Hosseini’s The Kite Runner: A Look at Violence In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, violence is a reoccurring motif. This violence is used in the novel for different reasons. It is used to highlight the theme of the search for redemption, for characterization and to emphasize the symbols in the novel. Violence is a key element in The Kite Runner and is essential to emphasize the other key elements in the story. One of the themes in The Kite Runner is the search for redemption. Rahim Khan’s famous quote: “There’s a way to be good again” (Hosseini 2) is what starts Amir’s journey for redemption. Violence is a valuable motif to highlight this theme in the novel. Hassan getting raped is the core of the novel and while describing the rape
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The cleft lip is a symbol that represents Hassan. During Assef and Amir’s fight, Amir says: “Lying on the floor, blood from my split upper lip staining the mauve carpet… wondering when I’d be able to breathe again,” (Hosseini 302). This reminds him of Hassan and he feels closer to Hassan while feeling relieved of his guilt. All the problems that Hassan had as a child with that cleft lip, he was now going to experience that with what will later become a scar on his lip. In the novel kite fighting seems innocent and for fun, but in reality it is still violence hence the name. The violence in kite fighting helps emphasize the symbol of kites in the story and its deeper meaning. Amir wanted to win the kite fighting tournament to make Baba proud: “I was going to win, and I was going to run that last kite. Then I’d bring it home and show it to Baba. Show him once and for all that his son was worthy.” (Hosseini 60) Amir was willing to enter this violence and this kite fighting tournament that has no rules, run the last kite to make Baba proud. That one kite would make Baba proud of Amir and that’s exactly what Amir wanted. Finally, the symbol of the lamb wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for violence. The symbol of the lamb is used to represent Hassan and Sohrab, because they are like the young innocent lambs who are being sacrificed (Hosseini 81, 298). This violence that both Hassan and Sohrab endures but can’t do anything about is what makes them lambs. To conclude, the symbols in the novel are emphasized by the violence throughout the
The cleft lip is a symbol that represents Hassan. During Assef and Amir’s fight, Amir says: “Lying on the floor, blood from my split upper lip staining the mauve carpet… wondering when I’d be able to breathe again,” (Hosseini 302). This reminds him of Hassan and he feels closer to Hassan while feeling relieved of his guilt. All the problems that Hassan had as a child with that cleft lip, he was now going to experience that with what will later become a scar on his lip. In the novel kite fighting seems innocent and for fun, but in reality it is still violence hence the name. The violence in kite fighting helps emphasize the symbol of kites in the story and its deeper meaning. Amir wanted to win the kite fighting tournament to make Baba proud: “I was going to win, and I was going to run that last kite. Then I’d bring it home and show it to Baba. Show him once and for all that his son was worthy.” (Hosseini 60) Amir was willing to enter this violence and this kite fighting tournament that has no rules, run the last kite to make Baba proud. That one kite would make Baba proud of Amir and that’s exactly what Amir wanted. Finally, the symbol of the lamb wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for violence. The symbol of the lamb is used to represent Hassan and Sohrab, because they are like the young innocent lambs who are being sacrificed (Hosseini 81, 298). This violence that both Hassan and Sohrab endures but can’t do anything about is what makes them lambs. To conclude, the symbols in the novel are emphasized by the violence throughout the