Figurative Language In The Kite Runner

One of the greatest impacts the novel The Kite Runner had was the insight it gave readers into some of the less visible aspects of afghan culture. I choose to analyze the passage on page 105 of The Kite Runner to show the reader how the first-person perspective, plot, and use of figurative language are tools used perpetuate the theme of irony present throughout the novel and by doing so give the reader a better appreciation for the use of such irony in the novel.

I think that part of the key to understanding some of the tragic irony present in The Kite Runner is taking note of its presentation in the first-person perspective. The novel is first person throughout which means that of the plot we as readers see while mostly factual is never objective

If a reader of The Kite Runner takes away one thing form the novel if might be the fact that afghan’s as much or maybe more than any other culture are obsessive over how the community and those around them see them. The reader can see this in the class system of the culture or formality of the culture or even the parties they hold. So, in the passage on page 105 Amir uses two particularly interesting metaphors “I wanted to tell them all that I was the snake in the grass, the monster in the lake” (Hosseini). Both metaphors share a similar premise he compares himself to monsters hidden in seemingly unassuming locations. This idea of surface appearance versus the true hidden reality is the Afghan culture seeping into how he thinks and talks about the situation. These metaphors not only apply to him but to multiple characters in the passage Amir plays the victim but is the perpetrator of the crime Baba is the champion of the truth but lives with a lie which dictates his every action and Hasan plays the thief when he is really the selfless servant. These metaphors speak to the culture and who the characters are internally and help to give greater depth to their choices in this tragically ironic