Light through the Darkness

Albert Camus once said that truth is like light, “…a beautiful twilight that enhances every object.”

One would argue that knowing the truth is not always the best option but, in The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini elaborates on the importance of knowing the truth under any circumstance. This is portrayed in Amir’s want to save Sohrab, his being able to move on and forgive himself and seeing how Amir would have acted differently in the past had he known the truth. The author elaborates on the importance of knowing the truth under any circumstance. This is portrayed in Amir’s want to save Sohrab, his being able to move on and forgive himself and then, our seeing how Amir would have acted differently in the past had he known the truth.

Amir initially refused to journey out to find Sohrab, but his mind changed when Rahim Khan revealed to him that Sohrab was his nephew. Amir had concluded that he could not put his life on the line for Hassan’s son but realizing Hassan was his brother made his want to amend his sins stronger. We know this from what Amir said to himself on his way back to Rahim Khan’s apartment as he looked at the picture of Hassan: “My brother’s face. Hassan had loved me once, loved me in a way that no one ever had or ever would again. He was gone now, but a little part of him lived on. It was in Kabul. Waiting.” (Hosseini 227)

The journey to find Sohrab was not the easiest, but we see Amir pushing himself to put in the extra efforts even knowing the certain danger his life is in. Amir ponders over these thoughts when waiting to see Sohrab at the mansion of the Taliban officials,” I was thousands of miles from my wife, sitting in a room that felt like a holding cell, waiting for a man I had seen murder two people on that same day. It was insanity”(Hosseini 275).

Amir also promised to adopt Sohrab and take him to America with him even when there were difficult immigration laws they would have to deal with. When making his reply to Raymond Andrews saying,” I mean to pursue this”, we see his determination to bring Sohrab with him. Deciding to find Sohrab was a life changing decision for Amir and to make the right choice, he needed to know all the facts-the truth, to be able to make the best decision he could.

People in society today may not have the opportunity to know all the facts or may deny themselves knowledge of the truth but the truth does set us free.

Amir was able to move on and forgive himself, in other words, free himself from his ‘sins’. Upon knowing that Hassan was his brother, he realized that Baba had lied to him all these years. He thought to himself, “I was learning that Baba had been a thief. And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he’d stolen had been scared…” (Hosseini 225)

Amir didn’t only go on the quest to find Sohrab as a form of redemption. If Amir had still decided to save Sohrab without knowing the truth, he wouldn’t have known peace like he later felt because he would still have punished himself for the winter of 1975. Baba wasn’t so perfect after all and made mistakes of his own so Amir was able to see the incidents that happened on that day, a mistake that he could make amends for with this one act.

After knowing the truth and acting on it, a series of events unfolded that led to the realization of his freedom.

The first being Amir’s dream in the hospital as a stepping stone on the path to forgiveness; “They fall to the ground with a loud thud and Baba is sitting in the bear’s chest, his fingers digging in its snout. He looks up at me and I see. He’s me. I am wrestling the bear.” (Hosseini 295)

The second being the last sentence from the book; “I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the Valley of Panjsher on my lips.” (Hosseini 371) He compares his smile or relates it to something in Afghanistan. Drawing something positive out of his past has not been Amir’s strong suit but now he can think of Afghanistan- the fun in the kite running and not remember his wrong doings. He had put himself in bondage with torturing memories of his past but now he was free.

Every individual is in bondage by the world with society consistently wanting us to conform to the ‘norms’. The truth needs to be heard that ‘perfection is not reality’ and those who have understood it, can live a self-fulfilling life-ignoring the pressures of the world. This shows that the truth has the power to open up a door for forgiveness

We analyzed how the truth had lighted up Amir’s future but let us now take a look at how it could have done so in the past.

If Amir knew Hassan was his brother, he would have treated Hassan differently and understood why Baba treated him the way he did. He acknowledges this after he is told the truth when he remembers the signs that had been there all along. He thought to himself, “The signs have been there for me to see all along; they came flying back at me: Baba hiring Dr. Kumar to fix Hassan’s harelip. Baba never missing Hassan’s birthday. I remembered the day we were planting tulips, when I had asked Baba if he’d ever consider getting new servants. Hassan’s not going anywhere, he’d barked. He’s staying right here with us, where he belongs. This is his home and we’re his family.”(Hosseini 225)

Also, the times when Baba would buy a gift for Hassan and Amir would ask for something better. If only he had known and seen Hassan as not only a servant or friend, but a brother, he could have treated him better. Two examples are when he called Hassan an imbecile and when he hid in the alley rather than stand up for Hassan when he was about to be raped. If he had any knowledge of his relation to Hassan, it would be cruel of Amir to treat his brother this way. Again, we see the truth being important in the decisions that make up our lives.

Darkness had always been Amir’s safe place after he had been a coward and watched Hassan get raped. Knowing the truth did not blind him but instead became the light in his life guiding him on the path to freedom: saving Sohrab, forgiving himself and moving on and arguably becoming a better person. There was a way to be good again.