The only thing that separates humans from the savagery of mere animals is our ability to distinguish right from wrong. Throughout thousands of years of evolution and our own constant road towards an unstable future, humans have long grappled with morals and ethics. It is up to the individual to determine what they believe to hold true in situations that test their values. Literature shows us scenarios to interpret without the risk of real experiences – literature tests our ideas of what it means to be “a good person”. Critic Roland Barthes describes literature as “the question minus the answer”.
In the novel The Kite Runner by Hoseinni, we see through the eyes of an Afghan boy named Amir as he continuously makes selfish decisions fueled by his own sense of childish jealousy and feelings of inadequacy. As he grows into a man and pushes his regrets to the side – though not ever completely out of his mind – he learns to live through and accept the pain he caused both himself and his best friend, Hassan. Towards the end of the novel, Amir goes to great lengths to earn the redemption he feels he needs in order to finally be at peace. The Kite Runner asks the audience what it truly means to be a good person – do we need to be born with goodness in our hearts, do we live the way that is comfortable and right according to ourselves, or do we have to constantly fail and prove that we are good? When thinking of a “good person”, a common example often comes to mind. Usually, it is someone that makes decisions selflessly and has only pure intentions even when faced with the temptation of sin. These traits are often seen in the stereotypical hero or main character in a story.
However, in The Kite Runner, these are only seen in the protagoni. .swer the question of what is “a good person”. Though literature is “the question without the answer”, we’re still able to draw our own conclusions from its lessons. Hosseini’s novel asks us what it means to be good with the intricate and difficult personal relationships throughout. Whether you see someone as good through their personal actions or how those actions affected others, “good” is a relative term.
To me, a good person is someone who doesn’t always make the right decisions but understands and feels remorse when they realize the fault in their actions. That person never stops trying to right their wrongs. The Kite Runner is the perfect story to demonstrate that: though Amir damaged his life and others’ singlehandedly through childish jealousy towards his friend, he understands that he can “be good again” by owning up to his mistakes and making things right.
