betrayal and redemption in the kite runner essay

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The Kite Runner: Betrayal and Redemption

• The Kite Runner: Betrayal and…

The plot of ​ The Kite Runner ​ revolves around the Amir, the main character’s, betrayal of his best friend, Hassan. The constant cycle of betrayal and need for redemption fuels the book. This existential thought is the cause of everything precedes it.

Amir’s journey to redeem himself is the heart of the novel. In the beginning of the book, Amir strives to redeem himself in Baba’s eyes. His grit stems from his mother’s death while she was giving birth to him. His thoughts describe him to feel responsible for her death.

On his journey to redeem himself to Baba, Amir believes he needs to win a Kite-Tournament in town. Then, he wants to bring Baba the losing kite as a prize. He believes this will help him seek Baba’s approval. These existential events are what send the rest of the novel into motion.

Baba says that a boy who doesn’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything. As a boy, Amir fails to stand up for himself. As an adult, he can only redeem himself by proving he has the courage to stand up for what is right.

The most prevalent guilt that existentially causes the climactic events of the book. Amir begins on his journey to Kabul to find Sohrab. He also plans to confront Assef.

Later in the book, Rahim Khan tells Amir about Baba’s betrayal towards him. “Please think, Amir Jan. It was a shameful situation. People would talk. All that a man had back then, all that he was, was his honor, his name, and if people talked…We couldn’t tell anyone, surely you can see that.” (17.57-63) Baba slept with Sanaubar, Ali’s wife, and fathered Hassan.

Baba never told Amir and Hassan about it. Rahim Khan’s revelation borderlines the position between making Amir’s life simpler or more difficult. For the first time, Amir notices the similarities between him and his father. He feels as if they share equal or similar amounts of guilt. This gives him some redemption.

Eventually Amir brings on the exile from Baba’s household. (4.23-24). This event existentially leads to where he is killed. Amir, to be expected, takes the blame for Hassan’s death. Amir figures out much too late that Hassan is his brother. He regrets not being able to share a life as brothers.

If you read closely, Hosseini prepares us for Amir’s major betrayal of Hassan. “Eat dirt if I told you to,” I said. I knew I was being cruel, like when I’d taunt him if he didn’t know some big word. But there was something fascinating – albeit in a sick way – about teasing Hassan. Kind of like when we used to play insect torture. Except now, he was the ant and I was holding the magnifying glass. (6.29-34).

He inserts his own stories into the tales he reads to Hassan. He refuses to defend Hassan from the neighborhood boys. He almost exposes Hassan not as his friend, but as his servant.

In chapter 7 Amir leaves Hassan in the alleyway. “I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan – the way he’d stood up for me all those times in the past – and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran. (7.137-139).” This coincides with the passage where Amir plants a wad of cash and his watch under Hassan’s mattress.

These are two counts of Amir’s major betrayal towards Hassan. Amir never tells Hassan what he said in the alley due to the guilt and fear he feels. We visit Amir’s question to Baba, “Baba, have you ever thought about getting new servants? (8.63).” Amir’s question must’ve caused pain to Baba since Hassan is truly his son. Amir cannot handle any emotions that remind him of his coward moments.

But, Baba keeps the reminders of his guilt around. Ali and Hassan are his constant reminders since Baba slept with Ali’s wife and in return, she gave birth to Hassan.

Recounting Amir’s betrayal towards Hassan, “I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it. I waited another thirty minutes. Then I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies. (9.21-22).” These twisted ideas guide Amir to betray Hassan.

Finally, Amir decides to convince Baba to fire Hassan and Ali. Readers are full of emotion when Ali is twisted in Amir’s guilt and jealousy. Ali had no part in the alleyway incident and has served Baba faithfully his whole life, but receives nothing in return but a release of work.

After Assef almost kills him, Amir feels a sense of relief. “What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some nook in the corner of my mind, I had been looking forward to this.” (pg 303). After taking his beating from Assef, Amir opens his eyes, acknowledging that he would do anything for Hassan.

Finally, he is redeeming himself. He understands the consequences and is standing up for not only Hassan and himself, but for his son too. “You promised you’d never put me in one of those places, Amir agha,” he said.

His voice was breaking, tears pooling in his eyes. (24.350-355) Just when you thought Amir did something nice for a change…he goes back on his promise to Sohrab. Amir’s broken promise has disastrous consequences: Sohrab tries to kill himself.

The plot of ​ The Kite Runner ​ revolves around the Amir, the main character’s, betrayal of his best friend, Hassan. The constant cycle of betrayal and need for redemption fuels the book. This existential thought is the cause of everything precedes it. From Amir’s birth to the end of the book, the constant cycle of Redemption vs Betrayal is what makes this book so captivating.

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Redemption in Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” Essay

Introduction, amir’s redemptive model, baba’s redemptive model, sanaubar’s redemptive model, works cited.

‘The Kite Runner’ is a unique work, which has been translated into all European languages. The story begins in the pre-war Afghan city of Kabul in the ’70s, where there were children who did not know what shelling and explosions were. At the same time, a favorite pastime and a grave matter for all residents are kite competitions—happiness to defeat rivals and be left alone to soar in the bottomless blue sky. ‘A kite symbolizes the soul, flying high in the sky or lying broken on the ground’ (O’Brien 4). The contest becomes not only the point of no return, after which everything changes in the lives of Amir and Hasan. Flying is also a metaphor for the fates of these boys, carried away by the winds to different sides of the world.

Among the many lines, the central theme is betrayal and redemption. Through the prism of their life’s tribulations, the characters understand their actions, accept the guilt, and try to atone for it. Each personality has experienced tragedy and has walked a unique path of redemption. An analysis of the book will help identify those features of redemption models that are difficult to determine at first glance. By reasoning and examining the details of the lives, it will be possible to draw a clear parallel between the actions and consequences and conclude the main lesson the author was trying to convey.

The analysis will focus on the three main characters: Amir, Baba, and Sanaubar. This will be done using a redemption model that is specific to each character. At the same time, it has elements common to all, among which are: chastity flaws, transgression, trigger event(s), conscious resolution, acts of atonement, and changed life. The author reveals the peculiarities of the soul of a sinful man who admits his mistakes to demonstrate that redemption is the only way to restore the connection with God and find happiness.

Amir is the main character whose cowardice and jealousy prevented his personal development. The redemption process became the only opportunity for him to find full-fledged happiness, which constantly eluded him due to his unwillingness to acknowledge problems. The first meaningful moment in his journey was undoubtedly Amir Hassan’s significant betrayal, the master’s display of cowardice to his servant and friend. From this moment, Amir’s internal vices begin, which leave in his soul heavy scars of remorse and anguish of conscience, which impose an imprint on all areas of life. Thus, in general, not an evil man, Amir becomes a hostage to the vices of his ego, unable to get out on his own.

The second significant moment is a call from Pakistan from a friend of his father. Rahim Khan encourages Amir to come up with a mysterious but understandable phrase: ‘You have a chance to get on the righteous path (Hosseini 262). Amir clings to that possibility, though his former self tries to refuse. Not only does he endanger his life and health in the hope of redeeming his former guilt, but he also undergoes a tremendous inner transformation on the road to Islam and harmony. He makes an important decision, saves the child, and thus finds himself on the proper path. It demonstrates how a man who himself had not given much thought to the need to move toward the mercy of the Creator, through his sins and their atonement, finds his way to the worship of Allah.

This suggests that the whole life is in a state of disharmony and moral turmoil until sin is atoned for. Redemption, in turn, is the connecting category between man and God that can restore the broken unity between them and strengthen the bond. Amir’s way demonstrates how sins are equivalent to bondage that can destroy lives and how overcoming them and repentance can release the burdens.

Baba’s original sin is that he had an affair with the wife of Ali’s servant. At the same time, Baba knew that the child to be born was his own. Despite this, he allows everyone to think that Hasan is Alli’s son. Moreover, Baba saw that Hasan and Amir were friends, and Amir mistreated Hasan, but the father never defended Hasan. That is, his original sin is that he abandoned his child and condemned him to the bad fate of a servant. However, it is necessary to mention that Baba’s sins do not end with this. When his wife died in childbirth, he blamed his son, even though Amir was not responsible for his mother’s death.

It is important to emphasize that Baba tried to redeem himself and build an orphanage, so he did not hesitate to give money to charity. That is, Baba tried to distract and convince himself that the terrible things he had done did not define him as a bad person (Hosseini 300). At the same time, he accepted his guilt and tried to atone for his sin by doing good to others. It is significant to mention that Baba tried to improve his relationship with Amir because he saw himself reflected in him. In conclusion, although Baba did not tell anyone about his sin and did not incur the wrath of his loved ones, he successfully found redemption. By helping others and building a relationship with Amir, Baba forgave himself. Thus, he found temptation and died peacefully, knowing that all would be well with Amir.

Sanaubar had a nice appearance and enjoyed it; she cheated on a man, which was considered a disgrace for a Muslim woman. At the same time, after the birth of her son Hasan, she left him with his unrelated father and began to travel with a group of singers (Hosseini 162). Thus, the woman’s initial sin is her debauchery and fleeing from her problems. The militant attack was a hidden reason to find her son because she feared for his life. The woman returned and found her son when she was older; she also tried to redeem her sin when she established a relationship with Hassan. It should also be mentioned that Sanaubar helps Farzana give birth to her son Sohrab, but she could not raise the child because she died. The woman successfully achieved her goals and atoned for her sin.

Hence, this work argues that redemption is the only way to reconnect with God and find happiness. One can also find parallels between the redemptive models in the novel and the relationships between people in the real world. Therefore, they can be applied to understand how to atone for sins. The value of the novel is that it substantiates that everyone deserves to find redemption from their sins. Thus, the story tells different experiences of characters who have done unworthy things, but at the same time, one can trace how they have tried to correct them and find peace. Alex Lickerman can be remembered at this point, as he wrote that if a person admits mistakes and sincerely wants to improve them, then sin can be atoned for (Hagan). This is because people are not good or evil by nature; it depends on their striving. Hence, the novel gives each reader faith that there are ways to rectify unworthy actions to find peace.

Hagan, Ekua. ‘What Does It Mean to be Redeemed?’ Psychology Today, 2011, Web.

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner . Penguin, 2003.

O’Brien, Sarah. ‘Translating Trauma in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner.’ Transnational Literature , vol.10, no. 2, 2018, pp. 1-12.

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Road To Redemption: Amir’s Betrayal In Hosseini’s The Kite Runner 

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Theme of Redemption in the Kite Runner

This essay will analyze the theme of redemption in Khaled Hosseini’s novel “The Kite Runner.” It will explore the protagonist’s journey of atonement for past mistakes and the novel’s portrayal of guilt, forgiveness, and personal growth. The piece will examine how the theme of redemption is intertwined with the motifs of friendship, betrayal, and cultural and political changes in Afghanistan. PapersOwl offers a variety of free essay examples on the topic of Book.

How it works

It is only normal for humans to make mistakes, but it is how the mistakes are resolved that will dictate ones’ fate. In The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, he describes the life of a young boy named Amir whose mistake haunts him for years, and his journey to find a way to relieve the guilt he had to live with. The author demonstrates how guilt can physically and psychologically push a person to search for ways to redeem them self.

Redemption is a way to rid people of the guilt from the mistakes they have made. Without redemption, it could really affect the way someone lives their daily life because that thought, or act can stay with the person their whole life. Most people earn and deserve a shot at redemption; yet some people don’t change, and commit acts so vile that they cannot be redeemed.

The main character of The Kite Runner, Amir, knows a thing or two about making mistakes. Throughout all stages of Amir’s life, he is striving for redemption. Whether it was him saying the wrong things or hiding from the truth, Amir was always finding out new things he would have to redeem himself for. It started from when Amir was a child, when he felt that his father blamed him for his mother’s death and how his father Baba couldn’t love him the same. Amir sees Baba as an elevated person that he could never amount too and that is why Amir is always trying to find ways to make things right with him. For example, Amir enters the popular kite flying competition they traditionally do in Afghanistan and wants to win in order to gain love and acceptance from his father. Although Amir wins the competition, something went wrong which would stay with him forever. Amir’s closet friend Hassan, who was also his servant and neighbor since he was born, was the reason Amir won the competition. Hassan ran after Amir’s winning kite and found it in an alley where three other older boys were also, and who wanted the kite. Hassan refused to give it to them and stayed loyal to Amir as he was since the first day they met. The older kids led by a cruel nasty boy Assef, refused to back down and ended up raping Hassan as a result of disobeying him and not handing over the kite. The worst part about this is how Amir watched the whole thing happen, paralyzed at the scene. Amir stabbed Hassan in the back by not jumping in and not putting one bit of effort to try to rescue Hassan. This results in Amir not living a peaceful life due to his nagging guilt because deep down in his heart he feels he should have done something and feels horrible that he had chosen not to. Amir’s feeling of guilt and his vital need for redemption are always a part of his life as he grows up. Amir chooses to be a coward when Hassan is raped. A few days later, Amir already feels guilt and resentment inside him and you can hear the emotion from his narration:

I watched Hassan get raped, I said to no one. Baba stirred in his sleep. Kaka Homayoun grunted. A part of me was hoping someone would wake up and hear, so I wouldn’t have to live with this lie anymore. But no one woke up and in the silence that followed, I understood the nature of my new curse: I was going to get away with it. (Hosseini 86)

As Amir is lying in the dark, nothing but his own thoughts and guilt are taking over his life. He understands how he is going to get away with betrayal and how the only way to live with his remorse is to ignore Hassan, so he doesn’t have to think about his sin. In a result, Amir ends up setting up Hassan, and states, “I took a couple of the envelopes of cash from the pile of gifts and my watch and tiptoed out…I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghan bills under it.” (Hosseini 104). Amir needed to get Hassan out of sight and the only way was to make it look like Hassan has committed a sin that Amir’s dad hated the most, stealing. This led to Hassan and his father getting kicked out of the house; however, Amir still can’t get over his guilt and the fact how Hassan has moved out of the house doesn’t change anything. His sin will still haunt Amir in his adult years and makes him feel worst when he feels responsible for Hassan’s tragic death.

After reading the novel and studying Amir’s guilt, due to the betrayal of Hassan, the reader sees how guilt can worsen over time and can have a major impact in the decisions one makes. Guilt is an emotion that has the power to destroy one’s life without redemption. Redemption is for the people who deserve it and understand to learn from their mistakes and become a better person from it. Redemption is not for everyone, some mistakes are more costly than others and some people just don’t have the heart to change no matter how much advice or help they get. However, that is not always the case, in fact it is always inspiring to see someone pick themselves up and keep trying even though they keep making the same mistake and go through many disappointments. “Mistakes are synonymous with being human. We all have a dark side, a destructive side. How much we allow it to take over depends on our level of awareness and what stage of growth we’re at.” (Manal Ghosain). Most people in this world have it in their hearts to change and to grow from failure, some people just can’t make up for their vile acts and those are the people who are ones facing life in prison and the people who just mentally can’t move on from their past. In an interview with famous American executive, Oprah Winfrey, she stated, “We’re all on the same journey. People are taking different paths to get there. And I think no matter how many times you fail, you fall down in your life, you certainly have the opportunity until you take your last breath to be redeemed.” (Manal Ghosain). In other words, as long as someone is alive with the right heart and mindset, every minute can be the beginning of a new chance. It takes guts to own one’s mistake and go for a second chance. It is an act of courage to admit to our shortcomings and takes strength and trust to believe in ourselves and the possibility of changing. “We can’t escape the effects of our past causes, of course, but we can aim to be transformed by them in a way that strengthens the good in us.” (Alex Lickerman). People who live in the past and don’t learn from their past mistakes are the people who just don’t have what it takes to be redeemed. Unlike Amir, it is not until several years later that Amir finally finds a way to redeem himself of his sins when he says, “There is a way to be good again, he’d said. A way to end the cycle. With a little boy. An orphan. Hassan’s son. Somewhere in Kabul.” (Hosseini 226-227). Amir is now aware that he must save Hassan’s son, Sohrab, to atone for his sins. He understands how he needs to risk his life to save Sohrab and since Amir is older and more mature in this point of the novel, he finally makes the right decision to go that would eventually change his character and future life.

Exploring Amir’s need for atonement shows the reader how important finding redemption is and how being forgiven can allow one to finally have freedom from one’s sins and feel good about themselves. Guilt is dangerous and can take over someone’s life if they don’t redeem themselves. Redemption can only be earned and deserved and key to living a healthy lifestyle. The Kite Runner teaches how personal sacrifice, no matter at what cost, has a lasting reward. Amir helps the reader learn how that feeling of redemption allows one to move on from the past and to instead look towards a brighter future.   

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National tour of ‘The Kite Runner’ comes to Dayton

Credit: ANGELA FARIS BELT

The ties that bind musician Salar Nader to the “The Kite Runner” are musical and more.

“Some people like to call me the witness between the audience and what’s happening on stage,” said the musician who performs onstage as the story unfolds.

The Broadway “play with music” comes to the Victoria Theatre May 28-June 2 courtesy of The Human Race Theatre Company and Dayton Live. It’s based on the popular book by Khaled Hosseini and revolves around the complicated relationship between two friends, Amir, and Hassan. whose lives are torn apart at a kite-flying tournament. The first act takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan, the second in Pakistan and the United States.

In many ways, Nader’s personal story parallels the lives of the characters in the show.

“This play hits me right in the heart and rattles me to my core,” Nader said.

“It represents our people, our culture, our arts. My parents fled Afghanistan during the Russian invasion in 1979. That is similar to the play in which the lead protagonist, Amir, and his father, Baba, leave Afghanistan.”

Nader’s family eventually settled in Northern California in 1985; in the play Baba and Amir leave Afghanistan and come to the Bay area.

“That area became a cultural hub, not only for Afghans, but the author of the book,” Nader said. “In the play, Baba, who has been a wealthy businessman in Kabul, has to start over with nothing and work at a San Jose flea market selling one-eyed Barbie dolls.”

Nader, a percussionist, composer, producer, and educator, has been involved with “The Kite Runner” for the past 20 years, composing and performing in six previous productions throughout North America, including on Broadway. He’s best-known for playing multiple tablas, a set of drums that can be tuned. At the moment, he’s excited about having just received a 100-year-old instrument from Kabul, a Dholak Paghmani. He’ll play it during a scene that features the Attan , Afghanistan’s national dance.

He is also excited about the new podcast documentary series hosted by John Legend on iHeart Podcasts that focuses on a popular music talent show, “Afghan Star,” that was canceled after 15 seasons when the Taliban regained power and banned music. He’s hoping someday to be a part of it.

Nader believes “The Kite Runner” is a story that touches every human being.

“It’s a father-son story, a love story, a story of redemption,” he said. “There are 45 million Afghan people in the world; a quarter million in North America. I would love for our theater audiences to realize that Afghans are also human beings. I hope they are able to open their hearts and connect with a potential neighbor who might have arrived from Afghanistan. I hope it will inspire people to have a place in their hearts and minds for the people of Afghanistan.”

Meet the playwright

Playwright Matthew Spangler teaches courses at San Jose State University that focus on the way in which refugees and asylum seekers are represented through the arts. He first read “The Kite Runner” in 2005 and thought it would make a good play. He adapted the novel for the stage in 2006, working with author Khaled Hosseini who lived in the same area of California as he did.

Spangler has been involved with the theatrical production ever since.

“This play is different from other types of plays because I’m not Afghan and I don’t have personal immigration or refugee experience in my own background,” he said. “But many of the actors do, so I change the play text for each production so that the actors feel comfortable and can incorporate their own personal background. It’s important that the cast members feel it represents both the book and their own experiences.”

Spangler sees “The Kite Runner” as a deeply human story told in the context of immigration.

“In our contemporary society, immigration has been politicized which makes it less human,” he said. “This novel and play are about humanizing that experience again.”

The play, he said, is a roller-coaster ride for the audience, both sad and filled with humor.

What Spangler has loved most about working on “The Kite Runner” for the past two decades is the community of people from all over the world who have been involved with the various productions — actors, directors, musicians. They have, he said, become friends.

Dayton connection

One of those friends is actor Annie Pesch, well-known in Dayton theater circles, who appeared in the Midwest premiere of “The Kite Runner ‘’ in a co-production at Actors Theatre in Louisville and the Cleveland Playhouse.

In addition to working with playwright Spangler and musician Nader, Pesch said she learned a lot from the show’s cultural consultant, Humaira Ghilzai, who shared her experiences and information on Afghan culture with the cast. “I particularly remember Humaira talking about the dynamics between husbands and wives in Afghanistan,” Pesch said. " One of the cast members was living in Afghanistan after the Taliban had taken over and shared his experiences growing up in Afghanistan during that time; I still remember his stories when I think about the show.”

Pesch said her run of the show took place around the time of the Arab Spring. “We had a multicultural cast, and we all felt like it was the right time for the play to come out,” she said, adding that working on “The Kite Runner” is still one of the highlights of her career.

“I am thankful I got to work with some amazingly talented people on such a moving piece,” said Pesch. “The play explores topics such as friendship, classism, family, conflicting cultures, betrayal–things that affect all of us. I learned so much performing in the show, not just as an actor but as a person.”

What: National Tour of “The Kite Runner” presented by The Human Race Theatre Company and Dayton LIve

When: May 28-June 2

Where: Victoria Theatre, 138 N. Main St., Dayton

Tickets: $25.50-$79.50. Order through Dayton Live Ticket Office, (937) 228-3630.

Note: “The Kite Runner” includes scenes depicting violence and strong language. It is recommended for ages 13 and up.

RELATED PROGRAMMING

• “Talk Back” With Company Members – May 29
• Afghan Community Celebration – May 31. Members of southwest Ohio’s Afghan community are invited to attend any performance, but especially this Friday performance to experience the Afghans in Dayton exhibit located in the reception room on the third floor/balcony level of the theater. The exhibit honors Afghans in Dayton who live, work and contribute to our community. The display includes historical information, artifacts, and a short film about Afghanistan. It will be open during each performance.
• Parents’ Day Out – June 1 at 2 p.m. The Human Race Theatre Company is offering a free theater activity workshop for kids 5-12 during the 2 p.m. June 1 performance .
• Kites of Kindness: A community engagement project with the goal of creating 10,000 messages of hope and support on paper kite templates and displaying them in the Victoria Theatre lobby and other locations in the Dayton.

About the Author

Meredith Moss has been writing for the Dayton Daily News for decades. She writes "On the Arts” features and the “Make a Difference” column focusing on non-profits. She volunteers and has received the YWCA's Woman of Influence' award and the Humanitarian award from the National Conference of Community and Justice. Email: [email protected]

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What Does The Kite Symbolize

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Theme of Betrayal in "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

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Cruelty and Abuse of Power in "The Kite Runner"

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May 29, 2003, Khaled Hosseini

Novel; Bildungsroman, Drama, Historical Fiction, Coming-of-age Drama

Assef, Rahim Khan, Sanaubar, Soraya, General Taheri, Sohrab, Amir, Hassan, Khala, Baba, Farid, Farzana, Ali

The story has been based on Khaled Hosseini life in Afghanistan before he left for the United States.

Father-son relationship, courage, friendship, childhood, change of regimes, guilt and redemption

The Kite Runner is a challenging book to read since it speaks of guilt and redemption, true friendship, and the changes that a person is going through decades later. Most importantly, it is the run of events that run from the fall of Afghanistan's monarch to the refugees era, and the Taliban regime. The red line is the friendship and the way how human relationships change. It has a complex setting through the decades when the main protagonist Amir, a young boy, is telling about his life, his relationship with Hassan and the events that he could not prevent.

The Kite Runner is a story of Amir and his father who are living in Kabul, Afghanistan. They belong to a major ethnic group called Pashtuns. Amir's best friend is called Hassan who lives with his father, yet they belong to a minor ethnic group called Hazaras. Even though the boys belong to different groups, they are the best friends. As the events unfold, Amir is unable to rescue Hassan from a tragedy that takes place due to lack of courage, which is his guilt years later. As Amir grows up, he moves to the United States where he learns that his friend's (Hassan) son is in the orphanage. Saving the boy with his wife, Amir finds redemption.

According to the author, the book became so popular because it "connects with them in a personal way, no matter what their own upbringing and background" are. The book became the best seller at The New York Times for more than two years. It is believed that the September 11 tragedy has contributed to the novel's admiration in the United States since it has allowed people to see the Afghan culture. The story has also been inspired by the news story about Taliban's banning the kite flying in the country, which has inspired Khail Hosseini for the title and some parts of the story. The short version of the book has been rejected by some publishing houses. The Kite Runner is the first English publication written by the Afghan author. The author did not return to his home country Afghanistan until the time when the book was published. Hosseini believes that his novel is a love story because love is the main protagonist.

“For you, a thousand times over” “It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime...” “There is only one sin. and that is theft... when you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth.” “When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness.” “I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had. But I didn’t.”

This book became an important example of friendship and living with the guilt that took place as the lack of courage and being brave. As the multi-generational story, it deals with many sides of culture, family life, human relationship, discovering different cultures, and staying true to who you are. The author shows the way Amir grows and how he finally finds his self-identity that he has been seeking so long.

The book, according to the author, is about seeking love and finding it in everything, about friendship, about looking back, and finding redemption and one’s self-identity. While this novel is quite challenging and might even bring up tears while reading, it serves the role of a powerful story about being sincere and earning trust. One can write an essay about it by focusing on cultural, social, or even political aspects as the book runs from the 1970s to 2002.

1. Aubry, T. (2009). Afghanistan meets the amazon: reading the kite runner in America. PMLA, 124(1), 25-43. (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/pmla/article/abs/afghanistan-meets-the-amazon-reading-the-kite-runner-in-america/2D11194B0891CCB91EABAEB5E6BD865D) 2. Jefferess, D. (2009). To be good (again): The Kite Runner as allegory of global ethics. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 45(4), 389-400. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17449850903273572) 3. O'Brien, S. (2018). Translating Trauma in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. Transnational Literature, 10(2), 1-A5. (https://www.proquest.com/openview/5202ba584abd167130cae69acbe52985/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1596384) 4. Jocius, R. (2013). Exploring adolescents’ multimodal responses to The Kite Runner: Understanding how students use digital media for academic purposes. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 5(1), 4. (https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/jmle/vol5/iss1/4/) 5. Kai-fu, C. (2019). A Study of Amir's Psychological Change in" The Kite Runner". English Language Teaching, 12(5), 190-193. (https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1214311) 6. Du, J. (2017). A journey of self-actualization of Amir in The Kite Runner. English Language and Literature Studies, 7(3), 90-93. (https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9c07/8bb1388903fab1fe437f604fb6c0a15299a6.pdf) 7. Ghafoor, S., & Farooq, U. (2020). Can subaltern be heard: an analysis of the kite runner and the thousand splendid suns by Khalid Hosseini: can subaltern be heard. International Review of Literary Studies, 2(1), 29-38. (http://irlsjournal.com/ojs/index.php/irls/article/view/10) 8. Hunt, S. (2009). Can the West Read? Western Readers, Orientalist Stereotypes, and the Sensational Response to The Kite Runner. (https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/129489717.pdf) 9. Adhikary, R. P. (2021). Crisis of Cultural Identity in Khaled Hosseini‘s The Kite Runner. Scholar Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Science, 5, 179-187. (https://saspublishers.com/media/articles/SJAHSS_95_179-187.pdf)

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