother. “‘He was my half brother.’ I swallowed. Added, ‘My illegitimate half brother’” (237). Amir is ready to admit who Hassan really was to him. Amir is no longer ashamed of Hassan and is willing to share his story to other people. Amir learns from his mistakes about treating Hassan as an inferior, and does not care about what people will think of him anymore. “‘That boy sleeping on the couch is my nephew. That’s what you tell people when they ask’” (361). Amir stands up to General Sahib when informing him that Sohrab is his nephew. Amir does not want to hide the truth about Sohrab as he had done in the past with Hassan. Amir turned his guilt into a learning lesson. Good comes when the guilt transforms from a burden to knowledge of not repeating the same