Authors purposefully create characters with physical differences that stand out in the characters’ society to enhance the story by representing the character’s potential to accomplish a goal that propels the plot. The physical differences can be seen as imperfections like in the novel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, who incorporates cleft lips to describe nature of the characters that foreshadows future events. The physical traits play an important role with The Kite Runner and without the usage of unique physical traits, characterization, foreshadowing, and symbolism will not be expressed in the same way. The reader may be confused when the events do not connect to form a coherent understanding. Therefore, Hosseini uses physical differences
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Hosseini uses the cleft lip to symbolise the class difference between Amir and Hassan; Amir being a Pashtun and regarded as the upper class, and Hassan being a Hazara, a servant who is marked with an imperfection (10). His cleft lip makes Hassan appear to be always smiling, until Baba had given Hassan facial surgery to fix the cleft lip, which symbolises fixing the gap class difference between Hassan and Amir. After the surgery, Hassan was left a “faint scar” (47) that is symbolic of being tainted. During Hassan’s examination, “his lips twisted” (47) and Amir recognized that Hassan was actually smiling. But with an ironic twist, Amir said that that was “the winter Hassan stopped smiling” (47), which indicates that a bad event will take place and Hassan is involved. Hosseini later reveals that Hassan is raped by Assef, who “scars” Hassan. Amir witnessed it and did not say anything. And so, his guilt caused him frame Hassan by having him “steal” his watch. Hassan was interrogated by Baba, and he answered, “yes” (105) due to his kind nature which was characterized by his cleft lip.
In the end of the story, Amir receives a cleft lip after being beaten for standing up for the Sohrab, Hassan’s son. In the beginning of the story, Assef was about to beat up Amir, but Hassan stopped the fight. Now, after many years Amir is fighting Assef to stand up for Sohrab. Amir was badly beaten and later found out that after being beaten around, his upper lip was cut down the middle and that he would have a scar (297). He is like Hassan, physically and
Hosseini uses the cleft lip to symbolise the class difference between Amir and Hassan; Amir being a Pashtun and regarded as the upper class, and Hassan being a Hazara, a servant who is marked with an imperfection (10). His cleft lip makes Hassan appear to be always smiling, until Baba had given Hassan facial surgery to fix the cleft lip, which symbolises fixing the gap class difference between Hassan and Amir. After the surgery, Hassan was left a “faint scar” (47) that is symbolic of being tainted. During Hassan’s examination, “his lips twisted” (47) and Amir recognized that Hassan was actually smiling. But with an ironic twist, Amir said that that was “the winter Hassan stopped smiling” (47), which indicates that a bad event will take place and Hassan is involved. Hosseini later reveals that Hassan is raped by Assef, who “scars” Hassan. Amir witnessed it and did not say anything. And so, his guilt caused him frame Hassan by having him “steal” his watch. Hassan was interrogated by Baba, and he answered, “yes” (105) due to his kind nature which was characterized by his cleft lip.
In the end of the story, Amir receives a cleft lip after being beaten for standing up for the Sohrab, Hassan’s son. In the beginning of the story, Assef was about to beat up Amir, but Hassan stopped the fight. Now, after many years Amir is fighting Assef to stand up for Sohrab. Amir was badly beaten and later found out that after being beaten around, his upper lip was cut down the middle and that he would have a scar (297). He is like Hassan, physically and