Kite Runner Guilt

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In the historical fiction book, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a story about guilt. Amir's friend is raped and Amir decides to run away instead of helping his friend. He is constantly reminded of his guilt throughout the book until he decides to return to Afghanistan to make up for what he did. The theme of TKR is that guilt from one's actions can stay with oneself. The author conveys this through the motif of guilt, flashbacks/foreshadowing, and dreams/thoughts Amir has.

The author of The Kite Runner uses the motif of guilt throughout the novel to support the overall theme of the book. One motif that Hosseini uses is on page 1 where Amir brings up the winter of 1975. This is significant because Amir references this moment many times …show more content…
When Amir says,”I became what I am today at the age of 12”(Hosseini, 1) it is a foreshadow that he did something bad or regrets that ultimately changed him. This is significant because it shows that Amir didn't like what he became. This supports the theme since it shows that he felt guilty for what he didn't do and his actions after it. “How dark, almost black, Hassan's blood had looked on the snow, dropping from the seat of his pants.” (Hosseini, 270 ). This is significant because it makes the reader realize how Amir can't forget what he let happen to his “friend”. This supports the theme because as Amir grows older he is still taunted by Hassan’s rape. Amir can't forget what he let happen and that shows the guilt that lingers. When Amir says,”Suddenly Hassan's voice whispered in my head,”For you a thousand times over” (Hosseini,1). This is significant because it shows that Amir keeps thinking of Hassan and his loyalty to Amir. This shows that Amir can't forget all Hassan has done for him and even as an adult he can't forget Hassan. This supports the theme of guilt because Hassan was so loyal to Amir and Amir wasn't loyal back. Therefore every time he hears or remembers this quote he thinks of Hassan and how he didn't do anything to help him. Another way the author decides to supports the theme is through Amir’s dreams and …show more content…
An example of one of the dreams is when Amir dreams that he was the one who shot Hassan in the head (Hosseini, 210). This is significant because it shows that Amir feels guilty and feels that he was the one who killed Hassan. This supports the theme because it conveys how the guilt of not helping Hassan is staying with Amir and that he feels that in a way he killed Hassan. Amir somewhat blames himself for Hassan’s death. Another example would be when Amir tells Soraya everything. Amir had an internal thought of,”I felt something lifting off my chest” (Hosseini, 284). This is significant because it shows that the guilt was something he wanted to get rid of. This supports the theme because when he says he felt something lift off his chest shows that it was a relief admitting what he had done and that the guilt was with him for a long time. When Amir says, “There was a monster in the lake. It had grabbed Hassan by the ankles, dragged him down to the murky bottom. I was that monster” (Hosseini, 75) supports the theme of guilt in the novel.This is significant because Amir feels like a monster for what he let happen to Hassan. Hassan had the dream to show that there is no need to be afraid, but Amir shows that he is something to be afraid of. Amir feels he represents the monster through his actions to Hassan. Since Amir has mistreated, disrespected, and hurt Hassan he feels like a monster since Hassan was
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