The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, centers on the interplay between guilt, redemption, and sacrifice. Hosseini refers to the concept of religious sacrifice through which individuals purify themselves from sin and free their conscience. Betrayal leads to guilt, which requires healing. Healing, in the case of The Kite Runner's generations of guilt and betrayal, occurs through an emblematic sacrifice. The character Hassan often serves as a bridge between two characters, allowing reconciliation between them. In the novel, Hosseini employs Hassan as a symbolic sacrificial lamb, who serves as a means of redemption for those who have sinned. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay From the beginning of the novel, Hassan has been used by others as a means of redemption and reconciliation with other characters. Since his birth, Hassan lived with Baba and took care of him so that Baba could redeem himself for sleeping with Ali's (Hassan's father) wife. Although he was not necessarily sacrificed, considering that his living conditions were far better than those of the other Hazzaras of Kabul, this situation foreshadowed Hassan's future as a vector of redemption. Hassan's first major manipulation as a sacrifice occurred when he was twelve, where he brokered reconciliation between Amir and Baba. All his life Amir felt unworthy and unloved by his father. She believed she killed her mother during childbirth and that her father resented her for it. She was nothing like Baba and believed that she was a constant disappointment to him. At the age of twelve, Amir discovered that he could gain his father's approval by winning a kite flying tournament. He believed that if he won the tournament, he would “[S]how him [Baba] once and for all that his son was worthy. Then maybe my life as a ghost in this house would finally be over… And maybe, just maybe, I would finally be forgiven for killing my mother” (Hosseini 56). As Amir's "kite runner", Hassan ran to get the second place kite so that Amir could present it to Baba as a prize and a final plank in the bridge between the two's relationship. While retrieving the kite, Hassan was raped by the psychopath Assef because he refused to give up the kite and disappointed Amir, his best friend. It is in this scene that Hosseini makes an important reference to the sacrifice of a lamb. He said “…I had seen this before. It was the appearance of the lamb” (76). Here, Hassan's rape forced Amir to flashback to a moment where he witnessed the sacrifice of a lamb. He said, "I look because of that look of acceptance in the animal's eyes... I imagine the animal sees that its impending death is for a higher purpose. That's the look..." (76,77 ). When Amir spoke of “that/ the look,” he was referring to the look on Hassan's face as Amir observed the selfless sacrifice in the same way he observed the slaughter of the lamb. Instead of stopping him, Amir watched the entire time. He consciously allowed the sacrifice of his best friend to appear before his eyes because “…Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to sacrifice, to win Baba” (77). the real problem was Baba's deep-seated guilt), but it destroyed the relationship between Amir and Hassan. Hassan's selfless sacrifice for Amir became the object of Amir's unshakable guilt, leading to Hassan's second sacrifice for Amir. Amir's guilt over his selfish acts takes center stage. of the rest of the novel. Amir not only felt in.