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A Trip to Redemption in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner Essay

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Author: Khaled Hosseini published The Kite Runner in 2003. By 2005 it became the number one New York Times Bestseller. Although this book was his first novel, people still couldn’t get enough of his story about the troubled friendship between two boys. Sylvester Stallone, an American actor, once said, “Most action is based on redemption and revenge, and that's a formula. Moby Dick was formula. It is how you get to the conclusion that makes it interesting”. From time to time mistakes are made every day, and however the story ends will describe your mistakes. In The Kite Runner, the kite is the most important symbol that represents Amir’s past; just like a kite flying in the sky full of soars and dives, Amir's life was the same way as a …show more content…

For an example, Amir sees kite flying as a narrow bridge he must cross to reach his father. "Baba and I lived in the same house, but in different spheres of existence. Kites were the one paper-thin slice of intersection between those spheres" (Amir 49). Despite fulfilling his father's command by winning the kite flying tournament, Amir still cannot attain a profound relationship with his father. Later, he says, "We'd actually deceived ourselves into thinking that a toy made of tissue paper, glue, and bamboo could somehow close the chasm between us" (87). The bond between father and son is as thin as the paper with which the kites are made, proving the difficulty Baba and Amir would experience in order to connect with each other. Hassan’s rape later then occurs after Amir won the kite flying tournament. Although Amir considers the kite to be the pathway to his father’s heart, it leads Hassan being raped by Assef. Before the rape, Assef says, "I'm letting you keep the kite, Hazara. I'll let you keep it so it will always remind you of what I'm about to do" (73). These words made an impression on Amir’s heart that it will never be forgotten. The kite is now a reminder to Amir about the pain he has caused to Hassan due to his selfishness and coward self. In the painful memories of Amir and Hassan, they share a deep bond with one another, and innately

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