Is Redemption Always Possible?

Is Redemption Always Possible in the End? Amir made a crucial life altering decision at the age of twelve. Being so young he made choice and became a bystander. Throughout Amir’s life he was riddled with guilt; he spent most of his time hiding from the truth or trying to relieve his guilty conscience. Some of his methods were helpful and destructive to himself and others. Some ways Amir sought redemption were to: trying to get Hassan to punish him, asking Baba for new servants, framing Hassan, going back to Afghanistan, allowing Assef to beat him up and finally adopting Sohrab and bringing him home to America. Most of these methods don’t turn out exactly how Amir plans. After having a guilty conscience weigh Amir down he felt he need to seek redemption. One of his initial reactions was to try to get Hassan to punish him. His logic was Hassan could physically hurt him so they would both experience pain. Unfortunately what Amir didn’t consider was that Hassan would never do that to Amir; he is too loyal. Amir takes him to the pomegranate tree they frequent and provokes Hassan. He throws pomegranates at him and calls him names. Ultimately what happens:
Then Hassan did pick up a pomegranate. He walked toward me. He opened it and crushed it against his own forehead. “There,” he croaked, red dripping down his face like blood. “Are you satisfied? Do you feel better?” (Hosseini 93).
In the end Hassan was too good to betray his lifelong friend and brother. This made Amir feel even worse about what had happened. Another strategy Amir had to relieve his guilt was to ask Baba for new servants. If he didn’t have to see Hassan everyday possibly he wouldn’t feel so broken inside. When Baba refuses to get new servants and scolds him for ever thinking such a thing; Amir realizes he needs to take matters into his own hands. After his lavish birthday party he planted his new golden watch and money under Hassan’s mattress. His logic being, Baba says the greatest sin is

Cited: Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead Books, 2003. `