“That was a long time ago,but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out.”

This was said by the main character, Amir, who was affected by the hauntings of his past to such an extent, that it potentially ruined and effected his life forever, and because of these regrets from the past, he was never the same. But it wasn’t just Amir in the story who was affected by the past, it seemed like all of the characters had their own crosses to carry as far as previous events in their lives. Baba, Amir’s father was affected by the past of his wife’s death upon his son’s birth, and the fact that Hassan was secretly his son, but was forced to secrecy for the sake of his relationships with others. Amir was haunted by the fact that he treated Hassan horribly, lying and cursing him for no reason at all, and then watching him suffer and be tortured and raped without ever attempting to defend his “friend” and in the end, his brother. Hassan lived with knowing that he had been raped and falsely accused of several acts upon the boy who was supposed to always be there for him, Amir, but still went on with his everyday life as if it never happened, when deep down, he was suffering greatly from the effects of these occurences. These are all just a few examples of how the past always seems to come back and “claw its way out.” No matter what, you will never be able to truly escape it, and as human beings, we must live with what we have done, and realize that what you do, in the end, will always remain, and can never be truly “buried” or left in the past. This novel truly put this idea into perspective and harped upon this notion that for our actions, there are consequences in the end, whether they be good or bad, and that we all must live with these, as the characters within The Kite Runner did.