Eyes In The Kite Runner

Throughout this novel, Khaled Hosseini uses a significant amount of references to eyes in order to characterize individuals in this story. In the Kite Runner, eyes represent the personality and feelings of the characters. With the huge emphasis that was placed on eyes, Hosseini asserts that the eyes are a universal symbol of true emotion and feeling for any person. This is demonstrated when Amir says, “people say eyes are the windows to the soul” (pg 8) which is used to show that although Ali couldn’t smile, he was completely capable of revealing his true feelings with his eyes. In Afghan culture, it was commonplace for male figures to lack emotion in order to show power and a control. This is displayed through references to Baba, Assef, and …show more content…
After Hassan is raped by Assef, Amir expresses relief that darkness hides their faces from each other because Amir doesn’t want to see the look on Hassan’s eyes. He questions if Hassan’s eyes show “blame, indignation, or guiltless devotion. (pg 75)” It is important to note that Amir had a clear view of Hassan’s body language, and he heard the pain in Hassan’s voice. However, he is still unable to decipher Hassan’s true feelings because Amir is unable to see Hassan’s eyes. This provokes an important question. How much emphasis is placed on each of the levels of communication (voice, body language, and eyes)? It seems clear that there is a larger emphasis placed on the eyes for deciphering true feelings. This connects to the comparison between a religious sacrifice and Hassan’s rape. During the sacrifice, “sees the sheep’s eyes… watches because of that look of acceptance in the animal’s eyes… imagines the animal sees… imminent demise for a higher purpose” (pg76-77). The comparison between the sheep eye’s and Hassan’s eyes force Amir to understand what is happening, just as the sheep and Hassan do. Hosseini uses this motif brilliantly to demonstrate the true importance of eyes. Animals are ineffective in displaying their emotions to humans, just as people in Afghan culture rarely display their emotions. When Amir asserts that Hassan’s eyes were similar to the sheep’s …show more content…
Because emotion is a sign of weakness in Afghan culture, eyes are seemingly the only remaining option for uncovering the hidden emotions of others. For example, Amir says he sees “the fear creeping into Hassan’s eyes (pg 73). Although Hassan keeps relatively normal posture and composure, Amir can still see the fear in his eyes. Even though others couldn’t see the fear in Hassan’s eyes, Amir’s relationship with Hassan confirms the fact that Hassan is terrified. Although Hassan shows no external signs of fear, it is obvious to Amir that Hassan is scared.Similarly, Hosseini uses Assef’s eyes to characterize his as evil. Amir describes Assef as having “bloodshot blue eyes”, which immediately exemplifies the fact that Assef is an enemy. When they meet later in life, Assef “locked his bloodshot eyes on Amir.” Because of the negative connotation given to the word “bloodshot”, it is clear that Assef resents Amir in some form or fashion, even before Amir actually recognizes him. This evil glare is a parallel to the look given to Hassan when he is raped. Poetic justice becomes imminent when Hassan’s son takes Assef’s eye out with the slingshot and saves Amir. One essential point to note is Hosseini’s use of words after Assef’s eye is knocked out. Sohrab uses the brass ball on the user of the brass knuckles, and when the ball “The brass ball was still stuck in (Assef’s) empty eye socket”(pg 291). The