Because Amir betrayed an innocent Hassan in his youth, he must save Sohrab to redeem himself. By ending the exploitation of Sohrab, the “lamb”, Amir attains redemption for his sin. As child, Amir betrayed his Hassan and Baba’s trust, out of fear, cowardice, and selfishness, which lead to those event haunting him into his adulthood. By retrieving the kite for Baba and rescuing Sohrab from his life in Afghanistan Amir redeems himself from his childhood decisions. Redemption is a key theme in the novel.
A month after Rahim Khan left for Pakistan, Taliban kill Hassan and his wife because they refused to leave Baba's house. Their son, Sohrab, was put in an orphanage Rahim Khan tells Amir about the death of Hassan and Farzana, his wife. He tells Amir that Hassan is Amir's brother. Ali was sterile. Hassan was also Baba’s son but Hassan never knew.. Rahim Khan asks Amir to go to Kabul and bring Sohrab to him.
Early on, Amir strives to redeem himself in Baba’s eyes, primarily because his mother died giving birth to him, and he feels responsible. To redeem himself to Baba, Amir thinks he must win the kite-tournament and bring Baba the losing kite, both of which are inciting incidents that set the rest of the novel in motion. The more substantial part of Amir’s search for redemption, however, stems from his guilt regarding Hassan. That guilt drives the climactic events of the story, including Amir’s journey to Kabul to find Sohrab and his confrontation with Assef. The moral standard Amir must meet to earn his redemption is set early in the book, when Baba says that a boy who doesn’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.
Response Journal 1 (chapters 1 - 8) May 13, 2010 Literary Devices in The Kite Runner The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, an Afghanistan-American writer, is an emotional, epic tale. The author focuses on the life of Amir, the protagonist, and illustrates his hatred, betrayal, cruelty, love, loyalty and friendship through the chaotic war in Afghanistan. Also, the author portrays Amir struggling vibrantly and heart-brokenly, yet sometimes shatteringly realistically, using effective linguistic devices: the first-person point of view the use of a foreign language. These literary elements act as a catalyst in the book to stimulate the reader’s emotions and curiosity about Afghanistan. Using the first-person point of view in the novel, the author makes readers feel as though they are experiencing the protagonist’s personal feeling and thoughts about particular people or scenes.
Amir becomes self-supporting and obtains the ability to stand up for himself as opposed to doing what others tell him to do. Amir’s strength becomes evident when he leaves his family In California to travel to Pakistan and save Sohrab, Hassan’s son. Members of Shmoop University said in a character analysis, “Back in Kabul, it seems like Amir is finally doing something good in his life. After some misgivings, Amir agrees to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from an orphanage in Kabul. Amir even squares off against a Talib official- who, it turns out, is actually Assef- in order to save Sohrab.
I think one of the biggest revelations Luttrell has in his experiences is when he realizes the people of Sabray have vowed to take care of him. After Luttrell and his team fought and killed many Taliban soldiers, the Afghan tribesmen of Sabray still decided to grant Luttrell Lokhay which means “…the population of that village will fight to the last man…to protect the individual they have invited in to share their hospitality” (Luttrell 327). After spending time and healing with the people of Sabray Luttrell realized even though these people worked with the Taliban, they were not bad people. This left Luttrell to conclude there is still some good in this world. I believe the biggest epiphany Luttrell had during his time as a SEAL occurred during his stay in Sabray while he waited for rescue from the United States.
Passage Analysis: In the novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Changez shares a story of his life and his relationship with both America and Pakistan. In the novel there are themes of identity and change. The passage in early chapter 9, when Changez is discussing his return to Lahore, is essential for the reader to be able to understand the change that Changez had been going through at the time and his struggle with his identity. In this passage Changez arrives back to his home in Lahore and is ashamed to see his home and to compare it to his lifestyle in America. When Changez first moved to America he was still very much loyal to his Pakistani roots.
Imam Ghazali. (450-505AH) Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali was born and died in the district of Toos, present day Iran during the medieval era, & post Golden Age of Islam. He later bore the title of respect Hujjat al-Islam (Proof of Islam) for the role he played in defending Islam against the trends of thought that existed at the time. He was the son of a wool spinner, and before his father died he’d placed his son’s care with a sufi friend, leaving some money to get them educated in reading and writing. When the money ran out they joined a local school, for in those days schools provided board, lodge, and a stipend.
When Amir decided to run away from Assef’s attack on Hassan, it meant that he chose to protect himself rather than help his friend. Amir’s betrayal leads to the key idea of the need for redemption. The author, Khaled Hosseni, shows the importance of redemption through the narrator, Amir, whose sins in the early stages of his life, resulted in a sense of guilt. By the end of Kite Runner, Amir has freed his conscience from a cycle of lies and is relieved when he finally saves Sohrab, son of Hassan. From the opening of the novel it is shown to the reader that there is a gradual character development of Amir.
When reading the complex novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini—many notice common elements between the series of an archetypal journey and Amir’s story of adventure. Although several book enthusiasts would not acknowledge Amir’s story as an adventure, Amir has been “peeking into a deserted alley for the last twenty-six years” (1) until his life is turned around as he receives a phone call from Rahim Kahn who allures Amir to Afghanistan in search for Hassan’s child. While he turns down the call at first, he comes to terms that this opportunity is his only chance for reparation—a chance to “be good again” (2). Within the steps of an archetypal journey—Amir encounters many trials and tribulations as he is linked to many friends and enemies. A man by the name of Farid becomes Amir’s counselor and companion; Farid helps guide Amir through the steps that come ahead.