The Kite Runner Literary Analysis

Literary Essay

To quote Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, “There is a way to be good again” (Hosseini 2).In the Kite Runner, there is a very clear message of redemption, as the main character, Amir, tries to redeem himself from the mistake he made many years ago. The author uses literary tools in his story to support this. Irony, foreshadowing, and symbolism were used by Hosseini, to convey a tragic yet beautiful story of redemption in The Kite Runner.

Irony

First, let’s start with irony. Irony in a simple definition is things happening that are the opposite of expected. Early in the story, Baba tells Amir, “Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft.”(Hosseini 17) This is truly ironic, as Baba himself committed the greatest sin of all, theft, by fathering Hassan. He stole Amir and Hassan’s right to the truth and Ali’s right to be a father. You’d expect Baba to practice what he preaches, but he does the

“There was brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break” (Hosseini 11)

This early in the story, neither Hassan nor Amir know that they are actually related, but this shows us, the readers, that there is already a brotherly kinship between them.

Of course, this brotherly kinship is pretty much destroyed by Amir’s choice that day in the alleyway. But earlier on in the story, we get a glimpse into Amir’s character flaws. “Don’t be stupid, Hassan. You know I wouldn’t [ask you to eat dirt for me]” Hassan returned the smile. Except his didn’t look forced. ‘I know,” he said. And that’s the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.” (Hosseini 55)

Symbolism

There’s abundant use of symbolism in the Kite Runner to represent important elements such as innocence and