Figurative Language In The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini

The book The Kite Runner is written by Khaled Hosseini and has been deemed one of the New York Times best sellers. The story of The Kite Runner is set in the backdrop of the fall of Afghanistan’s monarchy, Soviet military intervention, and the rise of Taliban regime. Khaled Hosseini said during an interview about his books that “The Kite Runner was a father-son story”.

There are many themes that can be applicable to The Kite Runner. I think that the theme of this book is Amir trying to redeem himself. Throughout the book Amir struggles with the guilt of trying to redeem himself for things he did/didn’t do. For example, early on the book you learn that Amir feels guilty because his mom died giving birth to him. I think that this theme

Starting from chapter 1, Khaled Hosseini describes the moment he sees the kites as: “Then I glanced up and saw a pair of kites, red with long blue tails, soaring in the sky. They danced high above the trees on the west end of the park…”. In this example of figurative language, the author uses personification to make the reader imagine what the kites where like.

I think the use of personification in The Kite Runner is a useful tactic to paint a clearer picture of the setting and what’s going on in the book.

Another example of an excellent figurative language technique is executed in chapter 10. On page 121 Hosseini writes “Somewhere a dam has cracked open and a flood of cold sweat spills, drenches your body.” In this example of hyperbole, Hosseini describes what it’s like to hide in a fuel

In chapter 20, Amir describes Kabul as a place ridden with beggars. Amir notices that “Hardly any of them sat with an adult male-the wars had made fathers a rare commodity in Afghanistan.” I believe this is a good quote because it really stands out from everything on the page. This quote is sad and is probably the most heartfelt description of the state of Kabul.

The next quote that stood out to me in The Kite Runner took place when Amir was trying to escape persecution in his city. They were trying to escape by having someone drive him and other refugees across the border by hiding them in a big fuel tank on a truck. Amir describes being inside the fuel tank as: “Somewhere a dam has cracked open and a flood of cold sweat spills, drenches your body.” I think this is a memorable quote because it describes Amir’s situation with excruciating detail. Through this quote, the author makes you feel and understand what it’s like to be in a fuel