Essay on Drowning in Guilt Review of The Kite Runner

â€Å"Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do,† Voltaire once said. Every choice in life comes with a consequence that follows. A common consequence is guilt, a bad feeling caused by knowing or thinking that you have done something wrong. Amir, the main character in The Kite Runner, discovers the consequence of guilt after making decisions throughout his childhood that were destructive. Khaled Hosseini describes the destructive ability of guilt to consume one’s life through the the relationships of Amir and Hassan, Baba and Ali, and Amir and Sohrab. The guilt that Amir feels due to his destroyed relationship with Hassan haunts him throughout his entire life. First, Hosseini uses the scene of Hassan’s rape as a haunting source of†¦show more content†¦Like a harelip† (297). This scar that will forever be a part of Amir reminds him of Hassan who has a scar from his surgery Baba gives him shortly before their friendship is ruined. As Amir’s life goes on, he is troubled by the guilt that consumes his life from destroying his and Hassan’s relationship. Guilt is established through the relationship of Baba and Ali by showing the betrayal of a close friend. One way to reveal the guilt in Baba and Ali’s relationship is through the power that guilt has to make one feel the need to redeem oneself. This is shown through Baba after betraying Ali. Early in the novel, Amir iss describing how good of a person Baba is and includes building an orphanage in Kabul (13). This selfless action is one of the ways Baba tries to redeem himself from his sins he commits in the past and covers up his guilt. Another way to reveal the guilt in Baba and Ali’s relationship is through the symbolism of Baba getting a plastic surgeon to fix Hassan’s cleft lip for his birthday (45). The importance of the plastic surgery is shown through Baba’s effort to fix the flaws in his and Ali’s relationship that he has created when he has an affair with Sanaubar. This birthday gift given by Baba symbolizes the effort to repair a broken b ond and is directly toward the result of the betrayal and sin Baba committed: Hassan. The final way to reveal the guilt in Baba and Ali’s relationship is through the ability guilt