Throughout one’s lifetime, situations will occur in which a person makes a thoughtless choice or does something that they will regret later on. No matter the circumstance, everyone will face guilt resulting from a decision that they have made or an action they have done. Through redemption, people are able to appease themselves from the guilt they face for their wrongdoings. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir, the protagonist, flees Afghanistan with his father Baba, returning decades later as an adult to save his half-nephew Sohrab. Hosseini reveals that redemption exists when one’s guilt leads to good through the fatherly actions of Baba towards Hassan, Soraya’s acceptance of Sohrab as a son, and Amir’s bravery during his violent
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When Amir asks Soraya if she has any qualms about adopting Sohrab, she assures her husband that Sohrab’s adoption is the only option. Soraya tells him, “‘Amir, he’s your qaum, your family, so he’s my qaum too. Of course I’m sure. You can’t leave him to the streets’” (Hosseini 326). Soraya is willing to accept Sohrab as a member of her family, despite their cultural differences and the fact that he is not her biological son. Her determination to help Sohrab is driven by her guilt over running away from home with an Afghan man and her incapability to have a child of her own. After she made the mistake of leaving her home to live with a man she was unmarried to, Soraya faces ridicule from the Afghan community. Furthermore, she feels guilty for being unable to bear a child because birthing and raising children is seen as a responsibility all Afghan women have. Due to this guilt, Soraya does not hesitate to accept Sohrab thereby saving him from a lifetime of poverty, violence, and starvation. Although adoption is not the easiest choice in her situation, her guilt for her past actions and infertility ultimately lead her to make a positive impact on Sohrab’s …show more content…
When Amir returns to Afghanistan, he attempts to save Sohrab from Assef, and is brutally attacked by Assef in the process. He explains that he finally feels free from the guilt he carried for decades. Amir states, “I hadn 't been happy and I hadn’t felt better, not at all. But I did now. My body was broken- just how badly I wouldn 't find out until later- but I felt healed. Healed at last” (Hosseini 289). Amir has been tortured for over two decades because of the guilt he feels due to his inaction during Hassan’s rape, refusing to allow himself happiness. Amir is willing to face Assef and his past, in order to save Sohrab. As a child, Amir is too afraid of being injured by Assef but now has the bravery to sacrifice his well-being for others. After enduring so much pain, Amir feels as though he has received what he deserves for not helping Hassan years ago. The guilt Amir is burdened with for failing to help Hassan when he is raped leads to good when he courageously faces Assef in order to save
When Amir asks Soraya if she has any qualms about adopting Sohrab, she assures her husband that Sohrab’s adoption is the only option. Soraya tells him, “‘Amir, he’s your qaum, your family, so he’s my qaum too. Of course I’m sure. You can’t leave him to the streets’” (Hosseini 326). Soraya is willing to accept Sohrab as a member of her family, despite their cultural differences and the fact that he is not her biological son. Her determination to help Sohrab is driven by her guilt over running away from home with an Afghan man and her incapability to have a child of her own. After she made the mistake of leaving her home to live with a man she was unmarried to, Soraya faces ridicule from the Afghan community. Furthermore, she feels guilty for being unable to bear a child because birthing and raising children is seen as a responsibility all Afghan women have. Due to this guilt, Soraya does not hesitate to accept Sohrab thereby saving him from a lifetime of poverty, violence, and starvation. Although adoption is not the easiest choice in her situation, her guilt for her past actions and infertility ultimately lead her to make a positive impact on Sohrab’s …show more content…
When Amir returns to Afghanistan, he attempts to save Sohrab from Assef, and is brutally attacked by Assef in the process. He explains that he finally feels free from the guilt he carried for decades. Amir states, “I hadn 't been happy and I hadn’t felt better, not at all. But I did now. My body was broken- just how badly I wouldn 't find out until later- but I felt healed. Healed at last” (Hosseini 289). Amir has been tortured for over two decades because of the guilt he feels due to his inaction during Hassan’s rape, refusing to allow himself happiness. Amir is willing to face Assef and his past, in order to save Sohrab. As a child, Amir is too afraid of being injured by Assef but now has the bravery to sacrifice his well-being for others. After enduring so much pain, Amir feels as though he has received what he deserves for not helping Hassan years ago. The guilt Amir is burdened with for failing to help Hassan when he is raped leads to good when he courageously faces Assef in order to save