Symbolism in The Kite Runner
In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, after the main character, Amir, fails to prevent the rape of his best friend Hassan, he is forced to deal with the repercussions of his guilt. He makes an attempt for redemption by standing up against the Taliban leader Assef and protecting Hassan’s son, Sohrab. The symbols of the kite, the cleft lip, and the lamb appear to Amir, demonstrating the maturity of his own character and uniting his personality with Hassan’s.
The symbol of the lamb represents the change in Amir’s character from a dependent child to a courageous adult. The symbol first appears when Assef assaults Hassan in front of Amir. He recalls that Hassan had “a look [he] had seen before. It was the look …show more content…
After Amir and Hassan win the kite fighting competition held in Kabul, Hassan claims “‘Right now, I’m going to run that blue kite for you... for you a thousand times over!’”(66-67). This symbol explores the relationship between Amir and Hassan. By retrieving the kite, Amir believes he will win over his father, and Hassan willingly helps him with this task. This proves more harmful than initially intended, because it leads to Hassan’s assault. However, Hassan exemplifies his unwavering loyalty towards Amir, “Even from where I was standing, I could see the fear creeping into Hassan’s eyes, but he shook his head. ‘Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly. This is his kite’” (72). Hassan willingly accepts the assault, because of how important the kite is to Amir. Kite running appears again in the book when Amir runs a kite for Sohrab: “I looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided… ‘Do you want me to run that kite for you… For you a thousand times over,’ I heard myself say.” (371). Similarly to the first time this symbol appeared, it explores the relationship between Amir and Sohrab. However, this time the relationship is reversed; Amir has essentially taken Hassan’s role in this new relationship and is willing to do anything for Sohrab’s
In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, after the main character, Amir, fails to prevent the rape of his best friend Hassan, he is forced to deal with the repercussions of his guilt. He makes an attempt for redemption by standing up against the Taliban leader Assef and protecting Hassan’s son, Sohrab. The symbols of the kite, the cleft lip, and the lamb appear to Amir, demonstrating the maturity of his own character and uniting his personality with Hassan’s.
The symbol of the lamb represents the change in Amir’s character from a dependent child to a courageous adult. The symbol first appears when Assef assaults Hassan in front of Amir. He recalls that Hassan had “a look [he] had seen before. It was the look …show more content…
After Amir and Hassan win the kite fighting competition held in Kabul, Hassan claims “‘Right now, I’m going to run that blue kite for you... for you a thousand times over!’”(66-67). This symbol explores the relationship between Amir and Hassan. By retrieving the kite, Amir believes he will win over his father, and Hassan willingly helps him with this task. This proves more harmful than initially intended, because it leads to Hassan’s assault. However, Hassan exemplifies his unwavering loyalty towards Amir, “Even from where I was standing, I could see the fear creeping into Hassan’s eyes, but he shook his head. ‘Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly. This is his kite’” (72). Hassan willingly accepts the assault, because of how important the kite is to Amir. Kite running appears again in the book when Amir runs a kite for Sohrab: “I looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided… ‘Do you want me to run that kite for you… For you a thousand times over,’ I heard myself say.” (371). Similarly to the first time this symbol appeared, it explores the relationship between Amir and Sohrab. However, this time the relationship is reversed; Amir has essentially taken Hassan’s role in this new relationship and is willing to do anything for Sohrab’s