World Literature - Essay Example

The Kite Runner begins with the protagonist, Amir, telling us that the past cannot be forgotten. An instance has been haunting him for the past twenty-six years. As a twelve year old he witnesses Assef, a local bully and his friends, attack and rape Hassan at the annual kite fighting tournament. He stands watching helplessly, unable to rescue of his friend. He commits the ultimate sin of running away leaving Hassan at the mercy of the bullies. After this incident he is unable to face Hassan. Hassan’s presence in the house becomes a constant reminder of his guilt.

He feels one of them has to leave the house if he has to forget the incident. Amir frames Hassan for theft and Hassan goes away. With the war striking Afghanistan, Amir and his father are forced to flee. They begin a new life in America. Amir chooses to settle in America as it "had no ghosts, no memories, and no sins" (Hosseini (2003), Kite Runner). Amir becomes an author and marries Soraya. However, his peaceful life is shattered when an old friend, Rahim Khan calls him. Rahim tells him that Hassans son, Sohrab is in Kabul living a life of poverty in an orphanage.

He must go to Kabul to save him. This is when his past sins come back to haunt him. He is once again reminded of Hassan and "Those thorny old barbs of guilt bore into me once more, as if speaking his name had broken a spell, set them free to torment me anew" (The Kite Runner). As David Kipen (2003) says “he sees a chance to redeem himself from the secrets that have left him psychically stranded between Afghanistan and the United States. “ This and Rahims words "There is a way to be good again" (The Kite Runner) become focal points for the rest of the book.

According to Damini Raleigh (2007) “Sometimes we can just catch the ghosts of our past, capture them and undo our future of guilt. Sometimes redemption is just a step away. Sometimes it’s never too late to come back and sometimes there is a