The kite runner review

In The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hoseini, (Riverhead Press, New York, 2003) the main character Amir moves to America from Afghanistan in search to forget his past. He goes on a journey of redemption in which gives him a chance ” to be good again”. Through Amir’s journey he has to recognize his sin and then he has to search for redemption in order ” to be good again”. Amir, who lived in Afghanistan with his father Baba and two servants Ali and Ali’s son Hassan, grows up playing with Hassan and doing everything with him but struggles calling him a friend. Hassan was a Hazara and Amir a Pashtun which in history Hazara’s and Pashtun’s did not get along. ” The curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either. Not in the usual sense, anyhow…we taught each other to ride a bicycle with no hands…Because history… I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara… and nothing was ever going to change that” (22). As Amir struggles to really truly call Hassan a friend he is face with problems. Amir has a problem being able to stand up for him self and others. Amir would run into his first test of courage or cowardice. and ” Assef was the son of one of my father’s friends… you knew about Assef and his famous stainless-steel brass knuckles, hopefully not through personal experience… His word was law…” (38). Amir and Hassan would run into Assef. Assef threw insults at Hassan and Hassan just stood there and did not say anything. ” Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here” (40). Assef put on his brass knuckles and was going to give Amir a beating but Hassan was not a coward and stood up to Assef. ” I turned and came face to face with Hassan’s slingshot… ‘ Please leave us alone, Agha,’… He searched Hassan’s face intently…This isn’t the end for you either, Amir. Someday, I’ll make you face me one on one” (43). Amir was not able to stand up to Assef and showed his cowardice. Amir would get one more chance to stand up for Hassan. In the winter of 1975 during the biggest kite tournament in twenty-five years, Amir had a chance for redemption. It came down to the end of the tournament and when it was finally over Amir has won the tournament. As the last kite fell from the air Hassan took off chasing it. ” Hassan! I called. Come back with it” (67)! Amir goes to look for Hassan ” I found no sign of Hassan” (69) as he searches for him he finally finds Hassan ” Hassan was standing at the blind end of the alley in a defiant stance…Blocking Hassan’s way out of the alley were three boys… in the middle Assef…”(71). Assef had his brass knuckles and was throwing insults at Hassan. Assef continue to insult Hassan and wanted the kite. Hassan stands strong and will not give the kite up. ” Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly. This is his Kite” (72). Hassan then picks up a rock and get ready to fling it at Assef as Amir stands there and has the chance to step in a save Hassan ” I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had. But I didn’t. I just watched. Paralyzed” (73). Hassan then fling the rock and hits Assef and that day would leave Amir looking for redemption. Amir watches Hassan get raped by Assef. Amir not knowing what to do end up running from his problems which he ends up moving to America to try to forget about his past. In America, as Amir settles into his new life he never forgets what happen in the winter of 1975. Amir moves on with his life graduates from high school and then gets married. He still was searching for redemption and everything that he did nothing had made him forget the past. Until he realizes that he had to go back to Afghanistan and face his problems. ” I have to go to Pakistan” (191). Amir goes back to Afghanistan in search of redemption and finds out from an old friend Rahim Khan that Hassan has been killed and needs to rescue Hassan’s son. Amir struggles with the idea of going into a dangerous place in search for Hassan’s son Sohrab. Amir still did not know how to deal with his problems instead of facing them one on one he ran from them. ” What did they do with Sohrab? … I heard he’s in an orphanage…” (220). Sohrab needed Amirs help but Amir could not get the courage. ” Why me? Why can’t you pay someone here to go? I’ll pay for it if it’s a matter of money” (221). Here Amir is given the chance again to gain courage but he has not been able to learn from his experiences. ” … one time, when you weren’t around, your father and I were talking … I remember he said… a boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything. I wonder is that what you’ve become” (221)? Amir thought about it and still did not have the courage. ” Maybe Babe was right” (221). All Amir thought about was what he had in America and he did not want to risk all of that to save Sohrab. Amir finally realizes and had the courage that this is what he needs to do to gain redemption. Amir now gets the opportunity to face his problem one on one and it came when he went to save Sohrab from the Taliban. He would be face to deal with Assef in order to save Sohrab. Amir took a beating from Assef but as he was getting beat up Amir finally came to peace. ” I remember this: His brass knuckles… how cold they felt with the first few blows… I don’t know at what point I started laughing, but I did. It hurt to laugh… What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace” (289). Amir finally was able to stand up for himself and took it like a man. Now that Amir had earned his redemption he now how courage and learned how to deal with his problems. Through Amir’s journey of redemption you learn that in order to deal with your problems you need not run from them but face them one on one. Amir as he grew up was stuck with his problem that no matter how far he ran from it he would never be able to escape it until he was able to go back to the root of it. Amir was able to find a way ” to be good again”.