How Does Amir s Quest for a Way to Become Good Again Shape the Novel

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"In that location is a fashion to exist skillful once more" (Hosseini 2). Rahim Khan'due south showtime words to Amir in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner set in movement Amir'southward endeavour to mend his scarred past. A mentally tormented man until Khan's call, he has repressed memories from his childhood for decades. His journey to Afghanistan to seek redemption forms a mode for him to realize what is truly important in life. Although Amir's unintentional barbarity to Hassan is terrible, he is able to overcome his past sins and achieve personal salvation by confronting his actions and doing good.

Amir is an ordinary boy and though his beliefs harms Hassan, he is not roughshod or sadistic. Rather, his evil deeds take a more benign grade, disguised as a need to please his father. For example, when he prepares to accept part in the almanac Kabul kite flying contest, he declares to himself that he volition "run that last kite… and show it to Baba. Evidence him one time and for all that his son was worthy" (Hosseini 56). Amir's motivation for entering the competition is not to gain recognition or fame among his peers. Instead, his goal is to win over his father, who has constantly reminded Amir that he is not worthy of affection. Only a sit-in of physical skill, he reasons, will ever make Baba like him. Likewise, when he observes Assef brutally raping Hassan, Amir declines to intervene, instead rationalizing to himself that Hassan was merely "the toll I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba" (Hosseini 77). Amir refuses to end Assef's violation of Hassan because he realizes that Hassan'southward fate is irrelevant to whether or not Baba volition bestow praise upon his son. Baba volition not find out nearly Amir's cowardly behavior, and he volition still gain praise and recognition from Baba. In fact, Amir "resents sharing his male parent's affection with the loyal and talented Hassan," and really views Hassan's rape as an opportunity to go closer to his male parent ("Khaled"). If Hassan, humiliated and shamed by the barbarous human activity, cannot bear to face or speak with other people, Amir volition eliminate a former competitor for his father's angel. Caught up in an emotionally charged moment, Amir'due south only thought is to proceeds praise from his dear Baba. In the process, he commits the largest crime of his immature life.

However, Amir is not intentionally malicious toward Hassan, then he later on feels guilty. Later on finally celebrating his kite contest victory in Jalalabad with his dearest Baba, Amir realizes that he is a "monster" (Hosseini 86). Amir fully grasps the enormity of what he has done: he has committed virtually unforgivable sin against Hassan stemming from a childish, selfish desire to gain Baba's graces. However, instead of cowering in shame and blaming others or cursing fate, he accepts sole responsibleness for his deportment. Amir reveals that he is an otherwise good person, as he possesses a conscience and a sense of guilt. In fact, as Amir notices, the real danger that has arisen from his actions is "the nature of my new curse: I was going to get away with it" (Hosseini 86). What pains him most is the realization that there is no going back. No 1 would discover out what he did. Secretly, Amir wishes that someone would find out and rat him out for his true nature. He cannot bear to live with the surreptitious of his shameful human activity, yet cannot bring himself to face information technology. Although he knows that no i will betrayal him, he attempts to right the wrong that he has done.

Despite his good intentions, Amir's attempt to muffle his evil causes him to perpetrate fifty-fifty more than offenses. When starting time talking to Hassan after the rape, Amir throws a pomegranate at him and wishes that Hassan would strike back in return and "give me the punishment I craved, so maybe I'd finally sleep at night" (Hosseini 92). Amir knows the magnitude of the criminal offence he has committed, and foolishly thinks that if Hassan retaliates, the retaliation will somehow mitigate the severity of his action. Amir begins to harm others while trying to make upwardly for what he has done. His twisted logic is taken to the extreme when he decides that the only manner that he can fully solve the problem he has created is to remove Hassan from the household: "The better to hibernate his own surreptitious sin, Amir betrays Hassan a second time, resulting in Hassan leaving the relative paradise and safety of Baba's habitation" (Morace).

Ironically, the very affair that Amir wanted so desperately (winning the kite competition), the very thing that finally brought him the praise of his honey Baba, is now the affair that figuratively tears him apart. Hassan's mere presence is a constant reminder of Amir'south shame and guilt, a dark shadow that lingers to haunt him. Hassan's unwavering loyalty despite Amir'south terrible treachery is even worse. Hassan's naivety and devotedness emphasize his purity and natural goodness, a abrupt dissimilarity to the emotionally tortured Amir. Consequently, when committing his second betrayal, Amir is only able to remember of himself. Never does he consider the effect of his deportment on Hassan or Ali. Regrettably, in parallel to the thickening web of lies and deception, Amir's beliefs grows worse. For case, later on Baba confronts Hassan most "stealing" Amir's watch, Amir almost blurts out the truth, "except that a part of me was glad. Glad that this would all be over with soon" (Hosseini 105). Amir's selfishness and shortsightedness have now become his main traits, causing more havoc than he could have imagined. He is really is able to paint his dreadful treachery of Hassan as a hardship on himself, a burden that he would exist relieved to become rid of. Amir begins to cease feeling emotions about others, replacing feelings for them with his ain distorted view of reality. He has changed from an ordinary male child to 1 that uses a misshapen view of others to inflict suffering upon them. When he finally fully recognizes the extent of his treachery and sins, Amir is shocked at the pain that he has caused others.

Appropriately, Amir relentlessly tries to escape his betrayal of his quondam friend, but cannot do and then. Notwithstanding, in his desperate quest escape, he learns of the healing power of against the by. Soon, the Soviets invade Transitional islamic state of afghanistan and forcefulness Amir and his father to abscond to America, a place Amir "embraced" because information technology contained "no ghosts, no memories, and no sins" (Hosseini 136). Amir supposes that by physically moving abroad from his past he can finally be at peace with it. He welcomes America because information technology is a place where he volition non take to muster courage to confront what he did to Hassan. He is, as Stella Algoo-Baksh notes, "convinced that his soul can be at peace now that he has left his past behind. Yet . . . Amir soon discovers that such a release is not easily achieved" (143). Although he does non think about it, his past still lurks in the deep recesses of his mind, haunting him, mocking him for his cowardliness. Ironically though, it is America where Amir learns his outset lesson almost remembering the past. His wife, Soraya, had a shameful history of her ain, but she came out immediately and told him about it, and for that, he "envied her. Her surreptitious was out. Spoken. Dealt with" (Hosseini 165). Amir admires how Soraya sets herself costless by revealing her past. She relishes knowing that people accepts her every bit she is, even with her flaws and mistakes of long ago. However, Amir refuses to acknowledge his past and constantly lives in fear that those he loves would pass up him upon learning of what he has washed. Despite his important realization, Amir is reluctant to confront his by as he is nonetheless agape that others will criticize him for it.

Only when prodded by a shut friend, Rahim Khan, does Amir finally discover the force to confront his by. At first, when Khan calls to ask Amir to return Afghanistan, Amir wishes that "Rahim Khan hadn't called me. I wished he had let me live on in my oblivion" (Hosseini 226). This argument is the terminal remaining chip of Amir's aging resistance to facing his past. Although Amir verbally expresses dismay at Khan's call, he has secretly hoped that this moment would come. He realizes that it is impossible to forget about one's past, and actually wanted someone to spur him to activeness and give him the courage to confront his by misdeeds. The deciding factor is secrecy. Now that somebody already knows what he has washed, Amir can tackle his history without fearing that his by actions will then exist discovered. In essence, he is freed from the threat of new shame because his underground is already known. Later on, when he does fly back to Pakistan to meet Khan, Amir learns that Baba was the father of Hassan and is he shocked at his begetter'south behavior. However, as Khan notes, the expert that Baba did in his life "was all his way of redeeming himself. And that, I believe, is what true redemption is, Amir jan, when guilt leads to expert" (Hosseini 302). Amir recognizes that Baba did not hide in disgrace from his past; on the contrary, he tried to make amends by building orphanages and helping society. Amir observes that he himself has done merely the opposite: he has simply taken his shame out upon the aforementioned people he had already hurt. Only by righting his by tin he atone for his sins; oblivion will accomplish nothing. And and then Amir sets off to Afghanistan, a journey that Geraldine Pearson describes every bit "a way for Amir to deal with his own guilt virtually Hassan and ultimately forms a story of redemption and resolution" (66). He returns not but to terminate his own deprival and guilt and atone for his sins, but likewise for the sins of his male parent. His father committed the criminal offense that brought Hassan into the world. Rescuing Hassan'due south son, Sohrab, will bring a resolution to this problem that his father started and that Amir has exacerbated. Amir is determined to at concluding deal with his past and sets off for Transitional islamic state of afghanistan, resolving to make good out of bad.

Subsequently, his new knowledge and determination to correct his wrongs give him newfound strength, both physically and mentally. Later, equally Amir's teeth break, ribs snap, and skin tears from Assef's vicious thrashing, Amir oddly feels serenely calm: "I felt at peace. . . . My body was broken . . . only I felt healed. Healed at terminal" (Hosseini 289). Amir does non mind Assef's blows because to him they are weak compared to the personal fulfillment he found when redeeming himself past saving Sohrab. He knows that now he, just like his father, has done an deed of service to help right his past wrongs. The blows of Assef pale in comparison to the weight of decades of shame, guilt, and lies lifted from Amir's shoulders. Likewise, after Amir brings Sohrab to America, and Sohrab gives a small, barely perceptible smile, Amir runs "with the wind bravado in my face, and a grin as wide as the Valley of Panjsher on my lips" (Hosseini 371). Although seemingly insignificant, Sohrab's smiling to Amir represents a new start. For the first fourth dimension in a long time, Sohrab smiles—something that he would never have done voluntarily in Assef's sexual slavery in Afghanistan. His first smile too symbolizes Amir's spiritual renewal through ridding his soul of his long-past sins. For the first time since Hassan's rape on that cold winter day in 1975, Amir's conscience is clean and he is truly happy.

However, Amir's newfound happiness comes simply after much determination and bravery. Only after mustering courage to deal with his babyhood past and committing himself toward redressing his wrongs is he able to attain it. However, his successful transformation in character as well brings Hosseini's piece of work into a larger context and forces a look at guild itself. The novel calls upon the reader to honestly confront his own by and overcome any of his own wrongs by striving towards goodness and grace. As Amir's story demonstrates, these personal challenges can be conquered through conscious idea and determination. And though he is only one person in the novel who institute a way to fulfillment and salvation, Amir can count himself among those who successfully free themselves from shame and finally discover a path to true happiness.

Works Cited

1. Algoo-Baksh, Stella. "Ghosts of the By." Canadian Literature 184 (Spring 2005): 143. Academic Search Complete. Ebsco. Kingwood HS Lib., Kingwood. 9 April 2008 <http://web.ebscohost.com>.
2. Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead Books, 2003.
3. "Khaled Hosseini." Contemporary Authors Online. Thomson Gale. Kingwood HS Lib., Kingwood. 9 April 2008 <http://galenet.galegroup.com>.
4. Morace, Robert. "The Kite Runner." Magill's Literary Annual 2004. Salem Press, 2004. Literary Reference Center. Ebsco. Kingwood HS Lib., Kingwood. 9 April 2008 <http://web.ebscohost.com>.
5. Pearson, Geraldine. "Volume Review." Journal of Child & Boyish Psychiatric Nursing 20.1 (Feb 2007): 66. Bookish Search Consummate. Ebsco. Kingwood HS Lib., Kingwood. 9 April 2008 <http://spider web.ebscohost.com>.

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