After committing a wrong or failing in some way, there are many people that believe they need to be punished for their offenses, with the reason behind it varying and sometimes unclear to whomever is observing their situation. Amir, the main character and narrator from Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, betrays his brother, Hassan, by abandoning him in his greatest time of need: Hassan is raped and otherwise abused by a group of boys that are easily able to overpower him. Despite the fact that all of this happened while he was quite young, Amir experiences deep convictions and regret and in turn spends a large portion of the story seeking a substantial amount of retribution for his wrongs. In fact, he is unable to release himself of this betrayal until he believes he is adequately punished for his offenses against Hassan. In reading The Kite Runner, some superficial readers might contemplate the reason behind Amir’s belief in this necessity for punishment.
