Symbols In The Kite Runner

Kites signify how much guilt has overtaken Amir and how he doesn't like flying anymore after the incident that happened with Hassan.

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.

Symbol: The pomegranate tree and the pomegranate are symbolic because in earlier chapters of the book it symbolizes Amir and Hassan 's friendship, as they carve their names in it and sit under it. When Amir hits Hassan with the pomegranates and demands that he fight back, Hassan smashes a pomegranate against his own forehead, sacrificing himself again for Amir, but it signifies the end of their friendship as Amir cannot stand the way Hassan sacrifices himself for him and it builds the guilt in Amir.

This is very hard on Amir because he ends up growing up without a real parental figure in his life and blames himself for his mother’s passing, for she had died giving birth to him. A few days before the day of the kite flying competition, Baba takes Amir and Hassan to buy kites from an old blind man. “If I changed my mind and asked for a bigger and fancier kite, Baba would buy it for me - but then he'd buy it for Hassan too. Sometimes I wished he wouldn't do that. Wished he'd let me be the favorite” (chapter 5). This displays Amir’s jealousy for his father’s interest in Hassan due to the fact that Baba treats Hassan like his own son and not him, leaving Amir feeling neglected and alone. At the kite fighting competition the next day, it came down to Amir and a blue kite, fighting for first place. When Amir wins the competition the blue kite fly’s off; so Hassan, Amir’s loyal best friend offers to go find the blue kite and return it to Amir. In the processes of looking for the kite, Hassan ends up getting cornered in an alley with three vicious bullies. Amir stumbles upon them in the alley but instead of stepping in, he thinks of how badly he wants the kite as well as his father’s approval so he chooses not to step in, as a result he watches his best

Baba always purchases identical kites for both Amir and Hassan. Amir is not happy about being treated the same as Hassan stating “Sometimes I wish he wouldn’t do that. Wished he’d let me be the favourite. This reinforces the jealousy that Amir has and introduces and demonstrates Amir’s desperation to win and earn Baba’s love. This section identifies Hassan clearly as the kite runner as he was “by far the greatest kite runner” Amir had ever seen. (pg 46).

symbols such as kite flying, his mother’s death, and the characters’ facial scars, the author asks readers to question their own internal strifes and if they too have demons. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the search for redemption is symbolized, time and time again, showing that redemption is the driving force behind self­discovery. Everyone is plagued with internal strifes; however, none more that Amir. The author brings Amir and Hassan together by making them fly kites with one another every year. After Hassan’s sexual assault, Amir never flew kites again. That was until Amir saved Sohrab, Hassan’s child. Amir states just how long it has been since he had last flown kites “ I hadn’t flown a kite in a quarter century, but suddenly I was 12 again and all the old instincts came rushing back.” (Hosseini 368). By having Amir fly kites with Sohrab in the end of the novel, the author shows that dishonesty is redeemable,

The Kite Runner is a historical fiction novel written in 2003 by author Khaled Hosseini. Set in Kabul Afghanistan, we follow the footsteps of characters and the hardships and challenges they face. Hosseini utilizes multiple symbols to shape the reader’s reaction towards the teetering relationships within the novel. Symbols such as a bear, pomegranate tree and a cleft help show the importance of different relationships.

In the “The Kite Runner” there are various symbols, such as the kite which represents Amir's yearning of Baba's love and approval. That he was deprived of all his life and thinks that the kite is the only way to his father's love. This is very ironic because Baba wants a son that will stand up for himself “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.” this quote explains how Baba believes Amir is cowardly and wants a son who will stand up for himself but instead Amir takes the cowardly route. Another example of a symbol would be the pomegranate tree it represents Amir and Hassan's friendship.

He writes ‘and maybe, just maybe I would finally be pardoned for killing my mother.’ Amir imagines that through the cutting of the string of the final kite, the blue kite, that he cuts loose his painful longing for his father's love and approval. At the end of the kite running tournament, Amir searches the neighborhood until he arrives at an alleyway, Assef and two other boys surrounded Hassan. Amir peers from a corner, Hassan stands strong when Assef refers to him as 'an ugly Hazara pet,' he refuses to hand over the kite. Hassan is not shaken by the words of Assef and the boys charge him. In fear and greed Amir keeps quiet and ultimately watches Hassan get

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.

The kite is an excellent representation of Amir’s past. Amir has a dark past that haunts him majority of his life. Kite fighting was one of his favorite pastimes. The sport took place in the winter and many children enjoyed it. On page 48, the author wrote ”winter was every kid’s favorite season in Kabul.”

For an example, Amir sees kite flying as a narrow bridge he must cross to reach his father. "Baba and I lived in the same house, but in different spheres of existence. Kites were the one paper-thin slice of intersection between those spheres" (Amir 49). Despite fulfilling his father's command by winning the kite flying tournament, Amir still cannot attain a profound relationship with his father. Later, he says, "We'd actually deceived ourselves into thinking that a toy made of tissue paper, glue, and bamboo could somehow close the chasm between us" (87). The bond between father and son is as thin as the paper with which the kites are made, proving the difficulty Baba and Amir would experience in order to connect with each other. Hassan’s rape later then occurs after Amir won the kite flying tournament. Although Amir considers the kite to be the pathway to his father’s heart, it leads Hassan being raped by Assef. Before the rape, Assef says, "I'm letting you keep the kite, Hazara. I'll let you keep it so it will always remind you of what I'm about to do" (73). These words made an impression on Amir’s heart that it will never be forgotten. The kite is now a reminder to Amir about the pain he has caused to Hassan due to his selfishness and coward self.

Hosseini also states that Hassan’s lip symbolizes the cultural and social differences throughout the novel, and how Amir's slingshot symbolizes the loyalty, their childhood, and explains standing up for what is right. The Kite Runner is a story of about an Afghan­American boy named Amir who has flashbacks that visually depict how his life was when he was just a young boy living in Afghanistan. It was a time of injustice as he searches for a redemption of his past guilts. Hosseini shows readers how Amir matures, and how he felt about different experiences during his life back in Afghanistan. The Kite Runner employs symbolism to show the experiences and moments in Amir’s life that have meaning to him and have left an impact on his life forever. By using symbolism, Hosseini makes readers think about how much earlier experiences and moments have shaped Amir’s life in The Kite Runner.

Language and Symbols are evident in two important scenes, in the beginning of the film and once the Kadam family plant roots in France. In the opening scene we see little Hassan falling in love with food and the bond it created between his mother. Once the family is in France food becomes the symbol of the family’s love and remaining connected to mama Kadam. Food becomes the symbol that occurs thought the film in all scenes.

The theme that is displayed throughout both stories is betrayal. In The Kite Runner, there is a big moment of betrayal. Amir and Hassan are really close friends. Hassan always sticks up for Amir when there is trouble. There was a time when Hassan pulled out a slingshot to scare off a bully named Assef. In the book it says, “Hassan had pulled the elastic band all the way back. In the cup was a rock the size of a walnut. Hassan held the slingshot pointed directly at Assef’s face” (Hosseini 42). The bullies ended up leaving and they were saved. Amir does not do the same in return though. His father Baba even knows that he won’t stand up to anyone. Baba says, “A boy who won’t stand up for himself, becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything” (Hosseini 22). After winning a kite tournament, Hassan goes to retrieve a kite and bring it back to Amir. He gets caught in an alley by the three bullies again. Amir does nothing to help his friend out. The book says,