Several major themes emerge in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. One of the most dominant themes is the idea of ​​redemption for past wrongdoings. The protagonist, an Afghan-American named Amir, tells the story of his childhood; through this, we realize the problems encountered and the events that will shape the plot of the novel. Amir seeks redemption for betraying his childhood best friend, Hassan. Because of his cowardice during Hassan's rape, his betrayal of Hassan after the incident, and his having committed the vilest sin in Afghan culture, Amir must set out on a long and debilitating journey towards the ultimate goal of total redemption that will bring him back to his world. violent and war-ravaged homeland and beyond. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As children, Amir and Hassan were inseparable. The two of them “used to climb the poplar trees in the driveway of [Amir's] father's house and annoy our neighbors by reflecting the sunlight into their houses with a fragment of mirror” (Hosseini 3). The two young boys, although they belonged to different social classes and ethnic groups, managed to remain faithful friends regardless of the circumstances that presented themselves to them. Amir, a Pashtun, was of an upper class and belonged to a different religious sect than Hassan, a Hazara. This didn't matter to any of the children. Although Hassan was a servant of Amir's family, Amir was nothing above Hassan in this regard. The friendship was golden, until the fateful day after a kite fight. Assef, a boy similar to Amir in that he is Pashtun but drastically different in so many other ways, finds and chases Hassan in an attempt to steal Amir's luxurious blue kite. Hassan will not give up the kite and Assef refers to him as a pet: “A loyal Hazara. Faithful as a dog” (72). Assef lunges at Hassan while Amir remains timidly out of sight, doing nothing to help his partner. Hassan is raped by Assef in an attempt to assert his authority. After the rape, Hassan, on the verge of collapse, approaches Amir, who acts as if nothing had happened: “Just like I pretended not to have seen the dark stain on the bottom of his trousers. Or those tiny drops that fell from his legs and stained the snow black” (78). Amir's betrayal eventually leads to more problems between the two former best friends. Amir can't seem to control the guilt he feels over Hassan's rape; it even offers the possibility for Hassan to use physical violence to relieve some of his internal pain: “[Amir] threw the pomegranate at him. It hit him in the chest, exploding in a spray of red pulp. Hassan's cry was full of surprise and pain. "Answer me!" [Amir] snapped” (92). Hassan refuses to harm Amir, which angers Amir even more. Amir's attempts to free himself from guilt fail miserably. She then decides that the only way to get rid of these feelings is to get rid of Hassan. He goes so far as to ask his father, "Baba, have you ever thought of finding new servants?" (89). Baba rejects any idea of ​​freeing the family from Hassan or his father and scolds Amir for suggesting such an absurd idea. Amir still believes that Hassan should be eliminated; he secretly places his watch and stacks of money under Hassan's bed to make it appear that Hassan stole the items. Amir tells Baba, who confronts Hassan about the watch and the money. Hassan, who "never denied anything [to Amir]" (2), took the blame for the accident and he and his father left.