Amir's Redemption in The Kite Runner

Amir’s Redemption in The Kite Runner The main idea of The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini is redemption. Amir’s betrayal of Hassan is selfish and has consequences that Amir can’t imagine. Amir feels guilty for what he did and what he didn’t do. As Rahim Khan affirms in his letter to Amir, “[. . .]true redemption is, Amir Jan, when guilt leads to good” (Hosseini 302). At the beginning of the story, Amir is selfish, scared, and guilt-ridden. He treats his servant Hassan poorly and doesn’t see him as a friend or his equal, and he abandons him in his hour of need. Amir’s relationship with Baba was also strained because he feels that he is a disappointment to him. However, Amir finds his true redemption at the end of the novel when he rescues Sohrab from the Taliban. Amir, at the beginning of the story was selfish and didn’t care about the wellbeing of others. He was starved for Baba’s affection and was deprived of it mainly because he was blamed for the death of his own mother. He felt a lot of guilt for his mother’s death and blamed himself. He really believed that he had killed his own mother, and that that was why his father hated him, “I always felt like Baba hated me a little. And why not? After all, I had killed his beloved wife, his beautiful princess, hadn't I?” (Hosseini 17) He didn’t get the attention from his father, Baba, so whenever Hassan is even noticed by Baba, Amir became very jealous. Amir never stood up for himself and allowed Hassan to stand up for him. This worried Baba, he felt that, “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.” (PAGE NUMBER) Amir thinks primarily about himself and what will happen to him. He feels that he doesn’t live up to his father expectations because he would rather bury his face in a book than play soccer. He is even horrified when at his birthday party Assef converses with Baba about soccer. Amir’s progression in the story made him a more mature and all around better person.
Hassan stuck by Amir’s side no matter what, and when Hassan needed Amir, Amir was nowhere to be found. Amir was very dependent on Hassan during his early years, and even as Amir mistreated him, Hassan still stayed loyal to him. During Hassan’s hour of need, Amir watched, he didn’t step in to save him, nor did he tell anyone about it. Amir didn’t seem to care about Hassan, what Amir cared about was himself. Amir never really got over the guilt of being merely a bystander while Hassan was being raped, and afterwards, he says, “That was a long time ago, but 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. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.”(PAGE NUMBER) Amir cherished the affection that he got from Baba after winning the kite race, although it was at Hassan's expense. He tried to justify it by saying that everything has a price and that maybe Hassan getting raped was the price for Baba’s affection. Amir later really upsets Baba later when he asks about getting new servants and Baba says, “Hassan's not going anywhere. He's staying right here with us, where he belongs. This is his home and we're his family. Don't you ever ask me that question again!” (79). Amir didn’t understand at the time that Hassan was Baba’s son, and that Baba didn’t want to lose him. Amir, trying to justify his cowardice later tells himself, "you're gutless. It's how you were made. And that's not such a bad thing because your saving grace is that you've never lied to yourself about it. Not about that. Nothing wrong with cowardice as long as it comes with prudence. But when a coward stops remembering who he is.. God help him." (288) Amir abandoning Hassan wasn’t something that a real friend would do, especially to a friend like Hassan who has never asked for anything. But Amir never considered Hassan a friend, Hassan saw them as friends and they were, but Amir couldn’t be friends with someone whom he viewed inferior, or as a servant. To everyone else Hassan was a Hazara servant and Amir was the son of a very wealthy, powerful and influential Afghani man. This contributed to Amir’s feelings of superiority, and his feeling that Hassan and Ali were dispensable. Baba also had trouble with this because he tried really hard to be a good father to both of his sons, Amir and Hassan, even though this upset Amir, his legitimate son. Amir’s jealousy of Hassan and the attention that Baba gave him upset Amir and this also contributed to the downfall of Amir and Hassan's brother like relationship. Amir, at the beginning of the story has a very strained relationship with his father. This causes a lot of tension and leaves Amir constantly yearning for Baba’s love and affection. Baba was a very firm man who was used to getting what he wanted, a young Amir even says, “With me as the glaring exception, my father molded the world around him to his liking. The problem, of course, was that Baba saw the world in black and white. And he got to decide what was black and what was white. You can't love a person who lives that way without fearing him too. Maybe even hating him a little.” (PAGE NUMBER) Amir even felt like he was unworthy of Baba because he was so different than him, he'd rather bury his face in a book than be active and get involved in activities like soccer or futbol that Baba could more easily identify with. Amir tried to identify with Baba but it was more natural for Hassan. Baba related better to Hassan who was the more naturally athletic of Baba’s sons and he was also the one who stood up for himself and others. Baba admired these traits. Rahim Khan who played almost an unofficial wise man in the story told Baba, “Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors.” (46) Amir’s relationship with Baba really improved when they moved to America. I think that this is because of the alleviated pressure of being a high profile person in Afghanistan. Baba had let go of Hassan and his life stopped revolving around his social status and became all about Amir and his future. He did whatever it took to put Amir through school, he swallowed his pride and began working long hours at a gas station. He was still a prominent person in their Afghan-American community and as Amir put it, "Attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun."(13) Baba’s life began revolving around Amir and his accomplishments, this helped their relationship because Amir was now getting the attention that he wanted from Baba and as Amir grew up they became close friends. Baba died before seeing Amir’s book get published, but he by no means died disappointed in him. Amir began the story as a very selfish, self-centered person, but he showed that he can make sacrifices for others and finished the story a better person. While Amir left Hassan during his time of need, he was there for Sohrab and made up for any past mistakes at the end of the story as best as he could. Baba dies while not seeing Amir's greatest accomplishment, but nevertheless dies happy and proud of his newly married son. In conclusion, Amir's progression from selfish to selfless changed not only his life but the lives of others for the better.