Symbolism In The Kite Runner

Thesis: Betrayal leads to feeling of guilt which forces the person in search of redemption either directly or through indirect actions and gestures.

Khaled Hosseini’s, “The Kite Runner”, uses an abundance of diction and tone, to convey a centralized motif. Hosseini, uses three specific symbols throughout the story, the cleft lip; kites; the lamb. The central symbols, tie into what the overall theme is of the story, the search of redemption, tension and love between father and son. Hosseini expressed his centralized motif of irony and regressing in time by using symbolism and figurative language to make his point more clear “I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba.”

The Kite Runner is the first novel of Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. It tells the story of Amir, a boy from Kabul, Afghanistan, whose closest friend is Hassan, a young Hazara servant. Novel turns around these two characters and Baba, Amir’s father, by telling their tragic stories, guilt and redemption that are woven throughout the novel. Even in the difficult moments, characters build up to their guilt and later on to their redemption. Their sins and faults alter the lives of innocent people. First, Amir and Baba fail to take action on the path to justice for Ali and Hassan. Moreover, Amir and Baba continue to build up their guilt due to their decisions and actions. Although Amir builds up more guilt than Baba throughout the novel, he eventually succeeds in the road to redemption unlike his father. After all, Amir and Baba have many chances to fix their atonements but Baba chooses not to and Amir does. Baba uses his wealth to cover up his sins but never atone himself while Amir decides to stand up and save Sohrab and finally finds peace. Amir and Baba’s reaction to sins essentially indicate their peace of mind and how they react to guilt and injustice.

One major theme that is evident in The Kite Runner is that scars are reminders of life’s pain and regret, and, though you can ease the regret and the scars will fade, neither will completely go away. We all have regrets and always will, but though it will be a long hard process we can lessen them through redemption. The majority of The Kite Runner is about the narrator and protagonist, Amir. Almost all of the characters in The Kite Runner have scars, whether they are physical or emotional. Baba has scars all down his back from fighting a bear, but he also has emotional scars from not being able to admit that Hassan was also his son. Hassan is born with a cleft lip, but for his birthday Baba pays for it to be fixed, which left a small scar above his mouth. Hassan also has emotional scars from being raped. The reader is probably shown the emotional scars of Amir the most. Amir has emotional scars because he feels that he killed his mother, and also because his father emotionally neglects him. In the end of the novel, Amir receives many physical scars from getting beaten up by Assef, when rescuing Sohrab. Though scars will never go away and are a reminder of the past, not all scars are bad.

Khaled Hosseini uses various symbols and biblical allusions in his novel, ‘The Kite Runner’ to show how each of the characters were connected to each other in more ways than one. Throughout the story the author introduces various symbols that embody biblical teachings, vampirism and the path to redemption.

Although irony may be associated with negative events or actions, it can also be a sign of good for characters within stories. According to Dictionary.com, irony in literature is defined as “a technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated.” The use of irony is found within the novel The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini. Hosseini uses irony to portray and develop the main dynamic character in this story, Amir. Most of the major events Amir is faced with at a younger age seemingly come full circle when he reaches adulthood. Irony plays a role as Amir lives through tragic events that ultimately teach him how to become a better person.

Color symbolism has been used across cultures for thousands of years, and The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini is no exception. Colors play an extremely important role in the novel by contributing to the reader’s own understanding of the text. Hosseini’s use of the colors blue, red, and green depict the concepts of characterization of Hassan and Amir, tone towards the Taliban, and inter-novel connections.

The novel, The Kite Runner, tells a tale of two boys, Amir and Hassan, from two total different backgrounds and their rollercoaster ride of a friendship. The story of their friendship is tied together with different stages of a nearby pomegranate tree. During the first part of the novel, Hassan and Amir’s friendship is strong, and likewise, the pomegranate tree is blossoming. However, as the book Hassan and Amir began to drift apart, the pomegranate tree slowly dies and is said to never bear fruit again.The recurring symbol of the pomegranate tree is used to symbolize the different stages in Hassan and Amir’s relationship.

In addition, symbolism is shown to portray redemption at the climax of the book. Amir has rescued Hassan's son, Sohrab, from captivity in Kabul. However, a recent life of sexual abuse has rendered his emotions inert. Attending an Afghan summer celebration, Amir notices a kite-fighting tournament taking place. Purchasing a kite for him and Sohrab, they accomplish in cutting another. Looking down at Sohrab, Amir sees the vacant look in his eyes is gone. “Whistles and applause broke out. I was panting. The last time I had felt a rush like this was that day in the Winter of 1975, just after I had cut the last kite, when I spotted Baba on our rooftop, clapping, beaming. I looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided. Hardly there. But there” (Hosseini, 391). Thus Amir redeems himself, and thus it is shown that symbolism portrays redemption throughout the story.

When Assef rapes Hassan, Amir convinces himself, “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba. (Chapter 7)” In the Islamic culture, the killing of a lamb represents sacrifice. At this circumstance, Hassan is describes as a sacrificial lamb. The word “lamb”, “slay”, and “win” make clear that Amir wants to gain the approval and affection of Baba by sacrificing Hassan.

Orwell misleads the reader through the characterization of O’Brien who at first is presented as a fellow rebel and a member of the Brotherhood but is revealed to be a zealous member of the Inner Party. The conflicting ideas posed through this character reflect the inability for Winston to trust what he knows. During Winston’s first acknowledgement of the other man he mentions his “coarse brutality” as well as his “delicacy of gesture.” These contrasting descriptions form the first images of ambiguity surrounding this character. Through the conflicting ideas presented we are led to trust Winston’s interpretation of the situation, despite the effect of unease that the contrast prompts. The narrator later considers O’Brien’s facial expression, “Perhaps it was not even unorthodoxy that was written in his

Mae gets accepted into the Circle and he parents, “were treating her to a celebratory dinner commemorating her fist week at the Circle. This was the kind of sentimental slop they were always doing- at least recently” (Eggers 124). Her parents began doing simple things with her later in her life. They are trying to catch up with all the times they missed throughout her life. The dinners become a symbol of trying to become a family after their time apart.

Harvey Freedenberg in an online article titled “The Kite Runner,” says that Hosseini “demonstrates striking skill at melding a page-turning story with intensely involving characters and conflicts.” He says what makes people love the book so much is, “ that it wrestles with themes… [Of] friendship, betrayal, the relationship between fathers and sons, the quest for redemption and the power of forgiveness.” Erin Miller in an online article titled “Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini” complements Freedenberg’s analysis by saying that another reason why so many people love this book is that “The core story could be set in any culture because it deals with issues that are universal,” so readers can relate to the familiar themes.

At the end of the novel, the roles are swapped. Amir acts as the kite runner, whereas Sorhab (Hassan’s son who represents Hassan at this point) is the kite flyer. This could be symbolic of Amir completing his journey of redemption and him re establishing his relationship with Hassan. In particular, I feel that in chapter 7, the Blue Kite is used as a symbol of Hassan’s loyalty towards Amir. Hassan will not give up the blue kite which he ran for Amir after winning the kite tournament, even when he is faced with rape as he is afraid that giving up the kite will jeopardize his friendship with Amir. This could be seen as symbolic of the protection and dedication which Hassan shows towards Amir. The blue kite is an object which is in between Hassan and Assef in chapter seven, in the same way that in chapter five, Amir is in between Hassan and Assef. Hassan won’t let the blue kite get torn or damaged by Assef in the same way that he wouldn’t let Assef hurt Amir in chapter 5, in my opinion the blue kite is clearly a symbol of Hassan’s dedication and devotion towards Amir; he would rather endure rape than disappoint him.

literary devices help readers understand the novel. By doing this, it helps the readers capture the meaning behind moments that happened and their literal and figurative meaning. In The Kite Runner, KhaledHosseini discusses the search for redemption, friendship and the effects of guilt. Throughout the text, Hosseini develops these ideas by using symbolism, such as Amir’s scar and how it represents brotherhood, redemption, and peace. Khaled