The Kite Runner Woodwork Analysis

Kite Runner Woodcarving Project Rationale

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini explores the theme of loyalty and betrayal through the progression of Amir and Hassan's relationship. To represent these conflicting themes I created a wood carving. In the wood carving Amir is depicted as worn face roughly carved into the thin bark of the wood. I have chosen this rough wood to carve into because of its bark which is easy to scratch on the surface but more difficult to break down. Like Amir, only one who has grown accustomed to it can penetrate deeper. Hassan always thought he knew what was going on in Amir’s mind, but Amir had thoughts that not even Hassan could penetrate because he is so honest and loyal that he believes most other people are like himself too. Hassan has always been this way. Since Amir and Hassan were raised together

Blood is seen as a symbol of betrayal in times throughout the kite runner. After Hassan is raped blood drips from between his legs and stains the ground beneath him. When they are at the pomegranate tree for a final time together Amir starts pelting Hassan with pomegranate, but he refuses to fight back because of his loyalty. When Hassan smashes a pomegranate into his own face Amir recalls that the “red dripped down his face like blood.” Here again betrayal is symbolized through blood. From theses words I allowed blood to drip down onto Amir’s face. Amir was never physically harmed during his childhood, as Baba explains when Amir asks for new servants, but his face is stained with the blood of Hassan from the sins he committed against him. The pomegranate tree starts at the bottom of the woodcarving and works its way up the side and arches over all of this. The reason for that is to show how Amir's betrayal was lurking in the background and hanging over their relationship even before Hassan's rape, but not even Amir seemed entirely aware of it or its