Pomegranate Tree In The Kite Runner

In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, Amir and Hassan were in paradise when playing around the pomegranate tree. The tree played a major role in representing the two young boy’s relationship throughout the book. “The pomegranate fruit is assumed to have originated in Iran and Afghanistan” (“The Pomegranate”) and is an extremely important symbol in the Muslim religion. Hosseini uses the pomegranate tree to symbolize many different qualities in the novel, such as, wealth, health, abundance, and fertility.
Wealth is an important quality believed to be represented by the pomegranate. Amir and Hassan had great wealth in their relationship together, but the wealth deteriorated when they split apart and the pomegranate tree shriveled up. With …show more content…
Pomegranates are used for many different health and medicinal purposes. “For centuries, pomegranates have been shown to eliminate parasites, lower blood pressure, assist in dental issues, [and] prevent cancer” (Bliss). Mental health had a major effect on Amir and Hassan’s relationship throughout the book. In the beginning, when their relationship was strong, they were both happy because they had a friend by their side. However, when Hassan was raped, their mental health turned ill. Both boys, too afraid to talk it over with each other, made the situation much worse. “Hassan knew” (105) Amir had the chance to help him in the alley, but Hassan still never said anything. He sacrificed himself for Amir, showing how much he cared for Amir’s feelings and would do anything for his best friend. Amir, tortured with guilt, was too afraid to ask anyone else for help or talk about it with Hassan. Instead, he tried to fix the situation by himself when he was throwing the pomegranates at Hassan. Amir did not do it just for fun or to pick on his friend. He threw the pomegranates hoping Hassan would fire back so Amir could feel some justice for what he did. Also, by throwing the fruit known for healing, Amir was not only trying to heal Hassan by smashing the fruit on him, but trying to force Hassan to retaliate so Amir could make an attempt of healing …show more content…
The pomegranate symbolizes fertility, for it is believed “many seeds in the fruit have long been associated with the eggs in a woman’s ovaries” (Bliss), and the “pomegranates stimulate a healthy sex drive” (Bliss). When the pomegranate tree died after Amir and Hassan’s friendship took a turn, it symbolized there was no fertility because the pomegranates were gone. Even though Hassan could have a kid, Amir could not, as a result of he was the one to split their relationship in two. It was his “punishment” (188) for hurting Hassan and never redeeming himself. According to Amir, “something, someone, somewhere, had decided to deny me fatherhood for the things I had done” (188). Another way Hosseini used the pomegranate to symbolize fertility was when Amir was throwing the pomegranates at Hassan. “Smeared in red” (93), Hassan was being pelted by the fruit, showing he was receiving the fertility of the pomegranate and soaking it in. When Amir destroyed the fruit on Hassan, it symbolized he ruined his chance of having children by smashing the pomegranates and destroying the fertility. The only way for Amir to raise a child was for him to travel back to Afghanistan and rescue Sohrab. It was his way of redemption by risking his life to save a child. After the journey, Amir was redeemed for his previous actions, and was able to raise a child