The Kite Runner is an impressive book. I do believe that no one can avoid its appeals. It has vivid characters and a lot of descriptions of the scenes. There are just so many themes in the book, and it’s so close to human nature that we can even see our images in some of the characters. Overall, I reckon that the three main topics in this book are redemption, love, and the cycle.

The first thing I want to discuss is redemption. Amir, the main character in the book, is not a typical heroic person. On the contrary, he is more like an irresponsible coward who betrayed his most loyal friend, his kite runner. However, after discovering the stunning truth about the relationship between him and Hassan, Amir turns into a different person. It’s so true that Amir and Hassan are like the twin kites that appeared at the beginning of the whole book, for they're always in each other's lives and could never forget each other. However, it is not easy to change, let alone a revolution of mind and soul like this. We can almost say that this book is about betrayal and redemption. From the very first chapter, there have been some hints about sin and redemption.

Standing in the kitchen with the receiver to my ear, I knew it wasn’t just Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins.

The clever bit is that the author subtly conveyed the idea of redemption through kites. Hassan chases the kite and wins the tournament for Amir, while Amir only cares about Baba’s love. It is ironic how sincere and naive Hassan is. He is like the kite in Amir’s hand, letting him push left or right. Amir, in his youth, is the kite in his father’s hand. He is obedient to Baba, but sarcastically, though Amir sacrificed Hassan for Baba, he fails to win Baba’s love.

Just like Amir, everyone makes mistakes and, in most situations, we try our best to redeem. Amir’s redemption is a late one but undoubtedly, a brilliant one. He was a coward, but he is not a coward anymore. Amir did make mistakes. Still, maybe Rahim Khan is right, he suffers too much.

After all, we all have situations where we dare not stand out for others, or even ourselves. But the point is, learn to forgive. It’s occasionally necessary not to be too harsh to others and ourselves. Forgiving, I believe, is the most extraordinary kindness in life.

Then what are the causes of Amir’s sins? I think the primary factor to take into consideration is love. In the book Tuesdays with Morrie, there is a famous person who said, love, is the only rational act. Maybe love is a rational act, but pursuing love can be radical.

I aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba. Was it a fair price? Before I could thwart it, the answer floated to my conscious mind: He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?

When I read this paragraph, I can almost assume that Amir’s pursuit of Baba’s love is insane. If there is a scale, on one hand, is Baba’s love, and on the other is Hassan, Amir would immediately choose Baba’s love. But the sarcastic thing is that he did not get Baba’ pure love even with his efforts over the years. Amir is pathetic, for he fought so hard to gain Baba’s love, something that he could never gain, and was finally told the cruel truth. Hassan is woeful, too. Because he didn’t know his true identity when he was alive. Baba is also lamentable, since his love was always torn in halves, and he always needed to conceal his affection towards Hassan. He was trying so hard to be a good father to both of them, yet unfortunately, neither worked out. This is what Amir told Sohrab.

“Did your father,” he began, eyeing his food, “did your father loves you and my father equally?” I thought of a long-ago day at Ghargha Lake when Baba had allowed himself to pat Hassan on the back when Hassan’s stone had out skipped mine. I pictured Baba in the hospital room, beaming as they removed the bandages from Hassan’s lips. “I think he loved us equally but differently.”

Love is hard sometimes. We need to go through a tough time before we know what is love and how to love. Going through this period takes Amir 26 years.

I assume that Baba and Amir are the same types of people deep inside. They are guilty men. They suffer mentally and they make amends. When the book ends, a cycle of betrayal and sins ends.

Here is another cliché my creative writing teacher would have scoffed at; like father, like son. But it was true, wasn’t it? As it turned out, 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. And with that came this realization: that Rahim Khan had summoned me here to atone not just for my sins but for Baba’s too.

I appreciate Baba because he did every kind thing he could to redeem. I also advocate the spirit of Amir, who almost risks his life to rescue his nephew. They are both great men. The cycle is a magical thing. Once you start it, it’s hard to have it stopped. In some extreme situations, some must overcome their spirit and their will to end the tortuous cycle. Amir changes throughout the book. He is a grown man, a man with responsibility and great courage, not to mention his naan and namoos. He is not the yes-man towards General Taheri. He speaks out for Sohrab and he is willing to devote himself. Maybe this is what we call “maturity.”

When I was in primary school, I learned a passage called the Cycle of Love. It is a warm story. But not every cycle is that warm. Life is like that, full of accidents we didn’t expect. And sometimes it automatically forms a cycle. I always feel amazing about these cycles. It’s hard to avoid accidents, but we can always hope for and act for a good cycle.

When I finished the book, I felt relaxed. The feeling of all-problem-solved is quite good, especially at the end of the cycle. Redemption, love, and cycle are what I found touching and important. This is the book, the Kite Runner.

I will always remember Baba, I want him to tell Amir that he is proud of his son; I will always remember Rahim Khan, he is the one you can always turn to on any occasion; I will always remember Amir, a ‘bravo’ is merely enough for his bravery to fight against Assef; I will always remember Hassan, Amir deserves a chance to say to Hassan, For You, A Thousand Times Over.

Hassan is the kite runner; Amir is also the kite runner. In fact, to some degree, we are all kite runners. We chase our dreams; we amend for our faults. May we all be able to swirl in the open sky freely and win the tournament of life.