How Can Amir s Helping Sohrab a Way for Amir to Be Good Again

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"There is a way to be good again" (Hosseini ii). Rahim Khan's get-go words to Amir in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner gear up in motion Amir's attempt to mend his scarred past. A mentally tormented man until Khan'southward call, he has repressed memories from his childhood for decades. His journey to Afghanistan to seek redemption forms a style for him to realize what is truly of import in life. Although Amir'due south unintentional barbarity to Hassan is terrible, he is able to overcome his past sins and attain personal salvation by confronting his actions and doing good.

Amir is an ordinary male child and though his behavior harms Hassan, he is not savage or sadistic. Rather, his evil deeds take a more benign form, disguised equally a demand to please his father. For case, when he prepares to take part in the almanac Kabul kite flying contest, he declares to himself that he will "run that last kite… and show it to Baba. Testify him once and for all that his son was worthy" (Hosseini 56). Amir's motivation for entering the contest is non to proceeds recognition or fame amongst his peers. Instead, his goal is to win over his male parent, who has constantly reminded Amir that he is non worthy of affection. Only a sit-in of concrete skill, he reasons, will ever make Baba similar him. Likewise, when he observes Assef brutally raping Hassan, Amir declines to intervene, instead rationalizing to himself that Hassan was simply "the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba" (Hosseini 77). Amir refuses to stop Assef'southward violation of Hassan because he realizes that Hassan'due south fate is irrelevant to whether or not Baba will bestow praise upon his son. Baba will not notice out about Amir's cowardly behavior, and he will still gain praise and recognition from Baba. In fact, Amir "resents sharing his father's amore with the loyal and talented Hassan," and actually views Hassan's rape as an opportunity to become closer to his begetter ("Khaled"). If Hassan, humiliated and shamed by the roughshod human action, cannot behave to face or speak with other people, Amir will eliminate a former competitor for his father's affections. Defenseless up in an emotionally charged moment, Amir'southward just thought is to gain praise from his dear Baba. In the procedure, he commits the largest crime of his young life.

Nonetheless, Amir is not intentionally malicious toward Hassan, so he later feels guilty. Subsequently finally jubilant his kite competition victory in Jalalabad with his love Baba, Amir realizes that he is a "monster" (Hosseini 86). Amir fully grasps the enormity of what he has done: he has committed almost unforgivable sin confronting Hassan stemming from a childish, selfish desire to gain Baba's graces. However, instead of cowering in shame and blaming others or blasphemous fate, he accepts sole responsibility for his actions. Amir reveals that he is an otherwise practiced person, as he possesses a censor and a sense of guilt. In fact, equally Amir notices, the real danger that has arisen from his actions is "the nature of my new curse: I was going to become away with it" (Hosseini 86). What pains him most is the realization that there is no going back. No i would discover out what he did. Secretly, Amir wishes that someone would find out and rat him out for his true nature. He cannot carry to live with the secret of his shameful deed, still cannot bring himself to face it. Although he knows that no ane will expose him, he attempts to right the wrong that he has done.

Despite his proficient intentions, Amir'southward attempt to conceal his evil causes him to perpetrate even more offenses. When get-go 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 penalty I craved, and so perchance I'd finally slumber at night" (Hosseini 92). Amir knows the magnitude of the offense he has committed, and foolishly thinks that if Hassan retaliates, the retaliation will somehow mitigate the severity of his activity. Amir begins to harm others while trying to make up for what he has done. His twisted logic is taken to the extreme when he decides that the only style that he can fully solve the trouble he has created is to remove Hassan from the household: "The better to hide his ain clandestine sin, Amir betrays Hassan a second time, resulting in Hassan leaving the relative paradise and safety of Baba's domicile" (Morace).

Ironically, the very matter that Amir wanted so badly (winning the kite competition), the very thing that finally brought him the praise of his dearest Baba, is at present the matter that figuratively tears him autonomously. Hassan's mere presence is a constant reminder of Amir's shame and guilt, a dark shadow that lingers to haunt him. Hassan's unwavering loyalty despite Amir's terrible treachery is fifty-fifty worse. Hassan'southward naivety and devotedness emphasize his purity and natural goodness, a sharp contrast to the emotionally tortured Amir. Consequently, when committing his second expose, Amir is but able to think of himself. Never does he consider the event of his actions on Hassan or Ali. Regrettably, in parallel to the thickening web of lies and deception, Amir's behavior grows worse. For instance, after Baba confronts Hassan near "stealing" Amir's spotter, Amir almost blurts out the truth, "except that a function of me was glad. Glad that this would all exist over with soon" (Hosseini 105). Amir's selfishness and shortsightedness have now become his primary traits, causing more havoc than he could have imagined. He is actually is able to pigment his dreadful treachery of Hassan equally a hardship on himself, a burden that he would exist relieved to become rid of. Amir begins to stop feeling emotions about others, replacing feelings for them with his ain distorted view of reality. He has changed from an ordinary boy 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.

Accordingly, Amir relentlessly tries to escape his expose of his former friend, but cannot do so. However, in his desperate quest escape, he learns of the healing ability of confronting the past. Soon, the Soviets invade Afghanistan and force Amir and his father to flee to America, a place Amir "embraced" because it contained "no ghosts, no memories, and no sins" (Hosseini 136). Amir supposes that by physically moving away from his by he can finally be at peace with it. He welcomes America considering it is a place where he volition not have to muster courage to face what he did to Hassan. He is, equally Stella Algoo-Baksh notes, "convinced that his soul can be at peace at present that he has left his past behind. Yet . . . Amir soon discovers that such a release is not easily achieved" (143). Although he does not remember most 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 first lesson about remembering the past. His wife, Soraya, had a shameful history of her ain, only she came out immediately and told him well-nigh information technology, and for that, he "envied her. Her secret was out. Spoken. Dealt with" (Hosseini 165). Amir admires how Soraya sets herself free by revealing her past. She relishes knowing that people accepts her as she is, even with her flaws and mistakes of long ago. However, Amir refuses to admit his past and constantly lives in fright that those he loves would reject him upon learning of what he has done. Despite his important realization, Amir is reluctant to confront his past as he is still afraid that others will criticize him for it.

Only when prodded by a close friend, Rahim Khan, does Amir finally notice the strength to confront his past. At outset, when Khan calls to enquire Amir to render Afghanistan, Amir wishes that "Rahim Khan hadn't called me. I wished he had let me live on in my oblivion" (Hosseini 226). This statement is the last remaining bit of Amir's crumbling resistance to facing his by. Although Amir verbally expresses dismay at Khan'south call, he has secretly hoped that this moment would come. He realizes that it is impossible to forget about one's by, and really wanted someone to spur him to activity and requite him the courage to face his past misdeeds. The deciding factor is secrecy. Now that somebody already knows what he has washed, Amir tin 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 cloak-and-dagger is already known. After, when he does fly dorsum to Pakistan to come across Khan, Amir learns that Baba was the father of Hassan and is he shocked at his begetter's behavior. However, as Khan notes, the proficient 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 good" (Hosseini 302). Amir recognizes that Baba did not hide in disgrace from his past; on the contrary, he tried to brand amends past building orphanages and helping society. Amir observes that he himself has done just the contrary: he has just taken his shame out upon the same people he had already hurt. Just by righting his past can he absolve for his sins; oblivion will accomplish cypher. And so Amir sets off to Afghanistan, a journey that Geraldine Pearson describes as "a style for Amir to deal with his own guilt about Hassan and ultimately forms a story of redemption and resolution" (66). He returns not only to terminate his own denial and guilt and atone for his sins, only likewise for the sins of his male parent. His begetter committed the offense that brought Hassan into the globe. Rescuing Hassan's son, Sohrab, will bring a resolution to this problem that his male parent started and that Amir has exacerbated. Amir is adamant to at last bargain with his past and sets off for Afghanistan, resolving to make skilful out of bad.

Subsequently, his new noesis and determination to correct his wrongs requite him newfound force, both physically and mentally. Subsequently, 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 . . . but I felt healed. Healed at last" (Hosseini 289). Amir does not listen Assef's blows because to him they are weak compared to the personal fulfillment he institute when redeeming himself by saving Sohrab. He knows that now he, just like his begetter, has washed an act 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'south shoulders. Besides, subsequently Amir brings Sohrab to America, and Sohrab gives a small, barely perceptible smiling, Amir runs "with the air current bravado in my face, and a smile equally wide as the Valley of Panjsher on my lips" (Hosseini 371). Although seemingly insignificant, Sohrab's smile to Amir represents a new beginning. For the first fourth dimension in a long fourth dimension, Sohrab smiles—something that he would never have done voluntarily in Assef's sexual slavery in Afghanistan. His start smile also symbolizes Amir's spiritual renewal through ridding his soul of his long-by sins. For the beginning time since Hassan's rape on that cold winter day in 1975, Amir'due south conscience is clean and he is truly happy.

However, Amir's newfound happiness comes but after much determination and bravery. Simply after mustering backbone to deal with his childhood past and committing himself toward redressing his wrongs is he able to achieve information technology. Nevertheless, his successful transformation in character as well brings Hosseini's piece of work into a larger context and forces a wait at gild itself. The novel calls upon the reader to honestly face his own by and overcome any of his ain wrongs past striving towards goodness and grace. Equally Amir's story demonstrates, these personal challenges tin be conquered through conscious thought and determination. And though he is only one person in the novel who found a way to fulfillment and salvation, Amir can count himself amongst those who successfully free themselves from shame and finally find a path to truthful happiness.

Works Cited

1. Algoo-Baksh, Stella. "Ghosts of the Past." Canadian Literature 184 (Spring 2005): 143. Bookish 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." Gimmicky Authors Online. Thomson Gale. Kingwood HS Lib., Kingwood. 9 Apr 2008 <http://galenet.galegroup.com>.
4. Morace, Robert. "The Kite Runner." Magill'south Literary Annual 2004. Salem Press, 2004. Literary Reference Eye. Ebsco. Kingwood HS Lib., Kingwood. nine April 2008 <http://web.ebscohost.com>.
5. Pearson, Geraldine. "Book Review." Periodical of Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing xx.1 (Feb 2007): 66. Academic Search Consummate. Ebsco. Kingwood HS Lib., Kingwood. nine Apr 2008 <http://spider web.ebscohost.com>.

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