In the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the main point is Amir searching for a way to redeem himself from the years of guilt. Amir and Hassan had a very strong relationship and grew up together. Hassan proves his loyalty to Amir by always protecting and risking his life for Amir. But will Amir do the same for Hassan? After Amir becomes the champion kite fighter. Hassan goes in search for a blue kite and retrieves it but encounters Assef. Assef rapes Hassan, while Amir is watching secretly deciding whether or not to save him. Amir's cowardice takes over him and he decides to not help him. Amir has tried to forget about this but the guilt keeps arising. Later on, Amir travels to Kabul in search of Hassan's son, Sohrab, who is an orphan. In order for Amir to take Sohrab with him, he has to fight Assef. Amir takes on the challenge because he feels he should get punished for never saving Hassan. Sohrab saves Amir by hitting Assef in the eye. Amir wins and takes Sohrab home.
The main theme of this novel is searching for redemption. Amir's quest to redeem himself makes up the heart of the novel. Amir strives to redeem himself and prove his worth to Baba, mainly because his mother died giving birth to him and feels responsible. He redeems himself by being awarded the champion kite fighter, which makes Baba feel very proud of having Amir as a son. Another way he redeems himself is by taking on the challenge of fighting Assef. He feels guilt for not saving Hassan, therefore he feels he should get punished for it. After the fight, Amir feels psychologically healed.
The protagonist of this novel is Amir. Amir is a dynamic character because he changes throughout the novel. For example, in the opening chapters, Hassan is the one who is constantly defending Amir. In the novel, the author stated," A boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything." This quote reflects Amir's major character flaw. This flaw causes him to let Assef rape Hassan. When Amir's father dies, he is forced to endure his life alone. Towards the end, Amir learns to stand up for himself and take risks. Amir is very important because he sacrifices for Amir showing his loyalty.
One significant symbol is a kite. The kite is a symbol of Amir's happiness as well as guilt. Flying kites serves as happiness because that is Amir's passion. Also, because he was once a champion kite fighter making himself feel worthy in his father's eyes. The kite is also a symbol of guilt because Amir allows Hassan to get raped. He feels guilt because he was there watching but didn't take that step into saving Hassan.
Hassan is one of the characters I can relate to the most. Hassan was such a loyal friend and always put others before himself. Hassan really reminds me of one of my cousins for a couple of reasons. My cousin lost his mom in a car accident, but he never put himself down, he remained positive. I remember one time he blamed himself for doing something he didn't just like Hassan did in the novel.
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