Throughout the journey of life, people discover their true identity through the countless events. There will be moments of bittersweet happiness, grieve, and malevolence. Every person will sin, whether it is big or small, and subsequently feel guilt. However, as life progresses, individuals find peace through acts of kindness and redeem for their past. The novel, the Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini revolves around sin and redemption. Amir, the main character, searches for redemption to rid the guilt that has built up over time from an incident during his childhood. Khaled Hosseini unfolds the story by creating an emotional connection between the reader and Amir through vivid figurative language, unforgettable aphorisms, and astonishing revelations as he goes on his journey to redemption. First and foremost, an author’s objective is to paint a picture in the reader’s mind as the story is told.
Khaled Hosseini’s use of detail in his literature allows readers to feel as if they are part of the novel. As Amir goes through his treacherous journey, he finds redemption by acting for others, and his emotions are felt by the readers as well. The author’s effective use of dramatic irony and imagery enables unexpected events to occur throughout the story, which allows the readers to express an array of emotions as they continue discovering the events of Amir’s life. For instance, during Amir’s stay at Wahid’s dilapidated one-story house, he learns that Wahid’s family served him their only food. As a result, as Amir leaves to continue his journey, he reveals that “Earlier that morning, when I was certain no one was looking, I did something I had done twenty-six years earlier: I planted a fistful of crumpled money under a mattress” (Hosseini 242). Twenty six years ago, Amir framed Hassan for stealing his money and watch; the readers despise him for ruining Hassan’s life and Ali and Baba’s friendship.
However, this time is different due to the fact that it is for a good cause. Amir is trying to help the family who is suffering in the poverty of Afghanistan; they have no money and food to feed themselves or their three children. Amir doesn’t want the family to thank him, he is only trying to redeem himself and be a better human being. At that moment, the act of generosity melts the hearts of the readers. His journey to redemption ends when he adopts Sohrab and brings him home to America. However, Sohrab is nevertheless emotionally scarred from his experiences in Afghanistan. At the end of novel, a metaphor expresses the joy that arise in Amir when he sees a corner of Sohrab’s mouth curl up.
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“It was only a smile, nothing more. It didn’t make everything all right. It didn’t make anything all right. Only a smile. A tiny thing. A lead in the woods, shaking in the wake of a startled bird’s flight. But I’ll take it. With open arms. Because when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting” (371). Sohrab is the key to Amir’s redemption. The figurative language in the quote expresses the joy in Amir to readers. When Amir cuts down the green kite, the happiness inside Amir and the readers moves about inside their bodies as Sohrab “smiled” for the first time in America. It is a very touching moment for readers to see an orphan, Sohrab, finally letting go of the past and all the pain that he has endured.
To conclude, Hosseini’s choice of literary devices presents his outstanding ability to evoke emotion and bring readers into the story. Secondly, people unconsciously remember wise sayings that can be applied to their daily lives. In today’s society, the media impacts their listeners through aphorism, such as “live every day like it is your last”. Throughout the story, Amir has longed for Baba’s affection. Not only do the words of Baba deeply influence Amir, his wise sayings also relate to reality. The most important quote of Baba is: “There is only sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft… When you kill a man, you steal a life.
You steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness… There is no act more wretched than stealing, Amir” (17-18). Although Amir is a theft for stealing Hassan’s dignity, he learns from Rahim Khan that Baba is also a theft. As a result, Amir’s journey to redemption was not only for himself, but also to atone for Baba. Moreover, his journey creates a strong father-son relationship between himself and Baba, even though Baba is not there. The readers realize that theft is the ultimate sin, and they can relate their lives to Baba’s aphorism, due to the fact that every person is a sinner. It teaches people to be cautious with decisions and abide to the equality of humans. Furthermore, Hassan is the most loyal and trustworthy friend of Amir. Even though Amir has made many bad decisions that harmed Hassan, Hassan continues to be the friend that is always there.
When teaching Sohrab, Hassan said: “It’s wrong to hurt people even bad people, because they don’t know any between and because bad people sometimes become good” (318). No one should receive any consequences for their sins, because some people will find redemption, like Amir. When a bad person becomes good, they have found peace and redeem themselves through helping others. Amir helped the Wahid’s family as well as Sohrab in order to find his inner peace and feel redemption upon himself. In the end, he is the epitome of a villain turn hero. The aphorism teaches people to understand that no one deserves to be hurt, mentally or physically.
It is a reminder that no one has the right to hurt others, and people should live in peace, happiness and harmony. All in all, many quotes in the novel are able to genuinely relate to the lives of both Amir and the readers. Lastly, every event that occurs in the novel reveals something new about the characters. The author draws the readers’ attentions by continuously surprising the audience with shocking developments of the plot and the character. When Amir has finally settled in America with Soraya, he suddenly receives a phone call from Rahim Khan, who he has not spoken to in years. At the end of the phone call, Rahim Khan says: “There is a way to be good again” (193).
With that said, Amir goes to Afghanistan to see Rahim Khan Not only does he not judge Amir based on his actions, he helps Amir find a way to rid his guilt and find redemption. To the readers, the quote can apply to their lives, because even if they have done something wrong, there will always be a way to fix the problem. During Amir’s journey to redemption, he encounters his old nemesis, Assef, who hasn’t seen for many years. It is revealed that Assef is the Talib who took Sohrab from the orphanage, and in order for Amir to take Sohrab home, he has to pay the price. In the end, Amir said: ” For the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt peace” (289). The fight represents Amir battling his guilt.
Although he endures much pain, the aching sensation signifies the lifting of a thousand pounds off his chest, and finally feeling peaceful. The readers read the vivid description of the revelation and feel each punch of the brass knuckles through the pages. At this point, the readers are emotionally connected to Amir and the heart pumping scene causes them to feel every emotion for Amir. In summary, the plot and character development captivates its readers while playing with their emotions. In summation, the author creates a relationship between the readers and Amir through the journey to redemption by using strong figurative language, powerful aphorisms, and unexpected revelations in the Kite Runner. Redemption is a powerful act in life that requires determination, dedication, and effort. The events of the story convey the ultimate theme of redemption while capturing the hearts of the readers with its meaningful content. Ultimately, as Amir finds himself in his story, the readers learn from the many lessons taught in the novel.
