"The Kite Runner": Sin and Sacraments

Sin and Sacraments

The international best-selling novel, The Kite Runner was published in 2003 by Riverhead Books, written by the Afghan-born American novelist and physician, Khaled Hosseini. The novel is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies. There are several themes in the novel but the most dominant themes are betrayal and redemption.  In this essay, I will argue that betrayal and redemption are the most dominant themes in the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Some may object to this statement and say that forgiveness is the most dominant theme, but I will contend that the themes of betrayal and redemption are on display throughout the novel.

            The theme of betrayal and redemption is exercised by the main character of the novel Amir, who is the central focus. Amir demonstrates the theme of betrayal and redemption on various occasions. First of all, he betrays his best friend Hassan. The protagonist betrays Hassan by being a bystander when he is getting raped and makes it worse by being beating, assaulting and abandoning him after the horrific experience. Secondly, Amir planted a watch and money in Hassan’s mattress to drive him away from his home. These scenario’s display the themes of betrayal and redemption because he gains true peace with himself at the end of the novel, through the redemption process.

            When Amir finds out about Baba’s betrayal of Ali (and subsequent betrayal of Hassan), he realizes that everything and he thought he knew about his father and their relationship was false. Firstly, he realizes that there is nothing he can do about the situation because Baba has been dead for fifteen years. Amir never forgot about what he had done to Hassan although he had tried, he lived with that pain and regret for several years. Secondly, he realized the mistakes of both himself and his father as he said, “We had both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for us”. This realization allows him to come to the conclusion of, taking his nephew to the United States and providing him with a chance of happiness and prosperity.

            Many may argue otherwise about the most dominant theme in this novel. After all, forgiveness was also dominant, right? I understand this point of view. However, Amir is that knows that Hassan must have forgiven him for now but he cannot get over the feelings that Hassan felt when he betrayed him, so he uses this as a lesson to take the necessary steps in the right direction. Others may argue that his realization of Baba’s betrayal of Ali was nothing compared to witnessing and doing nothing about Hassan’s horrific experience. I realized that Hassan’s incident was a major factor on his reflection of the past. However, he is more worried about how Hassan and Ali must have felt rather his redemption. Amir knows that he cannot do anything about the past, so he is trying to take the necessary steps towards being a better person.

            Finally, it is reasonable to state that the themes betrayal, and redemption are the biggest factor in the outcome of the novel because they were huge to the character development of Amir in The Kite Runner.