4 | Rebecca Wright
1 | Rebecca Wright
Analyse how the theme of redemption is conveyed in Hosseini's The Kite Runner.
The search for redemption is the main theme within this novel in two key ways. Amir wants to redeem himself in the eyes of Baba, his father. Amir believes Baba blames him for the death of his wife. After the kite tournament, when Amir gains Baba's approval to some extent, Amir seeks redemption off Hassan after running away from the alley where he was raped, because "we was just a Hazara, wasn't he?"
The novel explains how Amir craves redemption from Baba throughout his life, and Baba hardly responds to Amir's love and sacrifice. During the novel, Amir realises he must "find a way to be good again", and Rahim Khan gives him that opportunity. Once he tells the story of Hassan, the hare-lipped Hazara, after he left Baba and Amir, Amir realises he must redeem himself from the unpleasant things he did and how he reacted following the rape of Hassan.
Firstly, the theme of redemption lies in the idea of Amir wanting recognition and admiration from his father. Amir always assumed that Baba blamed him for the death of his sweet wife, who died shortly after giving birth to Amir. This is one reason why Amir seeks redemption off his father. Baba is labelled as 'Mr Hurricane' and Amir describes Baba as "A force of nature" (Chapter 3). This shows the ferocity of Baba, and how Amir looks up to him because it's from Amir's perspective. It is clear from the way he describes his father that he respects and wants to be just like him, but isn't. This is another reason why Amir wants redemption from his father. He describes how he attempts to get...