redemption is possible.  Without it, there is little in which Amir can do to address his own transgressions of the past.  This makes the physical journey a portal to the past as well as the present, and thus, the future conception of the individual.

The Kite Runner is indeed a novel about journeys—external and internal, literal and abstract, physical and spiritual. Amir's physical journey in returning to Afghanistan to save Hassan's son is dramatic and perilous as he moves throughout the country, observing the terrible effects of life under the Taliban. Amir lives in mortal danger every moment he remains in Afghanistan, and his experiences there contribute much to the novel's development of plot and theme, as well as the development of Amir's character. A second physical journey Amir makes is escaping from Afghanistan as a boy and traveling with Baba to settle in the United States.

Amir makes other journeys, as well, journeys that are internal, abstract, and deeply spiritual in nature. He moves through a troubled childhood to find his identity, personally and professionally. As a boy, Amir creates stories from his imagination; his desire to write and his talent for writing are evident very early in his life. Although he receives no understanding, encouragement, or appreciation from Baba, he persists. As a young adult living in California, he goes to college and finds success as a writer.

He also journeys from childhood into adulthood in achieving a meaningful and fulfilling relationship with his father. As a boy, Amir's relationship with Baba had been fraught with pain and conflict, contributing to Amir's deeply felt insecurities. In making their escape from Afghanistan and in making a new and difficult life in California, Amir and his father redefine their relationship. Amir becomes his father's partner and then his protector, caring for him as he dies of cancer. Amir achieves a loving relationship with Baba.

Finally, Amir's most profound journey is spiritual, one in which he faces his past, deals with his guilt, and finds redemption for his sins. For many years, Amir had lived with the guilt and shame of his betrayal of Hassan during their childhood. When given a chance "to be good again," he chooses to risk his life in returning to Afghanistan to save Hassan's son. In facing Assef and fighting for Sohrab, Amir finds he is capable of great courage and sacrifice. After living with torment and self-hatred, he finds peace and self-respect.

In The Kite Runner, the impact of the journey can be measured in the emotional change that characters experience.

Hosseini's work shows how people change as a result of the journey they undertake. Baba changes when he and Amir move to America. He becomes more understanding towards his son and demonstrates greater compassion in his relationship with Amir.  While these emotions were always there, they become more demonstrative as a result of the journey to America.  

For his part, Amir changes when he undertakes the journey back to Afghanistan. Prior to his return to Afghanistan, Amir had to live with how he witnessed Hassan being abused.  He was unable to acknowledge the depth of his relationship with Hassan. However, as a result of his journey, Amir changes. He is forced to confront Assef and take action in the name of his friend.  When he was younger, these were situations where his weakness was exposed.  His journey back to Afghanistan represents a “way to be good again.”   Finally, the journey changes Sohrab.  His life experiences massive change upon leaving to America.  As a result of his journey, Sohrab learns to trust and be more open with people, in particular, Amir and Soraya.  

In each of these situations, the impact of the journey is to initiate change within characters.  

Hassan has to journey back to his childhood hut after being attacked by Assef and his friends. He was retrieving the prized, defeated kite for his friend for whom he would do anything. His friend, Amir, witnessed the attack and did not intervene in fear. The journey home represents the turning point in their relationship of best friends. Despite Hassan's apparent injuries and emotional distress, Amir does nothing to help him. Amir turns from his friend toward another path.

The journey of escape from Afghanistan of Amir and his father to the US represents a major turning point in the father-son relationship. Amir becomes the son he always wanted to be to the father who has crumbled from his once superior status in the Afghan society.

Amir's journey back to Afghanistan to redeem himself by saving Hassan's son is his path to redemption for betraying his childhood friend. Through this journey, Amir is able to bury his past transgressions and forge a path to the future. With the love of his wife and the slow recovery of his dead, best friend's traumatized son, Amir will find peace inside, something he has not felt since childhood.

Within the context of The Kite Runner, there are two significant journeys in the book, the first from Afghanistan to America, and the second, from America to Afghanistan.  The first journey results in Amir running away from his problems, while the second results in his facing his problems, and to the degree possible, solving them. 

Amir has betrayed Hassan, his friend and brother, in deep ways, for example, by not defending him against a bully and by allowing Hassan to be blamed for a theft. As Baba and Amir flee Afghanistan, that betrayal is unresolved and unatoned.  Whether Amir realizes it or not, it colors everything that happens to him in America, a guilt he always carries with him.  He tries to atone in many ways, by being a better son to Baba, through work, by respecting the traditions of his culture as he falls in love, by trying to do the right thing.  However, all of this does not alleviate his guilt because the person whom he has wronged is not the person he is doing the right thing for at all. 

So, his journey back is about atonement, about being "good again."  Amir must travel to Afghanistan to try to right the wrongs he has done.   Sadly, he cannot atone to Hassan, who is dead, but what he does do is seek out Hassan's son, who is in the hands of the Taliban and the bully Amir did not try to save Hassan from the first time.  This is a kind of reenactment for Amir of the original betrayal, not quite a "do over," since Hassan is gone, but still, a way of righting the wrong to the family.  

So, journeys can be about running away, and the message in that might be that one cannot ever runaway from oneself.  But running toward atonement can be the basis for a journey, too, which is what Amir's second journey results in, atonement and a form of redemption.  Putting things back to the way they should have been is seldom possible, but being "good again" is always possible, no matter what!