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’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.”

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.

The reason why this is my favorite passage is because, when Hassan and Amir were kids, Hassan would run the kite for Amir, and during this passage, Amir’s nephew (Hassan 's son)

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.

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.

The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini is a novel with multitudes of themes but the theme most integral to the story concerns friendship, guilt, and redemption. This theme was most important to the novel because the conflict in the book is intertwined with this theme, following the life of a man haunted by regrets. The book is told from the perspective of Amir and this is something he deals with for the entirety of the book after the incident with Hassan. Amir, even as a middle-aged man, is still haunted by what he hadn’t done for Hassan all those years ago. Amir’s entire life takes a certain path because of what he did or didn’t do during and after Hassan’s assault. Amir’s decision affected not only himself, but also Hassan. Their lives forever changed. Amir and Hassan were each other’s best friends and they grew together like brothers, though they didn’t know at the time. Amir feels as though he broke the sacred bond they had and he decided to make it right by finding Sohrab. This is the last thing he can do for Hassan. He cannot tell him he is sorry anymore. He doesn’t have any other paths of redemption.

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.

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,

With the help of several doctors and Amir, he is still alive. Soraya calls Amir to tell him that there is a way to bring Sohrab to California. The two of them head to Fremont, but Sohrab does not speak with anyone when he arrives in America. For months, Sohrab remains silent. In the month of March 2002, Soraya, Amir and Sohrab head off to a gathering of Afghans at Lake Elizabeth Park in Fremont. There are kites in the sky so Amir buys a kite for he and Sohrab to fly. At one point, Amir is able to cut off the string of a green kite and let it loose. Amir asks Sohrab if he wants him to run the green kite and Hassan nods at him. Before he runs off, he tells Sohrab, “for you, a thousand times over...” (391). This is one of the most powerful and memorable metaphors from the story. This metaphor is used to show Hassan’s loyalty and his deep love for Amir at the beginning of the story. Amir is now in Hassan’s shoes and is showing the same loyalty and deep love to Sohrab. Amir has finally found some peace in his life after bringing Sohrab to America. He did what Rahim Khan believes is true redemption and that is, “...when guilt leads to good”

Award-winning and movie-prone novels incorporate many literary devices, and these methods empower the story to a new level. In this case, one of these devices is symbolism, and The Book Thief is an extraordinary example that contains symbolism. There are three overlapping symbols in The Book Thief, and these symbols are bread, an accordion, and books. As well as the differences, the list of similarities between these symbols continues on forever.

ENG4U Ms. Davidson Sharon Shi May 20th, 2015 Sacrifice in The Kite Runner In the novel “The Kite Runner” by Khalad Hosseini, sacrifice is a major theme demonstrated through the various relationships existing between Amir and his family, also shaped by using the Islamic symbol. Thus, others’ sacrifices make Amir realize his selfness and carry a lifelong guilt towards whom have made sacrifices for him. The sacrifice of Hassan is demonstrated through the acceptance of being raped, undertake, and protect Amir’s family’s house after they leaves.

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.

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.

Write an essay that discusses three different significant symbols from the book. Explain the significance of the symbol, why it is symbolic and how over the course of the novel that symbol changes. Make sure to explain why the changes to the symbol are significant to the interpretation of the novel. (remember symbols can be both objects and characters)