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How Does Hosseini Use Symbols In The Kite Runner

648 Words3 Pages

In the novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, the setting takes place in the 1970’s in Afghanistan and then America. Afghanistan at the time had problems within their own country. One of the most important dilemmas was the ethnic differences between the Pashtuns and the Hazaras. Their ethnic differences tore them apart causing a great deal of discrimination and cruelty. Hosseini uses symbols, antithesis, and visual imagery to convey the unequal treatment of people in Afghanistan based on what ethnic group they belong to and their status. Antithesis is present when Baba and Ali are introduced into the book. Not only is Baba is a well respected character in the book, but he is also a handsome man. Amir described Baba as a “towering pashtun …show more content…

Baba gave Hassan an “unusual present,” (46) by giving Hassan a surgery to fix his harelip. Hassan’s harelip is a symbol for his social status in Afghanistan because he was too poor to fix it. Luckily his boss was able to provide the money to get the lip procedure. Amir mentions that he likes kite fighting. Amir prepares for the kite fights by purchasing kites and string but “if [he] asked for a bigger and fancier kite, [his] Baba would but it for [him],” (51). The kite is a symbol of wealth among the Pashtuns because they have no problem spending money on expensive items. Hosseini uses symbols to show the unequal distribution of wealth among the Hazaras and Pashtuns. Pashtuns live in opulence while the Pashtuns live in poverty. Visual imagery is a technique Hosseini utilizes to envision the extremity of the Pashtuns hatred for Hazaras. When Rahim Khan was telling Amir the story about Hassan. Rahim Khan said the Taliban “order[ed] him to kneel” and “shot him in the back of the head,” (219). Hosseini uses such vivid imagery to encapture the fear and ruthless treatment the Taliban give Hassan. He is trying to convey the realness of the Talibans brutality toward anyone who disobeys their laws and practices with no chance to prove

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The words are blunt, unapologetic in nature, resonating with so much truth that it pierces Amir’s false happiness (Hosseini 133). For Amir, the kite brought only a false sense of freedom from his remorse. In reality, he was still entrenched in the battle for his father’s love, still trying to find a way to get all of his father’s attention. The kite-flying competition was an illusion, a dream that Amir could ever be his father’s only son. The reality that Hassan was Amir’s half-brother, and the equitable love that Baba gives them, serves as the anchor that keeps Amir from his own childhood dreams, the truth that Amir could never escape.

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