The kite runner by Khaled Hosseini, by just looking at the tittle one would think that the book is about kites. In the novel the kite plays a very important and central role, The kite competition in the beginning of the novel and the kite flying in the park in the very end of the novel, both show the reader the importance if the kite symbol. The kite itself represents innocence and the loss of it, the kite could also serve as an example of redemption and guilt. Hosseini uses symbolism and repetition to provide the importance of the tittle in the novel.
Right after reading the tittle the reader can infer that kites probably have a pivotal role in the novel. Hosseini, right in the beginning of chapter seven placed the kite tournament “I had never seen so many people on our streets. Kids were flinging snowballs, squabbling, chasing one another, giggling. Kite fighters were
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huddling with their spool holders, making last minute preparations” (pg60), kite tournament was the event where Hassan got raped, and after that Amir could not look at the kite the same way again. Hassan got raped while he was running the kite for Amir, after Amir witnessed the rape he could not separate the kite flying with his own guilt and betrayal. Every time he looked at a kite, the kite reminded him of his own cowardness and betrayal. After Amir found out about sohrab, when Amir fought Assef (the antagonist), Amir still didn’t feel redeemed.
Kite flying also serves as a social class symbol. The person who controls the kite would be the one commanding and the one who assists has to listen and follow. It makes sense that during the kite flying, Hassan (the hazara, considered lower class and servant) is the assisting Amir just like he does during the day (i.e. making Amir’s bed, breakfast, and ironing clothes) “, while Amir like always just commanding orders to Hassan. Hassan was very excited to for the competition but he never actually gets to fly the kite, the only act in which Hassan actually helps a little bit is during the “lift and dive” but he does not get to claim victory. After getting the rivals kite, Hassan always has to bring it back to Amir, because the kite “belongs” to him. His happiness is second-hand, exactly like his life style. To get rid of the guilt, Amir must become the kite runner, he must become the one assisting rather than commanding, he must willingly help someone with genuine feelings just like
Hassan. Kite flying is a very violent and somewhat dangerous game, and the fact that children are the ones participating makes it even more significant. The string, which they use to fly the kites, scars into the hands of the kite fliers, the glass on the string makes deep cuts into the players hand as well while their trying to cut down the other kites “it cost me another gash on my on the index finger and blood trickled down into my palm” (pg64).After the kite is cut, the runners dash violently run for the kite. The kites and the violence can also represent the situation of Afghanistan as country. The conflicts between the Pashtuns and the Hazara’s and the Taliban’s. The kites in the sky trying to cut each other could represent the attempts of Taliban trying to cut the freedom of the people of Afghanistan. Kite flying in a more basic point of view can represent innocence. How the boys innocently fly kites together regardless of the social class difference, regardless of the political situation so the act of kite flying could also mean freedom. Amir and Hassan’s differences don’t stop them from enjoying the act of flying kites together. They both were innocent to the fact that they were being lied to (Hassan being Amirs half-brother), their relationship would have been drastically different if they had known of their relationship. The tittle in conclusion provides a foreshadowing of the story, it shows the importance of one central event that shaped the characters and the plot. The kite flying serves its purpose of symbolizing the redemption that Amir yearned for and innocence (loss of innocence). The novel begins and ends with the line “for you a thousand times over” the difference is, Amir in the end is redeeming himself by running the kite for Sohrab (Hassan’s son), in the beginning Hassan was running the kite and got raped in the process, so the significance of Amir running the kite for sohrab serves the purpose to show the reader the change in character personality and, the final resolution where Amir is now guilt free. Kite flying brings the boys together, for aliitle bit of time, they can forget about the differences and focus on just having fun and enjoying time together and enjoying the freedom. The cover of the kite runner has a kite flying high above Kabul which provides the reader with an insight that while the kite is in the air, Amir and Hassan work together as a team but right after the kite hits the ground, the boys get hit with reality.
The symbols in The Things They Carried range from a pair of stockings from a soldier's girlfriend to tranquilizers. Some of the soldiers carried many items while other soldiers only carried a few items. The soldiers carried items such as letters, photographs, pebbles, stockings, tranquilizers, and drugs.
The Kite Runner is a powerful story of love and trust blended with elements of deception and human wickedness at its worst. The full beauty of the story lies in the sundry
Kite Runner depicts the story of Amir, a boy living in Afghanistan, and his journey throughout life. He experiences periods of happiness, sorrow, and confusion as he matures. Amir is shocked by atrocities and blessed by beneficial relationships both in his homeland and the United States. Reviewers have chosen sides and waged a war of words against one another over the notoriety of the book. Many critics of Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, argue that the novel would not have reached a lofty level of success if the U.S. had not had recent dealings with the Middle East, yet other critics accurately relate the novel’s success to its internal aspects.
A symbol is a unique term because it can represent almost anything such as people, beliefs, and values. Symbols are like masks that people put on to describe their true self. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author uses Tom Robinson and Arthur Radley to represent a mockingbird which illustrates the theme of innocence by presenting these characters as two harmless citizens that do not pose a threat to Maycomb.
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, follows the maturation of Amir, a boy from Afghanistan, as he discovers what it means to stand up for what he believes in. His quest to redeem himself after betraying his friend and brother, Hassan, makes up the heart of the novel. For most of the book, Amir attempts to deal with his guilt by avoiding it and refusing to own up to his mistakes. Because of his past, Amir is incapable of moving forward. His entire life is shaped by his disloyalty to Hassan and his desire to please his father over helping his friends. Throughout the novel, his attempts to atone for his sins end in failure, as neither physical punishment nor rescuing Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from Assef prove to be enough for Amir to redeem himself. Only when he decides to take Sohrab to the United States and provide his nephew with a chance at happiness and prosperity that was denied to his half-brother does Amir take the necessary steps toward atonement and redemption. Khaled Hosseini uses a series of symbols to reinforce the message that atoning for one’s sins means making up for past mistakes, rather than simply relying on forgiveness from either the person one betrays or from a higher power.
The Kite Runner, is the first novel written by Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner is set in Afghanistan before the war in the city of Kabul, and then eventually in America. The novel relays the struggles of Amir (A young Shi’ boy), Hassan (a young Hazera servant boy) and Baba (Amir’s father) as they are growing up in an ever-changing Afghanistan. The young boys face difficult challenges most adults will never have to experience. Amir, Hassan, and even Baba must overcome cruelty in every aspect of their lives.
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, is a story about a young boy named Amir that begins in 1975 in Kabul, Afghanistan. As a child, he mistreats his servant, Hassan, who is like a brother to him. After failing to intervene in Hassan 's rape, Amir lives with guilt until his late thirties when he is presented with a chance at redemption. Amir 's father’s old friend, Rahim Khan, called from Pakistan to summon Amir to him. Upon his arrival, Amir learns that Hassan is his illegitimate half-brother. Hassan had been killed and his son had become an orphan. Amir then goes to drastic lengths to find and retrieve Hassan 's son, Sohrab. During this time Amir faces the guilt of his past and finds peace with himself while saving Sohrab
(2) The Kite Runner follows Amir on his odyssey to redeem himself for his hurtful actions. Through this journey, Khaled Hosseini delivers the message that sin and guilt can always be atoned for. At the beginning of The Kite Runner, young Amir wins a kite fighting tournament. He feels like he has finally redeemed himself for his father.
Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is a story about a band of patients in a mental ward who struggle to find their identity and get away from the wretched Nurse. As audiences read about the tale, many common events and items seen throughout the story actually represent symbols for the bigger themes of the story. Symbols like the fishing trip, Nurse, and electroshock therapy all emphasize the bigger themes of the story.
On the day of the kite running competition, Amir vows to win the entire competition in Baba’s honor. To end the competition, Amir cuts down the last remaining kite in the air, at which point in time Hassan runs after the falling blue kite. In hopes of retrieving the last cut kite for Baba, Amir follows Hassan on the run. However, Assef and his two sidekick bullies corner and rape Hassan. Amir watches the entire occurrence in
In conclusion irony, symbolism, and foreshadowing contribute to the omnipresent theme of redemption throughout The Kite Runner. Khaled Hosseini ties together seemingly unimportant details of the story to create irony, and juxtaposes segments of his book to show redemption.
... Kites are symbolic in the novel as it helps to support the themes of guilt, redemption and freedom in the novel. In the beginning of the story, Amir overhears Baba telling Rahim Khan that if Amir could not stand up for himself, he would never be able to stand up to anything when he becomes a man. It takes Amir over twenty years to finally muster up enough courage to stand up for himself in front of Assef. Amir takes the beatings from Assef as his punishment for what happened to Hassan. He rescues Sohrab and bonds with him through kite fighting, similar to when he flew kites with Hassan. Kites represent the freedom from the worries and burdens that Amir, Hassan and Sohrab has. It brings together the two participants in kite fighting. It gets rid of the discrimination of the ethnic caste system, any cultural differences, and also emphasizes unity amongst difference.
Because Hassan did not give the kite, Assef decides to rape Hassan as a “punishment”. Instead of helping his friend out, Amir just walked away from the scene and let Hassan get violated in one of the most vulgar ways. After this incident, Hassan quietly walked back home and gave Amir the kite for which he was confronted by Assef for. The kite in this situation proves to be an important symbol. Whereas earlier in the novel the kite represented happiness and fun to Amir, in this situation it represented sin and guilt to Amir.
In my view The Kite Runner is an epic story with a personal history of what the people of Afghanistan had and have to endure in an ordinary every day life; a country that is divided between political powers and religiously idealistic views and beliefs which creates poverty, and violence within the people and their terrorist run country. The story line is more personal with the description of Afghanistan's culture and traditions, along with the lives of the people who live in Kabul. The story provides an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political chaos. Of course there are many things that are unsaid and under explained in this tragic novel which, in my observation, is an oversimplification. There is also a heavy use of emotional appeal, and an underlying message. This is a flag for propaganda.
As implied by the title, kites play a major role in the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. They appear numerous times within the text and prove to be surprisingly versatile in their literary function. They provide common ground for characters whose interests do not normally intersect. They are also present as a very powerful symbol, which adds an extra dimension to this already literary rich novel. Reversing the roles transcending generations, it shows itself to be a multifaceted medium.