In the Kite Runner, what are two significant quotes said by Rahim Khan, and why are they significant?

While there are a numerous quotes from Rahim Khan that can be explored, there are two in particular that seem to stand out: “Come. There is a way to be good again” and “may I have it, Amir jan? I would very much like to read it.”

Though the sentence is short and simple, its impact is significant for several reasons. First, it’s repeated several times throughout the novel, first in chapter one as a flashback / memory of a conversation between Amir and Rahim Khan that will happen in the future, and again in chapter fourteen, when the conversation actually occurs. What Khan said was significant because he knows that Amir saw what happened to Hassan in the alley and did nothing to stop it, and Amir feels guilt and shame. Khan is implicitly telling Amir that he can redeem himself and forgive himself for what happened all those years ago. Other actions of Amir that add to his shame and guilt are when he accuses Hassan of stealing, and also for the fact that he survived when he escaped Kabul with his father, leaving Hassan behind.

Amir spends many years tortured by his past actions. After Amir has become a grown man, he receives a call from Rahim Khan that will change his future.

What Amir eventually learns from Khan is that Hassan was actually his half-brother. Unfortunately, Hassan has passed away by this time, leaving behind a son, Sohrab. What Khan means when he says, “Come. There is a way to be good again,” is that if Amir returns to Kabul, he might find redemption for his unfavorable actions (rather, inaction) by saving Hassan’s son – Amir’s nephew – who has found himself in a similar situation as his father had.

The second quote, “may I have, Amir jan? I would very much like to read it” occurs in chapter four, and is significant because Amir finally receives the encouragement he had needed to hear all his life. As a child Amir loved to look at and learn from the books in his father’s library, and he had written several stories. He was discouraged due to his father’s lack of interest in his writing, and for Khan, who is like a second father to Amir, his interest in reading Amir’s writing is life changing. Also, is the significance of the use of jan after Amir’s name, signifying a term of endearment that he rarely heard from his own father. Without Khan’s interest and positive input (returning the story with a note, and the one word that stood out: “bravo”), was a large factor in forming the path that Amir would travel.