preview

Kite Runner Essay: The Power Of Words

Decent Essays

The final third of the novel contains a multitude of significant quotes pertaining to the action, characters and theme of the novel. The first quote, spoken by Raami’s mother, speaks volumes of the character of Raami. Raami’s mother states, “Turn your tongue seven times before speaking. This way you’ll have time to think if you ought to say things you want to say.” (212). This line is a direct stab at Raami’s character as she had previously told the soldiers of her father’s status in Cambodia. Raami’s mother expresses her desire to change Raami’s impulsive speaking behaviour as it obviously lead to the death of her husband. This is significant to Raami as it acts as the turning point in her character. Raami now understands how dangerous words can be and takes her mother’s comment to heart as she finishes the novel without talking to any strangers. Raami develops more maturity after she now realizes the situation she is in and the way she needs …show more content…

This reveals the theme of the novel just as Raami and her mother escape the dangers of Cambodia and take a helicopter to Vietnam. The major theme of the novel is that words, whether spoken or written, can be constructive and destruction. There are countless events in the novel where words proved to be constructive. For example, Raami’s father was a successful poet and used his words to inspire others. Another example is how Raami’s mother speaks in lyrically beautiful sentences to console and comfort Raami in her times of desperation. Some events in which words were destructive were when Raami revealed to the spies about her father’s lineage and when the Khmer Rouge attempted to create propaganda through radio broadcasts to discourage the rebel forces and the citizens of Cambodia. In summary, Raami’s statement is significant to the theme of the novel as it encapsulates the effects of words throughout the

Get Access