Analyse how the strengths and/or weaknesses of a character reinforced a key idea in the kite runner?

Throughout the novel, The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, the idea of everlasting guilt and how it drives us to make bad decisions is reinforced through the weaknesses of the main protagonist, Amir. This idea of guilt is seamlessly weaved within three key moments in the novel where Amir’s character weaknesses become predominant, including his betrayal of Hassan, where he chose to sacrifice a meaningful relationship for the approval of his father. At the pomegranate tree, where, in a desperate attempt to rid himself of his newly heightened guilt, Amir ends up inflicting more pain upon himself and Hassan. And lastly, when in a desperate attempt to suppress his guilt, Amir chooses to set Hassan up as being a thief and frames him for stealing. The decisions that Amir chooses to make in these key moments are used by Hosseini to highlight the defining character flaws that he possesses, including cowardice, jealousy and selfishness as well as reinforce this idea that guilt only defines our future if we let it. Through the implication of Amir’s character weaknesses, Hosseini reveals that the scar guilt leaves behind can cause us to make even worse decisions that stem from the shame, anxiety and humiliation that we are left with.

Hosseini’s, The Kite Runner, first illustrates the effect of Amir’s character weakness of cowardice and it’s responsibility in his inescapable guilt, through the betrayal of Hassan in the winter alleyway of 1975. Amir realised at the moment that he only had two choices, he could “step into that alley, stand up for Hassan… Or [he] could run”. However, he chose to submit to his cowardice, and sacrificed a life of happiness for himself and Hassan, in exchange for a guilty conscience. Amir’s decision to run demonstrated the cowardly qualities in his persona and showed how his upbringing and desire for approval moulded him into being an individual whose cowardly traits greatly influence his decision making. Hosseini illustrates here that the scar left behind by the guilt of Amir’s childhood, his mother’s death in childbirth and not being the son that Baba wanted, caused Amir to allow his weaknesses and guilt-filled past to define his future, bringing out his worst qualities rather than demonstrating his strengths. “I actually aspired to cowardice, because the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. “ Here, the author’s purpose is to communicate to readers that our upbringing moulds who we are as a person, for good or for bad. Only when we realise our own weaknesses can we overcome them. Some people, however, like Amir, cannot overcome their weaknesses and allow them to influence their decision making and define their future. This is shown through the way that Amir “aspired to cowardice”. He had the choice to stand up for Hassan and demonstrate his strengths, however, his cowardice caused him to not have the bravery to do so. From this moment, Amir’s cowardice becomes the quality that defines him as a person and heightens his guilt instead of resolving it. Hosseini shows here that suppressing feelings of guilt leads to unproductive behaviour as we expend all of our mental energy in pursuit of avoiding our mistakes. However, they cannot ever disappear, they are a part of our past that we can learn from if we chose to. Guilt only defines our future if we let it, and if we chose to become a better person going forward, it can be a driving force in our growth as a person, rather than something that holds us back.

Hosseini later illustrates how Amir’s all-consuming guilt from his betrayal of Hassan gives rise to a sense of jealousy resurfacing from his childhood, influencing him into making worse decisions henceforth. The guilt plaguing Amir’s conscious from both his betrayal and childhood cause him to crave punishment so that he can consequently be rid of his guilt. “What would you do if I hit you with this?”… Hassan did nothing as I pelted him again and again.” Hosseini focuses on Amir’s jealousy of Hassan at this moment to demonstrate the circumstances that can lead to weaknesses developing in a person and their effect on the way that a person acts when they are overtaken by guilt. “Later, I would tell myself I hadn’t felt envious of Hassan. Not at all.” Hassan is the person that Baba wanted Amir to be, the son he wished to claim and from this Amir developed a profound sense of jealousy, pushing him to take out his anger and guilt on Hassan, the only one that would let him. There was a pressing need to do something shameful, as demonstrated through the way that Amir treated Hassan, expressing his negative self-perception through jealousy. Hosseini illustrates through the scene at the pomegranate tree how one’s guilt can influence the way that they make decisions in the future, as well as bring out the weaknesses in their personality. As exhibited through Amir’s guilt, if you are unable to overcome your weaknesses, they can drive you to make even worse decisions going forwards and consequently heighten your guilt to where it defines your future. The author demonstrates how expending all of your mental energy on the past does not correct your mistakes, it instead keeps you locked in the past where you cannot move forward and grow as a person. The shameful scar guilt leaves behind on our lives will only fester the longer that we suppress it, especially if we do not admit to ourselves that we were at fault. Through Amir’s jealousy, Hosseini demonstrates how if we accept the guilt that comes from our mistakes, we can learn from them. This consequently allows us to grow as people and move forwards instead of allowing our guilt and weaknesses to define our future.

As the novel progresses, Hosseini demonstrates how Amir’s weakness of selfishness leaves him with an inability to deal with the heightened guilt of his past decisions. As a consequence, Amir is more driven towards making bad decisions knowing that he has less to lose as a result. “This was Hassan’s final sacrifice for me … a part of me was glad. Glad that this would all be over with soon … I wanted to move on, to forget, to start with a clean slate. I wanted to be able to breathe again.” Here, Amir, overcome with irrepressible guilt, frames Hassan for theft, thinking that Baba would be unable to forgive him for what is considered to be the worst sin. “I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it…then I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies.” Instead of taking into consideration the effects of his actions on Hassan Amir chose to only think of himself and how the decision to frame his friend might ease the pain of his guilt. Amir’s selfish character weakness, in consequence, causes him to make a choice to once again betray Hassan and ends up heightening his guilt instead of easing it. Hosseini shows here, how guilt can act as a major influence in one’s life, driving them to make bad decisions that stem from the shame and regret that they feel when consumed by it. When a person is overcome by guilt, they are shaped into a hollow shell of the person that they once were. The author emphasises here that rehashing guilt arousing thoughts does not help you correct your mistakes, only drives you towards making worse ones going forwards. In order to overcome guilt, you cannot dwell on the past, instead, you must make the choice to learn from it and behave more responsibly in the future. This, as a result, helps us to overcome the weaknesses that made us make mistakes in the first place and shape us into better and wiser human beings.

To conclude, Hosseini illustrates how the anxiety, shame and humiliation left behind by guilt can bring out the weaknesses in a person and drive them to make worse decisions that only heighten their sense of regret. Through the cowardice, jealousy and selfishness of the character of Amir, Hosseini emphasises how weaknesses are moulded from guilt and are a major factor that can greatly influence decision making, for better or for worse. An inability to overcome your weaknesses and use this guilt to better yourself can lead to it consuming you, shaping you into a hollow shell of a human being who craves punishment from others but cannot accept blame. These key moments in the novel where Amir’s character weaknesses are illustrated demonstrate the all-consuming effect that Amir’s guilt from both his childhood and from betraying Hassan has in defining his future and influencing his decision making. The author emphasises to readers that focusing on your past mistakes does not correct them, the only way to overcome your own guilt is to learn from it and make wiser decisions going forwards.