"The Kite Runner" - Sin and Guilt
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- Category: English: Novels
- Date Submitted: 01/09/2011 09:01 AM
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"The Kite Runner" - Sin and Guilt
In ‘The Kite Runner’, sin and guilt are so enduring that redemption is important to both the plot and the character development.
One could say that the words sin, guilt and redemption completely sum up the story of ‘The Kite Runner’. In ‘The Kite Runner’ we see how destructive and powerful guilt is and how efficiently it damages relationships and cripples the life of its vessel. We also see how the quest to alleviate said guilt is all consuming and how the road to redemption is often paved with pain and regrets.
Amir’s story is riddled with guilt. He feels guilty for his betrayal of Hassan as he merely stood by and did nothing to help Hassan while he was being raped. This guilt Amir feels is accentuated by Hassan’s righteousness, loyalty and his willingness to sacrifice anything for Amir, ‘’for you, a thousand times over’’. Amir promptly tries to bury and escape his guilt but finds he cannot. ‘’…it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out’’. Eventually his guilt drives him to insomnia. It seems that getting married helps Amir forget about his guilt for some time but when Rahim Khan phones him in the June of 2001 the guilt floods back along with the insomnia.
Although Amir’s quest for redemption is noble the way he goes about it is flawed. He feels that he must suffer some kind of punishment in order to be free of his guilt. ‘’I wished Hassan would give it back to me, break open the door and tell me off-it would have made things easier, better.’’ At first he tries to get Hassan to exert vengeance upon him by provoking Hassan to throw pomegranates at him. This plan of course fails as once again Hassan shows his righteousness as instead of exacting revenge on Amir he takes the pomegranate and smashes it on his own head which only deepens the guilt Amir feels. Amir finally finds his redemptive punishment when Assef almost kills him....
In ‘The Kite Runner’, sin and guilt are so enduring that redemption is important to both the plot and the character development.
One could say that the words sin, guilt and redemption completely sum up the story of ‘The Kite Runner’. In ‘The Kite Runner’ we see how destructive and powerful guilt is and how efficiently it damages relationships and cripples the life of its vessel. We also see how the quest to alleviate said guilt is all consuming and how the road to redemption is often paved with pain and regrets.
Amir’s story is riddled with guilt. He feels guilty for his betrayal of Hassan as he merely stood by and did nothing to help Hassan while he was being raped. This guilt Amir feels is accentuated by Hassan’s righteousness, loyalty and his willingness to sacrifice anything for Amir, ‘’for you, a thousand times over’’. Amir promptly tries to bury and escape his guilt but finds he cannot. ‘’…it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out’’. Eventually his guilt drives him to insomnia. It seems that getting married helps Amir forget about his guilt for some time but when Rahim Khan phones him in the June of 2001 the guilt floods back along with the insomnia.
Although Amir’s quest for redemption is noble the way he goes about it is flawed. He feels that he must suffer some kind of punishment in order to be free of his guilt. ‘’I wished Hassan would give it back to me, break open the door and tell me off-it would have made things easier, better.’’ At first he tries to get Hassan to exert vengeance upon him by provoking Hassan to throw pomegranates at him. This plan of course fails as once again Hassan shows his righteousness as instead of exacting revenge on Amir he takes the pomegranate and smashes it on his own head which only deepens the guilt Amir feels. Amir finally finds his redemptive punishment when Assef almost kills him....