Response to Sofia

I agree with Sofia when she says that the novel was a great read. I could not put the book down myself when I first started reading it. However, I did not feel the same way towards the end of the story about Amir. Though Amir saved Sohrab from the clutches of Assef, I do not believe that he did it out of love for the boy. Now, even though I stated during Shapiro’s lecture on The Stranger that human beings can conduct actions of selflessness whenever they wanted to and that humans are naturally good people, I do not believe that Amir is an example of what I was talking about. Amir continuously fights an everlasting war with himself because of the guilt of his inaction which has driven him mad. However, once he realized that he could “redeem” himself by saving Sohrab, he jumped at the chance because he wanted to free himself of the guilt that has haunted him since that time he left Hassan to get raped by Assef. So, I say that by the end of the novel I had grown a huge dislike for Amir and his cowardly behavior and do not see the goodness and kind-hearted behaviors that I believe to be in every man, woman, and child. Amir has not found his courage yet but, I still believe that there may be some good deep down in his heart and that there is still a chance for him to fully redeem himself and not in the eyes of Baba or Hassan but, in his own eyes. Then he will finally be free of the everlasting war he faces.