...Khaled Hosseini uses the kite symbol in The Kite Runner as a description of Amir and Baba’s relationship, Amir’s guilt, and Amir’s rejuvenation. The kite is one of the only things that connect Baba and Amir. Amir is not good at the things most children in Afghanistan are, like soccer, and he exceeds in school. Amir always feels as though Baba never respected or thought he is a good son. Amir feels guilty when he thinks about kite flying. It reminds him of his childhood memories with Hassan, the friend he betrayes for a kite, letting him get raped. After this, his recollections drift to betrayal and guilt. Rahim Khan, a lifelong friend, Baba and Amir are connected through the flying of kites. Kite flying is an essential aspect of Afghani culture. Amir and Baba both have extensive experience with flying kites. Amir says that...
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...The Kite Runner focuses on the relationship between two Afghan boys Amir and Hassan. Amir is a Pashtun and Sunni Muslim, while Hassan is a Hazara and a Shi’a. Despite their ethnic and religious differences, Amir and Hassan grow to be friends, although Amir is troubled by Hassan, and his relationship with his companion, one year his junior, is complex. Amir and Hassan seem to have a "best friend" type relationship. The two boys, Hassan and Amir, are main characters in the book titled, The Kite Runner. The two boys have a relationship that is significantly different compared to most. There are many different facets that distinguish the relationship the boys possess. The boys do write their names in a pomegranate tree as the "sultans of Kabul" (Kite Runner 27) but, their friendship is not strong and it is one sided. Hassan has love for Amir. He loves him like a brother. Hassan is exceedingly loyal to Amir. The relationship between the two boys is emotionally wearing and rather gloomy for the most part. The main reason for their complicated relationship is the fact that Amir is Pashtun, and Hassan is Hazara. The Afghan society places Hassan lower than Amir. Hassan is Amir's servant. The placement of Hassan in the Afghan society disenables Amir from becoming Hassan's true friend. Amir sees Hassan as lower than human. Amir ruins the chance for friendship between himself and Hassan because he is jealous of Hassan, he thinks of Hassan as a lower human, and because Amir possesses such...
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...The author of ‘The Kite Runner' Hosseini employs a variety of symbols and motifs to create a deeper meaning throughout the book. Symbolism is the practice of representing a theme or idea by using symbols to create a deeper meaning, this is evident with cleft lip which is a symbol of Amir's and Hassan's social disparity, kites a symbol of happiness and guilt and the slingshot which a direct reference to David and Goliath. While irony is a motif because it is a recurring theme presented throughout the novel. The story revolves around two loyal friends Amir and Hassan, who are desperate to win the local kite flying competition. But both boys’ lives change for good that same afternoon when something devastating happens to Hassan. After the Russians invade, Amir and his father are forced to flee to America and amidst the turmoil Amir’s knows he will return to Afghanistan to redeem himself. Hosseini uses the cleft lip as a symbol to create a deeper meaning in the Kite Runner because it symbolizes Hassan’s status in society. This is evident because Amir and...
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...Victor Hugo. In the novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, Khaled effectively portrays guilt as being destructive to oneself and affecting others around it. The violence that the main character, Amir, experiences leads to him feeling guilty for rest of his life, which breaks up the relationships that he once had in his previous years. Amir’s guilt turns brother against brother and friend against friend. In the novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled uses the character, Amir, to demonstrate how violence leads to betrayal, which creates guilt within oneself, and ultimate destroying relationships. The impact of violence on Amir leads him to betray Hassan, his only friend, brother and servant by running away from helping Hassan. Amir’s first experience of violence is when Amir wins the Kite fighting Tournament, and Hassan, runs off in pursuit of Amir’s trophy. Hassan is gone long enough to alarm Amir, who begins to search for him and once he finds him, he sees Assef, a bully, raping him. Amir at first is scared of Assef but later convinces himself by says, “Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay to win Baba (Amir’s Father) Was it a fair price?” (Hosseini 82). As Amir never helps Hassan, this shows that Amir will do anything to get Baba’s love and intention. Amir uses Hassan as a tool even though Hassan was his best friend from birth. Hassan’s friendship for Amir is not worth more than the blue kite, which ultimately shows Amir...
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...Kite Runner: Redemption Amir’s Atonement When you do wrong, you are plagued with guilt. Guilt can be sinful; it stains your conscience and ruins your morals. Although these actions are wrongful, they can be atoned to through sacrifice or purification. People find piece of mind in doing something that makes up for the cause of guilt and this is especially eminent in Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner. Although there are many ways to advocate to wrongful doing, through the main character Amir’s actions sacrifice was proven to be the most liberating act. Throughout the book, the main character, Amir, seeks redemption for his “…past of unatoned sins” (Hosseini, p. 1). These feelings of guilt arise at the beginning of his life, when his mother, Baba’s love, dies giving birth to him. From that point on, Amir strives to redeem himself because he feels he is responsible for her death: “Because truth of it was, I always felt like Baba hated me a little. And why not? After all, I had killed his beloved wife, his beautiful princess, hadn’t I?” (p.20). It is this guilt that Amir carries throughout most of his childhood and for which he tries to atone to with Baba’s love and affection: “Maybe he’d call me Amir Jan like Rahim Khan did. And maybe, just maybe, I would finally be pardoned for killing my mother” (p. 60). Amir competes against Hassan for the approval...
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...Victor Hugo. In the novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, Khaled effectively portrays guilt as being destructive to oneself and affecting others around it. The violence that the main character, Amir, experiences leads to him feeling guilty for rest of his life, which breaks up the relationships that he once had in his previous years. Amir’s guilt turns brother against brother and friend against friend. In the novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled uses the character, Amir, to demonstrate how violence leads to betrayal, which creates guilt within oneself, and ultimate destroying relationships. The impact of violence on Amir leads him to betray Hassan, his only friend, brother and servant by running away from helping Hassan. Amir’s first experience of violence is when Amir wins the Kite fighting Tournament, and Hassan, runs off in pursuit of Amir’s trophy. Hassan is gone long enough to alarm Amir, who begins to search for him and once he finds him, he sees Assef, a bully, raping him. Amir at first is scared of Assef but later convinces himself by says, “Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay to win Baba (Amir’s Father) Was it a fair price?” (Hosseini 82). As Amir never helps Hassan, this shows that Amir will do anything to get Baba’s love and intention. Amir uses Hassan as a tool even though Hassan was his best friend from birth. Hassan’s friendship for Amir is not worth more than the blue kite, which ultimately shows Amir...
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...The Kite Runner Psychoanalytic criticism was first founded and developed by Sigmund Freud. Freud’s theories were mainly sexual deriving from the libido which is a colloquial term for the sex drive. Freud has many theories which are based on sexuality. One of his many theories includes the theory subconscious mind. This theory states that the ego is divided into three sections, the id, the ego and the superego. The id is the mind’s more primitive and impulsive part of the ego, where are the super ego is where all of our morals and values are placed. The ego is the part of the subconscious mind which mediates between the two. When making decisions we make them based on these two parts of our subconscious mind. Freud believed that the subconscious sexual drives were the bases for all human behavior, and that dreams were an important indicator for understanding human behavior. The kite runner is a novel written by Khaled Hosseini, which first takes place in the city of Kabul located in Afghanistan. It’s a story about a man who is named Amir who reflects on his past as a child in Afghanistan. Amir lived with his father, and his servants, ali and Hassan During that time period was a caste system in Afghanistan which was in place. Amir and his father were Pashtu, which is considered “pure” afghan. They were placed much higher than their servants Ali and Hassan who were Hazara. After a kite flying competition that Amir and Hassan attended together, Amir saw Hassan getting...
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...e Runner begins with our thus-far nameless protagonist explaining that the past cannot be forgotten. A single moment in time defined him and has been affecting him for the last twenty-six years. This moment was in 1975 when he was twelve years old and hid near a crumbling alleyway in his hometown of Kabul, Afghanistan. When the protagonist's friend, Rahim Khan, calls him out of the blue, he knows that his past sins are coming back to haunt him even in the new life he has built in San Francisco. He remembers Hassan, whom he calls "the harelipped kite runner," saying "For you, a thousand times over." Rahim's words also echo in his head, "There is a way to be good again." These two phrases will become focal points for the rest of the novel and our protagonist's story. Chapter Two The protagonist remembers sitting in trees with Hassan when they were boys and annoying the neighbors. Any mischief they perpetrated was the protagonist's idea, but even when Hassan's father, Ali, scolded Hassan, he never told on the protagonist. Hassan's father was a servant to the protagonist's father, Baba and lived in a small servant's house on his property. Baba's house was widely considered the most beautiful one in Kabul. There Baba held large dinner parties and entertained friends, including Rahim Khan, in his smoking room. Though the protagonist was often surrounded by adults, he never knew his mother because she died in childbirth. Hassan never knew his mother, either, because she eloped with...
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...Mariana Jimenez Period 1 The Kite Runner Final Essay It is normal for human beings to make mistakes that cause oneself to feel guilt, but what matters the most is how one fixes their mistakes that dictates what kind of person they truly are. In the book, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, it shows that the quest for redemption is the way to atone for guilt. The author uses the literary technique of symbolism to enhance the theme of feeling guilt and its quest for redemption throughout the book. Amir has done many things that cause him to feel guilt that cause him to go on a quest for redemption. For example, in the beginning of the book, Amir says, “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.”(Khaled Hosseini, 1) This shows not only how Amir has been feeling guilt for the last twenty-six years but also how one as a reader can see how Amir finds redemption later in the book. Amir has clearly stated that he has tried to bury his past, his mistakes, but they eventually “claw” back out, forcing Amir to face his guilt and redeem himself. Also, later in the book Amir says “I flinched, like I’d been slapped… Then I understood: This was Hassan’s final sacrifice for me… And that led to another understanding: Hassan knew. He knew I’d seen everything in that alley, that I’d...
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...How betrayal can lead to redemption Betrayal is an issue several people can relate to, either done by a family member or a friend. In the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, we witness how betrayal played a vital role in the downfall of the main characters Amir and Hassan’s friendship, and how it influenced Amir’s pursuit to redeem himself in hopes to move on from his mistakes. The novel begins with Amir as an adult, recalling an event that took place in 1975 Kabul, Afghanistan and how this event was what changed the rest of his life and made him who he now is. This event was Amir’s reluctance to help Hassan while he was being raped, and how this impacted his desire to, later on, mature and be “good” again. Khaled Hosseini shows how Amir’s Islamic faith and guilt over abandoning Hassan ultimately led Amir to forgive himself and seek redemption. All in all, this novel demonstrates that even in cases of betrayal, redemption is possible. In The Kite Runner, Hosseini tells a story of the close friendship of two young boys who come from different social classes, Amir, the Pashtun wealthy boy and Hassan, the Hazara servant. Taking place in Kabul, Afghanistan in the 1970s a time where there was a huge...
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...The Kite Runner: Violence, Guilt, and No Happy Ending Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is an honest yet disturbing, work of historical fiction told from the point of view of the protagonist, Amir. He describes his childhood living in Afghanistan with Hassan, a Hazara boy, who worked as a servant to Amir and his father, Baba. A main conflict of the story is the fact that Amir allows Assef, the antagonist, to do horrible things to Hassan with no attempt to intervene. This scene is very intense and upsetting. Although it could be considered as a representation of “real-world” situations that sadly occur in the Middle Eastern area, the situation is purely troubling. Amir commits an act of dreadful betrayal. Hassan and his father part their ways with Amir and Baba, who go to America to live in California. They live a typical American life, making a good amount of money and living in a safe area, but Amir’s thoughts are filled with guilt and remorse. Amir’s guilt lasts ridiculously long. He says, “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years”(1). This quote from Amir represents that although he tried to forget his painful past, he could not. He did not have the will power to simply drop what occurred between him and Hassan from his thoughts. The fact that he has not resolved...
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...Guilt, shame, and insecurity are inevitable human reactions to given circumstances. Failure to act according to one's moral values is naturally followed by feelings of shame. Desire for penance derives from one's acknowledgement of their lack of purity. Themes of guilt and redemption are prominent in Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner. The Kite Runner's Amir displays how guilt originates from one's passivity, since his fear prevents him from protecting Hassan, thus leading him to face life long regret. Likewise, Baba endures similar feelings of guilt and inadequacy as Amir. Baba projects his guilt onto his son, resulting in Amir's character growth. Similarly, Amir's guilt impacts his relationship with his half-brother. Amir's blind rivalry with...
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...Summary Amir, a well-to-do Pashtun boy, and Hassan, a Hazara and the son of Amir's father's servant, Ali, spend their days in a peaceful Kabul, kite fighting, roaming the streets and being boys. Amir’s father (who is generally referred to as Baba, "daddy", throughout the book) loves both the boys, but seems critical of Amir for not being manly enough. Amir also fears his father blames him for his mother’s death during childbirth. However, he has a kind father figure in the form of Rahim Khan, Baba’s friend, who understands Amir better, and is supportive of his interest in writing stories. Assef, a notoriously mean and violent older boy with sadistic tendencies, blames Amir for socializing with a Hazara, according to Assef an inferior race that should only live in Hazarajat. He prepares to attack Amir with his steel knuckles, but Hassan bravely stands up to him, threatening to shoot Assef in the eye with his slingshot. Assef and his henchmen back off, but Assef says he will take revenge. Hassan is a successful "kite runner" for Amir, knowing where the kite will land without even watching it. One triumphant day, Amir wins the local tournament, and finally Baba's praise. Hassan goes to run the last cut kite, a great trophy, for Amir saying "For you, a thousand times over." Unfortunately, Hassan runs into Assef and his two henchmen. Hassan refuses to give up Amir's kite, so Assef exacts his revenge, assaulting and raping him. Wondering why Hassan is taking so long, Amir searches...
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...The Kite Runner The Kite Runner is a great tale about betrayal and redemption, in the novel, the author uses diction to portray the theme through symbolism and through suspense, these elements help tell the tale of betrayal and redemption. In the first few chapters, Amir’s cowardice leads directly to the betrayal of Hassan. When is forced to stick up for the both of them, the cost is much higher then if Amir would of stuck up for both of them, leading to the rape of Hassan. Amir could of said something to Assef, telling him to leave them be, as Amir is pashtan and pashtans are a higher majority in Afghanistan, instead, Hassan being Hazara, the leading minority in their country, which are treated as servents and slaves, is forced to take action. Assef’s racism towards Hazaras is compared to Hitler and the jewish, showing immediately how his hate towards hassan is much greater then his hate towards Amir. When Hassan sticks up for them, the cost is much higher because of his racial minority. “Assef gritted his teeth “Put it down you motherless Hazara” (Hosseini 45) Amir’s cowardice is shown through fear as he thinks about his relationship with Hassan, thoughts of betrayal ponder his mind even before the rape. “But he’s not my friend! I almost blurted, He’s my servent!” (Hosseini 44) As Amir thinks of future encounters, He also fears for his safty, and Hassans, because he knows that Hassan will not always be able to save them with his slingshot. “Certin that Assef...
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...The Kite Runner: Literary Analysis In a perfect world, friendship and true friendship would be synonymous. Unfortunately, this is not the case. For children, friendship can be simplified to enjoying eachother’s company and playing with one another, whereas true friendship may be taking the blame so the other can avoid the cruel and unusual punishment of timeout. No matter the age, true friendship exists where selflessness thrives, meaning one must seek out another’s highest good before even considering their own. In The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, Amir’s childhood friendship with Hassan is one plagued with underlying jealousy and manipulation, but Amir’s transformation from selfish child to selfless adult helps him to overcome his own self-loathing and become the true friend that Hassan deserved all along. From the beginning of the novel all the way through his death, Hassan maintains an unchanging good-heartedness that shines through him and his actions. His loyalty, selflessness, and forgiving nature are just what make him a true friend to Amir. Hassan’s loyalty to Amir is made known early in the novel in one of Amir’s flashbacks. The two sit up in a tree, causing mischief, when Ali comes to reprimand them. Amir recalls “[Hassan] never told on me. Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbor’s dog, was always my idea” (4). This flashback tells us a lot about the boys’ relationship. First and foremost, we see that Hassan’s...
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