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Malak Al-Basha

Ms.Kenny

ENG3U

02 August 2021

The Influence of Betrayal & Guilt

Guilt the sense of duty or sorrow for an act of wrongdoing. In interpersonal

relationships, betrayal is the sense of deception. Both can influence a person's motives or

decisions, to form who they become as a person. The Kite Runner, a beautiful piece of literature

written by Khaled Hosseini back in 2003 symbolizes the many different events of guilt and

betrayal that are carried by the characters through the novel. The author has used the

characters Amir, Baba and Sanaubar to portray their guilt as the driving force through their

actions to form the plot as it progresses. Khaled's work was written with the intention of

highlighting the world's shared concerns through identification and integration. The author

spent a lot of time developing that narrative through the narrator, Amir. Amir witnesses his

“best friend” going through an incident, he leaves the scene without intervening, tormenting

him with guilt and betrayal towards his ‘friend’ over the course of the novel. Guilt and betrayal,

two emotions that have a powerful impact on a person’s decisions and have the capacity to

overshadow their sentiments. Khaled Hosseini examines these emotions through the characters

Amir, Baba and Sanaubar in his novel The Kite Runner.

Amir's guilt drives virtually all of the actions he takes during The Kite Runner. Amir

watched his bonded pair and closest "friend" Hassan being raped near the beginning of the

novel. At that moment Amir had acknowledged that he only had two possibilities as he stated
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“step into the alley and stand up for Hassan or I could run”... “in the end I ran” (Hosseini 82).

Amir's guilt began to grow the minute he fled from the alley, abandoning Hassan to be raped.

Hassan had always stood up for Amir, and now, when Hassan needed Amir the most, Amir had

let him down. Amir's remorse from the incident accompanied him for the rest of his life. Amir

muttered into the darkness shortly after the incident that he had witnessed, Hassan being

raped. Amir had hoped that someone could have woken up and heard his whispers, but no one

did. That’s when Amir understood “I understood the nature of my new curse: I was going to get

away with it” (Hosseini 86). He understood his betrayal. Amir desperately wished for someone

to find about Hassan's rape but refused to tell anyone the truth. Amir had attempted to bury his

guilt, which he had been carrying around with him since the incident. In an attempt to do so, he

began throwing pomegranates and picking a fight with Hassan in order to ‘heal' his emotions of

guilt and betrayal. Amir desired Hassan's rage, he desired Hassan's confrontation, and he

desired the punishment, thus Amir clearly states “I wished he’d give me the punishment I

craved, so maybe I’d finally sleep at night” (Hosseini 98). His attempts to rectify his wrongs were

not being solved through violence knowing that Hassan was not a violent man. Amir's guilt and

sense of betrayal have been tormenting him for the last 20 years, bringing him back to

Afghanistan in search of "a way to be good again" (Hosseini 192). Amir's return to Afghanistan

led him to rescue Hassan's orphaned son, Sohrab, from the harsh conditions of Kabul. This was

Amir's way of easing and letting go of all the guilt and betrayal that he'd held towards himself

for years. Amir's decisions in The Kite Runner have revolved upon his guilt and betrayal of

Hassan. Knowing that he had never defended Hassan in the same sense that Hassan had

defended him.
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The character Baba, Amir’s father, is not exempt from the guilt that plagues the other

characters in the novel, The Kite Runner. More so, many of his decisions are driven by his own

sense of guilt and betrayal to the characters. Baba had a saying in the novel which stated,

“there is only one sin. And that is theft… When you tell a lie you steal someone’s right to the

truth” (Hosseini 237). Baba's adamant convictions are diametrically opposed to his guilt and

nearly appear disingenuous. As the novel neared its conclusion, one of Baba's secrets, which he

had kept hidden for many years, was revealed. Hassan was his biological son. From then on,

Baba had unveiled another deception involving his betrayal towards Ali, his most devoted

companion. Baba had stolen "Ali's honour" (Hosseini 237), by committing adultery with Ali's

wife. Baba had stolen the truth from the people he claimed to love the most. He stole Amir's

right to the truth. He had betrayed Amir. Baba had to live with the guilt of not only betraying

his best friend, but also lying to his legal son, concealing the truth from his illegitimate son, and

doing what he thought was the sole sin. Baba behaved as if the guilt did not even exist, instead

venting his frustrations on Amir by criticizing his behaviours. Baba had always stated “there is

something missing in him” (Hosseini 22). Indicating ‘him’ as his son Amir. Baba wanted Amir to

be the ideal son, so Baba wouldn't have to feel guilty for lavishing Amir's life on his other son

Hassan. Baba's guilt over not being able to provide for Hassan pushed him to do everything he

could for him while maintaining his status as a respectable man with only one son. Baba had

always taken out his emotions of betrayal and guilt out on Amir, to ease the burdens that he

had left on his own shoulders. Hassan was wrongly accused of stealing Amir's birthday gifts.

Theft, the number one and only sin that matters to Baba. Despite Hassan getting wrongly

accused, Baba forgave him. His guilt over not being a father to Hassan drove him to do
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everything he could for him. He had a viable approach for Hassan and would do anything to

make him present in his life. Baba's guilt had made it impossible for him to be a functioning

father to Amir. That led Amir to believe he is unworthy of a child to his father. Amir had always

assumed that his father was innocent of any guilt and betrayal, but after learning the truth, he

declares "Baba and I were more alike than I'd ever known. We had both betrayed the people

who would have given their lives for us" (Hosseini 238). Baba had never been free of guilt.

People believed he was a person of trust and loyalty, the essence of a human being, however

this is not the reality of it all, not even the slightest.

Guilt and betrayal impacted even minor characters in Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite

Runner, such as Sanaubar. Hassan's biological mother. Her decisions throughout the narrative

were based on her feelings of guilt, particularly towards Hassan. Her relationship with Amir's

father had resulted in her being pregnant. Her pregnancy had left her feeling disoriented.

Sanaubar was very unhappy with Ali which ultimately pushed her to Amir's father. She stated to

Ali after Hassan was born "now you have your own idiot child to do all your smiling for ''

(Hosseini 30). Interpreting she does not love or respect her husband Ali, and she is unconcerned

about him or his 'son.' She had disappeared shortly after Hassan's birth, leaving everything and

everyone behind. She fled with a group of singers and dancers "to a fate more Afghans consider

far worse than death" (Hosseini 6). Sanubar had abandoned not only her son, but also her

husband Ali, leaving him to raise Hassan alone and unaware of the truth. She had betrayed both

of them. Her emotions of guilt had pushed her to make such reckless judgments. As a result, Ali

had to suffer the repercussions of her conduct. Sanubar reappeared 30 years later in the front

yard of her son, Hassan. Her older age was prominent, and she was viewed with several injuries
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that she had suffered on her face. To Hassan, she cried, “let me look at you” (Hosseini 225).

However Hassan had shut her away without saying a word. Her guilt and betrayal of Hassan

became evident when she screamed out in the name of Allah (God of Islam), imploring Him to

forgive her sin, “Allah forgive me, I wouldn't even hold you" (Hosseini 226). Sanabur's betrayal

and guilt for dismissing her son had brought her back to him after such a long time. She had

attempted to reintegrate herself into his life, but her attempts had failed. The guilt and betrayal

she had felt since letting go of her son at the start of the novel had greatly influenced all of her

choices throughout The Kite Runner.

The Kite Runner, a 2003 novel written by Khaled Hosseini, enables him to convey an

essential message to readers about the sentiments of guilt and betrayal. He uses guilt and

betrayal to create a narrative through the eyes of the narrator, Amir. Amir's witness to Hassan

being raped has allowed Hosseini to be able to drive the storyline and demonstrate how much

of Amir's guilt and betrayal towards his "best friend”, Hassan, has afflicted him for the rest of

his life. Amir would not have been able to heal all of his emotions until he sought atonement, a

means to be good again. The character Baba is used by Hosseini to highlight and demonstrate

the guilt that may exist within a person. This has an impact on who they become as individuals,

as well as the ruins of other friendships, such as the broken friendships of him and Ali, as well as

Hassan and Amir. Sanaubar, a minor character, is utilized by Hosseini to depict the guilt and

betrayal that may burden a person for a lifetime. Such as, her guilt and betrayal towards her

only son Hassan following his abandonment. Khaled Hosseini wants his readers to acknowledge

that guilt and betrayal never leave you feeling at ease. Both emotions last for the remainder of
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your life and, in the end, shape who you are. Guilt and betrayal are two powerful emotions that

have the ability to eclipse a person's feelings and influence their actions.