In the novel The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini tells a remarkable coming-of-age story that portrays the actions and thoughts of Amir, a penitent adult living in the United States and his memory of his affluent childhood in the unstable political environment of Afghanistan. Throughout the novel Khaled Hosseini uses character description to show his thoughts on sin and redemption. The main character described in the novel is Amir. Amir is the narrator and protagonist of the story. Although he is the impressionable and intelligent son of a wealthy businessman, he grows up with a sense of entitlement. Hassan is Amir's half-brother, best friend and a servant of Baba. Although considered inferior in Afghan society, Hassan repeatedly proves himself to be a loyal friend to Amir. Baba is the rich and respected father of Amir and Hassan. He is willing to risk his life for what he believes in, but he is ashamed of having a child with a Hazara woman, which leads him to hide the fact that Hassan is his son. Ali is another modest man, who is a father figure to Hassan and a servant to Baba. The search for redemption is prevalent through Amir's description. At the beginning of the novel, Amir strives to redeem himself in his father's eyes. To do this, Amir feels he must win the annual kite flying tournament. The redemption Amir seeks later in the novel stems from his guilt towards Hassan. In chapter three, Baba says, “A boy who does not stand up for himself becomes a man who cannot resist anything” (Hosseini 25). This is the moment Amir's moral standard for complete redemption is established. As an adult, the only way he can redeem himself is to demonstrate that he has the courage to stand up for what is right. “I became what I am today at the age of two… middle of the paper…” ..d “liberating” until you did, you were in a room full of targets [the Hazaras in Mazar- i-Sharif], you let the bullets fly, free from guilt and remorse, knowing that you are virtuous, good and respectable. Knowing that you are doing God's work. It's breathtaking." He kissed the prayer beads, bowed his head. (24) Hassan represents all that is good and kind and Assef represents all things evil. Through the character descriptions of Amir, Hassan and Assif, Hosseini showed his thoughts on sin and redemption In the novel redemption is so important because sin is so lasting by telling us not how exactly he sinned, but about the endurance of sin: “It's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past makes its way." (15) Hosseini uses character structure and description to emphasize the themes of sin and redemption.