The Kite Runner ~ diction

"And again, something in his bottomless black eyes hinted at an unspoken secret between us. Except now I knew he knew. My suspicions had been right all those years. He knew about Assef, the kite, the money, the watch with the lightning bolt hands. He had always known. Come. There is a way to be good again, Rahim Khan had said on the phone just before hanging up. Said it in passing, almost as an afterthought. A way to be good again" (page 192).

This passage presents a great example of diction. Rahim Khan's word choice while on the phone was very simple, yet Amir knew it held a deeper meaning. The short phrase "A way to be good again" said just before hanging up led Amir to the conclusion that Rahim Khan knew all about Hassan and his childhood. He chose to say those few words to inspire Amir to travel to Pakistan in search of redemption. This diction sparked Amir's curiosity. Ever since the tragic incident in his childhood with Hassan, he had been searching for a source of redemption. Rahim Khan's hint toward redemption causes the rest of the story to occur; Amir travels to Pakistan and eventually overcomes his fear of Assef in order to find peace of mind. He was able to overcome his great childhood fear of Assef which initially led to the need for redemption. The diction in this short passage is vital to the progression of the plot; it puts Amir in the right mindset to carry him through the rest of the plot.