Kite Runner Symbolism

Words: 530
Pages: 3

The Kite Runner

In literature, usually, the round characters go through a traumatic incident, which haunts them for eternity. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, Amir suffers to see his long lost brother get raped by Assef, later on knowing Assef is also his nephew’s rapist as well. Obviously, after this occasion Amir hasn’t been quite himself, he was such a young boy and not only did he have to witness that, but he has been so hard on himself since that day. Now knowing the information given, the novel’s theme would be committing a sin and trying to redeem yourself by letting others forgive you. Cruelty started with Baba and Amir, the way Baba treats him as a son isn’t the way you would typically see a parent treat their child. Thanks to Baba, and the cruelty he gave to Amir, that was the reason why Amir’s insecurities started. This brutality that has been given to Amir, was during his childhood at such a young age, which is why the unkindness is passed down from Amir to Hassan now. Amir tests Hassan’s loyalty, makes fun of him, he just displays such poor
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“Hassan had said in his letter that the pomegranate tree hadn’t bourn fruit in years. Looking at the wilted, leafless tree, I doubted it ever would again.” When they were young, the tree would grow ripe, sweet, pomegranates as a symbol of how ripe their relationship was, and now that Hassan is dead, Amir visits the tree once more and it’s practically dead, just like their relationship. “The impact had cut your upper lip in two, clean down the middle, he had said. Clean down the middle like a harelip.” Hassan had a harelip before the surgery Baba had gotten for him, and now Amir has an identical one like Hassan’s, that’s symbolizing the everlasting bond between them. As a result, each symbol gives us a deeper meaning and more of a complex understanding of why it was placed in the