‘the Kite Runner Suggests That Individuals Can Atone for the Evil Things They Have Done in Their Past.’ Discuss

In the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, we experience the life of an Afghanistan boy, Amir’s life. In the novel the author creates a conflict between Amir and Hassan when Amir decides to leave Hassan alone in the alley. However, the real conflict is in Amir’s heart between the crowed character and great feeling of guilty. From that day on, Amir goes on a way of redemption. The feeling of guilt is always around Amir in his life until he saves Hassan’s son, Sohrab. Just like Rahim Khan said, his guilt leads to good. And this essay will be about” The Kite Runner suggests that individuals can atone for the evil things they have done in their past.” In the story, Amir atone the evil things he has done in the past. When he was six years old, he saw Hassan in the alley and being raped. He is Hassan’s friend so he should help him fight back or ask adults to help, but he just ran away and pretends that nothing happened. Hassan is always so loyal and treats Amir as real friends, just as he said after the tournament, “For you, a thousand times over!” Besides, when they met Assef the last time, Hassan hold up his slingshot and protect Amir. After the rape, Hassan says nothing, even when Amir throw pomegranate to him on the hill, he says “Hit me!” “Are you feeling better now?” and even hit a pomegranate on his own forehead. All of above make Amir feel guilt and he tries to get rid of the feeling of guilty. From Afghanistan to America, Amir has always been suffering the pain from guilt; he says “For me, America was a place to bury my memories.” He start to atone what he had done when Rahim Khan tells him Hassan is his brother, in order to thank Hassan what he has done and get rid of the guilt, Amir decides to save Sohrab and bring him back to America. Because Hassan is dead, this is maybe the only thing he can do for his friend. When he fights with Assef, he is beaten badly, but he is laughing very loudly” What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace.” This shows that Amir has become a real man and his guilt is leading him to use his pain to get Sohrab’s freedom and he can feel the pain Hassan had in the alley and he feels forgive and he doesn’t feel guilty any more. So his guilt saves Sohrab out of danger so it leads to good, Amir atones for the evil things they have done in their past by saving his friend. Besides, other people also atones their evil things. Amir’s wife, soraya tahari, went away with a man when she was young and that cause no one wants him in America. However, she tries to be a good wife when she gets married with Amir and she actually also atones her sin in her way. In conclusion, in the story all the people try to atone the evil things they have done and they get good results, and people as well as they forgive them. Rahim Khan believes true redemption is when guilt leads to good and everyone in the story do redeem their sins.