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Symbolism Of The Kites By Khaled Hosseini

Satisfactory Essays

Symbolism of the Kites
Throughout The Kite Runner, the author, Khaled Hosseini, shows that there are many different kites that relate to important details about the story. From the first kite out in the annual kite flying tournament to the last kite that falls from the sky, they all have meaning. To Amir and Hassan kite flying was both fun and competitive, but they did not realize the problem it would lead to.
Kites are mentioned from the beginning of the book to the end. The book begins with Amir in San Francisco twenty-six years after one of the most scarring issues of his life. Amir is quoted in saying, “Then I glanced up and saw a pair of kites, red with long blue tails, soaring in the sky...like a pair of eyes looking down on San Francisco...And suddenly Hassan’s voice whispered in my head: For you, a thousand times over” (1-2). Hassan was Amir’s servant, a friend, and a very altruistic person. After twenty-six years Amir sees these kites and is reminded of a traumatizing event that left him and Hassan two different people.
The majority of the population in Kabul loved winter the most. “The reason was simple: They shut down school for the icy season...And kites, of course. Flying kites. And running them” (48-49). Every winter there were districts in Kabul that held kite-fighting tournaments. The tournaments were everybody 's favorite part of the cold season. Amir states that he never sleeps before the night of the tournament. Hassan and Amir were very good at kite

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