What role does guilt and shame play in the novel, and how do these factors
contribute to Amir’s character?
Pieter Reitsma
05/04/2023
Denise English department
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Guilt and shame is frequently portrayed within the characters of Khaled Hosseini’s
novel The Kite Runner. The main character, Amir, has been constantly suffering from guilt
ever since he watched his friend get sexually assaulted, he had to live with this shame for the
majority of his life. Amir’s guilt is ever-changing, and it contributed to the growth of his
character. This essay will investigate what role guilt and shame play for Amir, and how they
contribute to his character, by watching his friend get raped, finding out that he was his
brother and finally, his redemption. Through these events, the reader is able to see that guilt
and shame portray Amir’s character growth.
Amir has had to live with shame and guilt ever since he had to watch his best friend
get sexually assaulted, and he never got over the fact that he ran away, which led him to
detest Hassan. This is best seen with the quote, “There was a monster in the lake. It had
grabbed Hassan by the ankles, dragged him to the murky bottom. I was that monster.”
(Hosseini, 2013, p. 91) This quote represents the guilt and shame that Amir had felt
throughout his life, he believed that he was the cause of that traumatising incident, which he
believed he could have prevented. Furthermore, after the assault Amir begun to ostracise
Amir, as for obvious reasons, he didn’t want to live in the same house as him. He becomes
more enclosed and passive towards other people as well. The shame of having to witness
Hassan’s assault was too much for Amir, even a decade later at his wedding, he remembers
Hassan and the torment he had caused him. ‘’And I remember wondering if Hassan too had
married. And if so, whose face he had seen in the mirror under the veil? Whose
henna-painted hands had he held?’’ (Hosseini, 2013, p. 149) This quote drives home the fact
that years after the incident, in a country on the other side of the earth, Amir still feels the
pain and hurt of having to watch his best friend get raped. Therefore, Amir has had to live
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with shame for most of his life, which has led to him developing trauma.
When Amir found out that Hassan was his brother, he was inflicted with guilt and
shame, of not only having to watch his friend get assaulted, but his brother. He felt that the
guilt that Baba had amassed had been put onto himself, which further intensified his longing
for redemption. "And now, fifteen years after I’d buried him, I was learning that Baba had
been a thief. And a thief of the worst kind.’’ (Hosseini, 2013, p. 197) This quote shows that
Amir, who attempted to forget his shame and guilt by moving all the way to America, has
been reminded of the things he has caused all the way back in Afghanistan. Furthermore, by
finding out that Hassan was his half brother, the guilt and shame he previously had was
greatly exacerbated. Amir, who is now completely riddled with guilt, believes that by finding
out about this, Baba’s sin’s get put onto himself, which is represented with the quote: "with
that came this realization: that Rahim Khan had summoned me here to atone not just for my
sins, but for Baba’s too.’’(Hosseini, 2013, p. 226) The guilt he felt because of this led to him
yearning for redemption, he wanted to prove to himself and others that he wasn’t the same
coward that watched his friend get assaulted, he wanted to show others that he grew as a
person. Therefore, after finding out that Hassan was his brother, Amir became further riddled
with guilt and a yearning to redeem himself and prove to others that he wasn’t a coward any
more.
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Because of the conversation he had with Raheem, Amir was forced to be reminded of
what happened with Hassan, this led him to seek redemption by going back to Afghanistan,
and facing his trauma directly. He believed that by saving Sohrab, Hassan’s son, he could end
the cycle of dread. Furthermore, through confrontation, he is able to grow as a person and
face his past mistakes. This is proved through the quote “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, 2013 p. 168) Rahim Khan believed that if Amir were to save Hassan’s
son, he would be able to redeem himself and end the cycle that had begun all those years ago.
This led Amir to go back to Kabul and confront Assef, who was abusing Sohrab. By
intervening, Amir would be able to face Assef and stop Sohrab from getting abused, which is
something he wasn’t able to do with Hassan. “I was on the ground laughing, Assef straddling
my chest.’’ (Hosseini, 2013, p. 303) When facing Assef Amir let himself get beaten, as he
believed that this was his punishment for running away all those years ago. By not running
and letting himself get beaten by Assef he is able to do something that he wasn’t able to do
before. This shows us that through guilt and shame, Amir is able to grow as a person. In
conclusion, by confronting Assef, Amir was able to redeem himself.
To conclude, this essay has discussed what role and shame plays within the novel, and
how these factors contribute to Amir’s character. Guilt and shame are connected throughout
the entire story, the reader sees it first when Amir blames himself for Hassan's assault, then
when he realises he was his brother and finally when he redeems himself by fighting Assef
and saving Sohrab. Through these events, the reader is able to see how Amir’s character
growth is portrayed by his guilt and shame. From a scared young boy in the back of an alley,
to a man fighting not only for himself, but his nephew.
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Sources
Hosseini, K. (2013). The Kite Runner. Penguin. London, Great Britain.
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