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The Kite Runner

In the Kite Runner, the author explores the ties that bind sons to fathers and childhood friends to one another and of the forces that tear them apart. Throughout the novel, Khaled Hosseini uses many literary devices such as parallelisms, and characterization, and symbolism. The main message is “there is a way to be good again.”

Amir is continuously changing throughout the story as he narrates it which is evident through the characterization the author displays. He is always selfish when with Hassan, treating him as a servant but expecting a best friend attitude in return. He then realizes his mistakes growing up in Afghanistan and America and changes his ways, trying to get redemption for himself, a key theme in the story. Amir always wants to get attention from his father in his childhood and feels that he is being neglected by his father because he writes stories whereas Hassan is an athletic person. Amir believes Hassan is the son that Baba never had when in reality he is his other son. Throughout the novel Amir holds guilt of betraying Hassan in that fateful alley and it changes him as a person. “I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.”
Amir’s goal in life after moving to America is to “do good again” and repair his sins that he has made through disobeying Baba and Hassan. In the end he moved on from his past through the guidance of Rahim Khan and his aspiration to be more like Hassan, a servant’s boy in his mind at first.

In the novel The Kite Runner two of the major themes are redemption and atonement. These themes mean the ability for people to repair or fix past sins or mistakes. People can often achieve redemption by righting past wrongs. This theme is clearly shown in this novel, mainly by Amir. As a child Amir betrayed and was disloyal to Hassan, when he did not help him when he got sexually assaulted. Amir is able to right his past wrongs against Hassan by saving Hassan’s son Sohrab. Redemption, although may...