The Use Of Rain In The Kite Runner, By Khaled Hosseini

When one reads The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, one will most likely only see the obvious parts of the story. They would see a story of a young boy who grew up too fast after he witnesses a horrific event in which he feels like he could have saved someone else. Once someone reads a book like How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster, they will realize that all of the parts have in the book, are there for a reason and have an almost unknown effect on the reader. The use of a quest, which is present in most books when travel occurs, gives The Kite Runner a climax, adding intrigue. Hosseini also used snow to show feelings throughout the story, along with violence, to move the story along. All of these elements were spoken

He speaks of how a sunny day sets the tone for a happy story, and how rain can set up for times for confrontation, or anger. However, in The Kite Runner, there is not a lot of rain, and with it being in Afghanistan, it is assumed to be sunny, even when it is not mentioned. However, the weather is specifically mentioned when it snows. Amir speaks of snow and says, “Snow is clean, stark, severe, warm (and insulating blanket, paradoxically), inhospitable, inviting, playful, suffocating, filthy” (Foster 80). Hosseini plays off societies preconceived notions and attitudes towards weather and the tone associated with it in his book. In his naivety, Amir thinks of the snow like most children, with excitement and happiness. It’s “inviting” and playful”, as Foster said before. Amir describes his love for the winter, “I loved wintertime in Kabul. I loved it for the soft pattering of snow against my window at night, for the way fresh snow crunched under my back rubber book” (Hosseini 49). The snow was fresh and clean, just like is conscious at the time. This is when he’s naive, before the rape, before he feels all of the pressure from his father. Later, when he feels the pressure from his father, the snow feels more “suffocating”. “Snow blanketed every rooftop and weighed on the branched of the stunted mulberry trees that lined our streets” (Hosseini 60). Then, immediately after the rape,

There was an obvious quest, that fit all of the requirements set forth by Foster. The many implications of the weather, specifically the snow, where made, which show the cleanliness of Amir’s conscious at the time of the story. There was also the use of violence to move the story along, but also to set a realistic and correct scene to move the book along. These conventions of literature provide an invaluable part to the story, and without them, the story would be