The Kite Runner – The Final Chapter

In the final chapter Amir prays for Sohrab and this is important because it means that he has embraced his faith in a meaningful way. Amir has navigated through Baba’s views and that of the Mullahs to understand: “That Baba was wrong, there is a God, there always has been …there has to be.” He prays that his “sins have not caught up with him” again. He feels that “my hands are stained with Hassan’s blood; I pray God doesn’t let them get stained with the blood of his boy too.” Sohrab lives but he won’t speak. When he eventually says something he says “I want my old life back” and tells Amir that he wishes he had been left to die. These are the last words that Sohrab speaks for “almost a year.”

Sohrab comes to live with Amir and Soraya which General Taheri disapproves of because Sohrab is Hazara. When Amir stands up to the General by saying: “You will never again refer to him as Hazara boy in my presence. He has a name and it’s Sohrab” the reader rejoices – at last Amir is showing how he has grown as a character. However, it is still a difficult time for Amir – Sohrab is silent, the Twin Towers are destroyed and the US bombs Afghanistan.

The novel ends with a return to kite fighting and a scene of role reversal where Amir is the kite runner for Sohrab. With the hint of a smile on Sohrab’s face there is a glimmer of hope for the future. Amir’s final words, “I ran” reverberate with echoes of his betrayal as a 12 year old but he is no longer running away and instead he is finally repaying Hassan’s loyalty by looking after Sohrab.

So after all the suffering it is all a bit of a relief to have a sign that Sohrab is being rehabilitated. Obviously, it is also a relief that we have a moral resolution as Amir has shown contrition for his actions and he has been able to make amends. He has demonstrated compassion and kindness, he has suffered great pain but he has found redemption. He has become “good again.”

Fin.