To Live Your Dream, You Must Face Your Nightmares

Everyone does things they regret. Everyone looks back on something and wishes they could do it differently. Everyone has that one thing, that one memory that burns in the back of their mind. That one memory they try to forget. Because everyone is human, and humans make mistakes. But it's not the mistake that shows who you truly are, but the way you chose to cope with it. Through The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini takes readers on a journey through mistakes, redemption, and forgiveness. His character Amir never defended Hassan, the one friend he ever had, even as Hassan got raped right before his eyes. He lied about having seen this tragedy to his father and to Hassan. Then Amir stole from this poor friend, ultimately causing Hassan to loose the one thing he cherished most; his family. For years, this memory haunted him. Everything that went wrong seemed to be connected to that night. But as Amir grew up, he learned to face his nightmares in order to live his dream. Amir shows readers everywhere that mistakes don't define you, but rather the way you rectify them.

Amir and Hassan were partners in crime, and best friends. They grew up like brothers. But despite all that, they were very different. Amir was born into a family with everything. He was a rich, spoiled child, growing up as a prince. Hassan was a poor, servant boy, working for Amir's family day in and day out. However Hassan had something Amir never really had. Amir's father - Baba's - love. Because Amir was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he became greedy and selfish, making his own father ashamed of him. Hassan was pure and down to earth, which quickly made him gain Baba's attention. This caused Amir to resent Hassan, and no matter how many times Hassan saved him from his foolishness, Amir's jealousy got the best of him. So when that night came, and he saw his best friend get raped, Amir never said a word. And this seemingly small decision negatively changed his life forever. By reading this book, readers an come to realize that mistakes are never something to be proud of, but their consequences don't have to last forever. Readers can realize from Amir, that the faster you take action, the longer you can be free.

When Amir moves to America, it is as if he is trying to run away from the past. It works; he has a new life and a fresh start. Until Baba gets sick with cancer, and it all floods back to his memory. When Baba dies, Amir blames himself. He believes Babas death was Allah's way of giving Amir karma after all of the mistakes he made back in Afghanistan. This is when Amir realizes that the awful memories will never stop coming back. He will never fully escape or be free unless he redeemed himself. When his uncle still living in Afghanistan calls and tells him Hassan has died and his son has become an orphan, Amir jumps at the chance to finally make it up to all of those he had wronged. He travels to Kabul, his hometown, retrieve his old friend's son. Heading into Afghanistan, the plan was to drop the child, Sohrab, off at an American orphanage. But, when Amir gets Sohrab, Amir is caught up in a whirlwind of chaos. He learns Hassan was his biological brother all along, making Sohrab his nephew. Additionally, he is faced with Hassan's raper, Assef, who has joined the Taliban. They get in a fight resulting in Sohrab poking one of Assef's eyes out with a slingshot, and Assef cracking multiple of Amir's ribs. In the hospital, Amir then finds out there is no American orphanage to drop Sohrab off at because Amir's uncle set him up. After all of these incidents, Amir decides that he will adopt his nephew and take him home to America with him. After decades of pain, Amir will have finally made it up to Baba, Hassan, and most importantly, himself. From his road to redemption, Amir can teach readers that the best way to rectify your mistakes is to come clean and do good. Because being sorry isn't enough, if you do nothing, your mistakes do start defining you.

Amir had lied, stole, and been so wrapped up in himself to realize his negative effect on others. Taking care of Sohrab, someone who he could love and have bring out the best in him, was Amir showing readers that the only way to live your dream, is to face your worst nightmares. Baba had always hoped for his son to be a man of honor. A man who stood up for what he believed in and never let other's tell him what to do. This memory of letting his brother down in his time of need, had made Amir do awful things. But instead of letting that push him around for the rest of his life, Amir learned to rise above the mistakes he had made and learned to embrace the future and forget the past. Readers can take away from Amir's new found selflessness that the best way to let go of the past is to forgive yourself, before you can expect anyone else to. I think that Allah's gift to Amir was Sohrab. Amir had lost his home, his father, and his dignity, but after proving himself worthy love, Allah let him keep Sohrab. His nephew was something he worked for, and working was never something Amir was good at. Amir, along with the readers, learns that working for anything is what makes you deserve it. Forgiveness isn't just handed out. You've got to deserve it.

Getting over the past is one of the most difficult things for people to do. As humans, we all makes mistakes. No matter big or small, we learn to fix our mistakes and work to gain forgiveness. Through his book The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini illustrates the journey to find forgiveness. Amir is far from perfect, but a role model is relatable. Even though Amir made mistakes, he was able to accept them and learn from them. Readers can take away from this book that dwelling on the past will never let you move forward in life. To live your dream life, you must confront your worst nightmares.