LRB #3- The Kite Runner

"The Kite Runner"
Khaled Hosseini



Right from the beginning, Khaled Hosseini institutes the necessary elements to develop the most outstanding theme in his novel "The Kite Runner," which is the search for redemption. Everyone encounters things that will test them, on either an ethical or personal level involving their character. Amir has reason right from the beginning of the story to search for redemption, but he is blinded by his ignorance as a result of his age and lack of experience, mind you, I would never make excuses for him. From the smaller things such as dangling his superiority over Hassan, to standing idly by while Hassan gets raped to keep a kite that will elevate Amir's status in his fathers eyes are examples of the lesser and greater decisions that Amir makes that determine the difficulty of him redeeming himself. In a sort of cliche way, he digs himself a pretty deep hole. The phrase "There is a way to be good again," Rahim Khan had said resonates within Amir because he has come to realize just what he had done after he grew up a little. The novel focuses in on Amir and observes his maturing and development only to prepare him for his ultimate redemption mission, his quest of a lifetime, a trip back to Afghanistan. Afghanistan itself acts as a symbol that can be applied to real world situations, our past. Amir has to go back to his past, or the place where it occurred to fix the deep wounds that stayed with him like a leech, constantly draining him of his peace of mind and not allowing him to live free, to run. What we do in our lives stays with us for the remainder of the time, but some things must be fixed in order to allow growth and development in terms of living, but also, when tied back into the novel, sometimes the things that need fixed are to liberate more than just ourselves. Amir begins the novel as a snot nosed brat that any reasonable person would want to strangle to death upon meeting him, but when he realizes his need for redemption and takes every step necessary to achieve it, no matter how hard, he not only brings redemption to himself, but also redeems himself in the eyes of an ideal reader. The search for redemption; one of the most applicable themes. Everyone at one point will need to seek out redemption, either big or small, but based on this novel, fictional or not, it speaks with actions and not just words. An "I'm sorry" will not always fix your life or redeem you, the actions and steps you take in order to earn the redemption is what matters in the end.