Plot: The novel opens with Amir as a grown man reflecting on his childhood. Provide a detailed description of the opening scene of the novel: The opening scene of the kite runner begins with Amir the main protagonist, reflecting back on the Winter of 1975 when “became what I am today”, he describes himself crouching behind a crumbling wall, peeking into an alley. He then goes on to say “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”. That scene is left there and the novel now takes place in December 2001, where Amir receives a phone call from his friend Rahim Khan in Pakistan who asks him to come to visit him; he tells Amir that “there is a way to be good again”. When Amir gets off the phone, he takes a walk through San Francisco, where he now lives as a writer. He notices two kites flying near the park; one red and one blue and thinks of the past and his untoned sins. He recalls his friend Hassan, a harelipped kite runner and a list of other characters including Baba, Ali and Kabul, where he grew up. The chapter ends with another reference to 1975 and the event that transpired in the winter of 1975 “made me what I am today.”

The novel ends with Amir and Sohrab in the park together. Provide a detailed description of the final scene of the novel: One rainy day in March 2002, Amir takes Sohrab, Soraya, and Kamila to a gathering of Afghans at a park. There is a tent where people are cooking. Sohrab, who is still not speaking, stands out in the rain, but eventually, the weather clears. Soraya points out kites flying in the sky. Amir finds a kite seller, and with the new kite, he walks over to Sohrab. While Amir checks the string, he talks about Hassan. Then, with the kite ready, he asks Sohrab if he wants to fly it. Sohrab doesn’t answer, but as Amir runs, sending the kite into the air, Sohrab follows him. When Amir offers again, Sohrab takes the string. A green kite approaches for a battle, and while Amir prepares Sohrab he notices Sohrab looks alert. He shows Sohrab what used to be Hassan’s favorite trick, and quickly they have the other kite on the defensive. In one move, Amir and Sohrab sever the other kite’s string, cutting it loose. People cheer around them, and a brief smile appears on Sohrab’s face. Amir asks if he should run the kite for Sohrab, and Sohrab nods. “For you, a thousand times over,”

Reflect on Hosseini’s intentions when framing the novel like this. Consider how the novel key themes are established and developed by these scenes. Reflect on the position the reader is placed in by Hosseini’s deliberate framing of the text in this way.: Hosseini’s intentions when framing the plot of the kite runner is to show how Amir grows and transforms as a person. At the start of the novel, Amir is only a child but as the novel goes on we see Amir grow and change into a man who is unrecognisable from 20 years ago. The reader feels guilt and is conflicted in the change in the character of Amir throughout the novel.Hosseini intentionally sets up the novel like this to show the reader how one can go through guilt forgiveness, loss and desire for atonement but above all this what matters is the desire to be better than who you think you really are. At the very beginning of the novel he begins with a phone call from Rahim Khan telling Amir that “there is a way to be good again”, Hosseini is telling us that Amir seeks redemption for his sins, yet we have no clue what Amir’s sins are. He then goes back to Amir as a young child and shows the lies, the guilt and the sins of Hassan, amongst these a failure to step in when his friends were being bullied and raped and framing him later for theft. However, later on, when Baba and Amir flee to America he shows the amount of guilt Amir is now living with, the guilt that above all rules his life, this is shown when Amir says “….it’s wrong, what they say about the past, 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”. However, Amir has had no opportunity to gain this sense of redemption, even if he had been capable of it. Hosseini frames the book like this as it shows how Amir as an Adult is continuously daunted by his past as he grows up, but he brings the beginning and the ending together towards the end of the novel when Amir goes and retrieves Sohrab from Pakistan, this gives the reader hope that the future will be better for both Amir and Sohrab. Because even though Amir couldn’t see Hassan again and apologise for his sins, he has done better. He has given Hassan’s son Sohrab a better life which is all Hassan could and would have wanted for his son. Hosseini sets up the book like this as it shows the reader how you can’t let the decisions you make in the past define how you will act in the future. 

Character:

Amir: Amir is the narrator and protagonist of the story, he is presented to us as not a very sympathetic charachter, yet throughout the novel, the reader starts to feel compassion for him. Amir has a privileged upbringing. His father, Baba, is rich by Afghan standards, and as a result, Amir grows up accustomed to having what he wants. The only thing he feels deprived of is a deep emotional connection with Baba, which he blames on himself. Amir is jealous of the way Baba treats Hassan, although Amir realizes that Hassan socially has a lower place in society. The change in Amir’s character we see in the novel centres on his growth from a selfish child to a selfless adult. After allowing Hassan to be raped, Amir is not any happier. On the contrary, his guilt is relentless, and he recognizes his selfishness cost him his happiness rather than increasing it. Once Amir has married and established a career, only two things prevent his complete happiness: his guilt and his inability to have a child with Soraya.

‘There is only what you do and what you don’t do,’ I said.- Amir’s words, spoken at the end of the novel, reveals that he finally understands that a man’s reputation is formed by what he does, as well as by what he doesn’t do. Amir’s guilt stems from his inability to act, to do the right thing by Hassan. Baba, even though he committed a similar betrayal as Amir, still acts with honour, as evidenced when he refuses to allow the Afghan woman in his truck to be raped.

What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I’d been looking forward to this– Amir, about to get beaten by Assef, ironically feels a sense of peace. He laughs, thinking that he has been looking forward to this moment. He knows this moment will finally give him the chance to pay for his betrayal and open the way toward redemption. He has been searching for this moment all along. He sees that living in safety in America has only delayed this crucial turning point in his life.

‘For you, a thousand times over,’ I heard myself say.– Amir speaks these words to Sohrab at the end of the novel while they are flying kites. Amir shows Sohrab some of the tricks his father Hassan used, and they sever a kite loose. Amir asks Sohrab if he would like him to run the kite for him. Sohrab nods yes. Amir replies “For you, a thousand times over,” just like Hassan said to Amir when they were boys.

Hassan: Hassan is Amir’s playmate and servant and is a Hazara and Shi’a Muslim. He’s also the son of Ali. Hassan considers Amir his friend, although Amir never consciously considers Hassan as such. Hassan is presented as the perfect servant who is loyal to his master, even after the master betrays him. From the start and through his death, Hassan remains the same: loyal, forgiving, and good-natured.

“Then Hassan did pick up the pomegranate. He walked toward me. He opened it and crushed it against his own forehead. ‘There,’ he croaked, red dripping down his face like blood. ‘Are you satisfied? Do you feel better?’ He turned around and started down the hill.“- After the incident in the alley, Amir feels awkward around Hassan. While sitting on a hill together, eating pomegranates, Amir asks what Hassan would do if he threw a pomegranate at him. Hassan says nothing, which irritates Amir. Amir throws a pomegranate at Hassan and demands he fight back, but Hassan still does nothing. Finally, Hassan crushes the pomegranate against his head, revealing he’d rather hurt himself than fight Amir.

“For you, a thousand times over!”- Amir has just cut the blue kite and won the kite tournament. Hassan’s words, shouted to Amir as Hassan “runs” Amir’s blue kite, reveals Hassan’s unending loyalty and love for Amir. This line, spoken later in the novel by Amir to Hassan’s son Sohrab, represents the durable bonds of loyalty and friendship that exist between Amir and Hassan.

Baba: Baba is Amir’s father, who is considered a hero and leader in Kabul. Baba and Amir never quite seem to connect, especially in Afghanistan. Baba is always doing things for others and always seems to expect more from his son.  When he and Amir flee Kabul, he is willing to sacrifice his life to keep the Russian guard from raping the woman with them, and in doing so he sets the example that Amir later follows when he must choose between saving himself or doing what he knows to be right.

“Hassan’s not going anywhere,’ Baba snapped. He dug a new hole with the trowel, striking the dirt harder than he had to. ‘He’s staying right here with us, where he belongs. This is his home and we’re his family. Don’t you ever ask me that question again!”– These words occur at the beginning of the novel when Amir is recounting his childhood. After the incident in the alley, Amir is uncomfortable around Hassan and asks whether Hassan and the servants can leave the house. Baba’s reaction reveals how important Hassan is to him and how he considers Hassan a part of the family. Baba says Amir’s request is shameful. It isn’t until later that Amir realizes why Baba’s reaction is so strong.

“You’re twenty-two years old, Amir! A grown man! You …’ he opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, reconsidered. Above us, rain drummed on the canvas awning. ‘What’s going to happen to you, you say? All those years, that’s what I was trying to teach you, how to never have to ask that question.”-Amir recounts Baba’s reaction to his asking what would happen to him after Baba dies. This is an important point in the novel because it underscores Amir’s transition into manhood. Baba’s reaction highlights his frustration with Amir, who should not have to ask this question. Amir is a man now, he should be in control of his own life.

Assef: Assef presents all the evil in Afghanistan. The reader first meets Assef as a violent, racist child who draws his social power from his economic and ethnic identity, and wants to rid his country of all Hazaras. Adult Assef becomes a Taliban leader and continues embracing Afghanistan’s most vicious and bigoted beliefs, ultimately personifying racism and abuse.

“Friends?’ Assef said, laughing. ‘You pathetic fool! Someday you’ll wake up from your little fantasy and learn just how good of a friend he is. Now, bas! Enough of this. Give us that kite.”- These prophetic words are uttered at the beginning of the book by Assef, Hassan’s attacker. Assef and his gang demand Hassan give him the blue kite he has retrieved for Amir. Hassan refuses. Assef calls him a “pathetic fool” for being loyal to Amir, a Pashtun, but Hassan asserts they are true friends. Assef says one day Hassan will wake up from his “fantasy,” suggesting that a Pashtun could never be loyal to a Hazara.

“Besides, I didn’t fight the Shorawi for money. Didn’t join the Taliban for money either. Do you want to know why I joined them?”– Amir offers to pay for Sohrab’s release, but Assef refuses. Assef reveals that his involvement with the Taliban has nothing to do with money and everything to do with his devotion to the Taliban cause. Later, he tells of how his imprisonment by the Taliban led to a revelation that God was on his side, and that prompted him to join their cause of ethnic cleansing in Kabul.

Sohrab:

Sohrab is the son of Hassan and his wife and half nephew of Amir. Throughout the novel you notice that sohrab follows the same footsteps of his father Hassan in his youth of innocence, bravery and loyalty. He is traumatised by his experiences including witnessing his father and mother die, being put into an orphanage and then being sexually harassed by Assef. After he tries to commit suicide he remains weary of the world due to the hardships that he has faced and shuts everybody out and gives up. In the end of the novel the reader has hope that there will be a better future for Sohrab and Amir as they get older living in San Francisco. 

“That’s how children deal with terror, they fall asleep.”

“And so it was that, about a week later, we crossed a strip of warm, black tarmac and I brought Hassan’s son from Afghanistan to America, lifting him from the certainty of turmoil and dropping him in a turmoil of uncertainty.”

“One time, when I was really little, I climbed a tree and ate those green, sour apples. My stomach swelled and became hard like a drum, it hurt a lot. Mother said that if I’d just waited for the apples to ripen. I wouldn’t have become sick. So now whenever I really want something. I try to remember what she said about the apples”.

Identify three key relationships that are developed in the text. For each, explore what is ‘key’ about them for the characters involved and what kind of impact the relationship has on both characters development: Hassan and Amir: Hassan and Amir’s relationship is built upon a brotherhood, although they were not conceived from the same mother they were both fed by the same nurse and grew up like brothers “…there was a brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break. Hassan and I fed from the same breast. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words”. Although these two boys grew up together they were always divided by the driving force of their different ethnicities. Amir was a privileged son of a Pastan, while Hassan was a Hazara servant, meaning the friendship these two brothers shared was highly frowned upon in their society. Throughout Amir has a constant denial of their friendship, however Hassan’s loyalty to Amir remains undeterred throughout all of this “Amir Agha and I are friends”. They even carved their names into the trunk of the pomegranate tree “Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul” however, all of the friendly activities that they do together are done in private. At times Amir even wonders to himself “Why did I play with Hassan when no one else was around”. Eventually their relationship is broken with Amir’s betrayal of Hassan by allowing him to be raped by Assef and at the pomegranate tree when Hassan crushed the fruit that Amir wanted him to throw at him over his own head. In terms of character development, we are shown that even when Hassan is betrayed by Amir, Hassna still remains loyal to Amir. However the relationship these two boys share causes a massive impact in the character development of Amir, however only after Hassan dies.His betrayal of he and Hassan’s relationship is his main motivation for redemption and ultimately leads to him feeling guilty for much of his life because of it. When Baba’s relationship with Amir and Hassan is considered, the relationship between the two boys only complexes further. Baba’s affection towards Hassan and lack thereof for Amir puts more strain on their relationship and causes jealousy to become a dominant factor. Ultimately, the relationship between Hassan and Amir cannot truly be described as a friendship but rather one of betrayal and inequality.

Hassan and Sohrab: Hassan is the father to Sohrab, both characters are born and raised in the same hut, both are sexually abused by the same man, both kite-run with Amir, and both carry a slingshot. Hassan threatens to take out Assef’s eye with his slingshot, and nearly a quarter-century later, Sohrab makes good on the threat. Amir cannot make amends with Hassan because he is dead, but by rescuing Sohrab, Amir attempts to atone for his betrayal of Hassan. However, Sohrab diverges from his father in that the dark aftermath of his sexual abuse.

Amir and Baba: Amir and Babas relationship is far from the normal farther and son bond, throughout Amirs life he has always been chasing after his father trying to impress him, tring to win him over. Baba is not there for Amir because he doesn’t understand why Amir isn’t exactly like him. Baba speaks to Rahim Khan, his best friend and business partner, about his confusion with Amir, and doesn’t understand why his son’s interests aren’t similar to his own. “He’s always buried in those books or shuffling around the house like he’s lost in some dream…I wasn’t like that.’ Baba sounded frustrated, almost angry”. Baba is actually angry that his son is not a reflection of himself because he wants a son to carry on his name, his machismo, and his business, but he won’t even take the time to develop a bond with his son. Baba is very emotionally distant from his son because he feels that there is no real connection between the two of them other than Amir coming “out of” Baba’s wife: “If I hadn’t seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I’d never believe he’s my son”. This has an impact of Amirs upbringing and decisions as they are and will always be influenced by trying to impress his father, when matter of fact he’s really nothing like him.

Consider the narrator of the novel, Amir. Explain how he fulfils the expected characteristics of the antihero. Discuss the ways that he changes throughout the novel and how, given he is the one that is telling the story, the audience is positioned to view him. : 

A hero is defined as a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities, making an antihero defined as a central character in a story, film, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes. Amir is portrayed as an anti-hero because he never sticks up for anyone and is scared. Like when his father sticks up for the Russian soldier when he tries to get some time alone with that one man’s wife (name? K-something rather) and Amir just sits back and watches worrying about himself and what he is going to do if he’s father dies and how he is going to bury and where he will live. Also when he just sits back and peeks around the corner when Hassan is being held down and defiled by Assef and his goons, instead of helping someone who is supposed to be his best friend.

Reflect on the purpose of telling this story, a story of redemption and reconciling your past, from the antihero perspective. Why have our narrator as a character whom we grow to respect rather than establishing them as ‘honourable’ right from the beginning? At the start of the novel, Amir actions make our vision of him change, we are forced to turn against him and look at him and his actions in a negative way. However, throughout the novel we see him change and grow as a person, this changes our outlook on him as well. After witnessing Hassans sexual assault, Amir’s guilt grows so strong he can barely look at him let alone be around him, this drives him to frame Hassan which pushes him away for good. The underlying truth is from the moment Amir ran away from Hassan in the alleyway he has never forgiven himself and little does he know the actions he made in that moment affects him for the rest of his life. After moving to America he sets out for redemption for a fresh start where no one knows of his past he can just shut the door from that chapter of his life, how ever he starts to see this isn’t the case and he realises he needs to earn his redemption to be able to live with himself again.

After Amir goes back to Afganistan to save Soharb we start to see the lengths he goes to for redemption, but the underlying truth is he doesn’t just go to Afganistan “to be good again” he goes cause he knows he owes it to Hassan, he knows that although he may never be able to apologise to Hassan he knows he can give his son a better life which in the end is above all. This is when the reader starts to see Amir as “honourable” because they see the lengths he will go to, to save Soharbs living showing that he has changed as a person from what happend 20 years ago.

Themes and ideas:

Identify three quotations in which Amir details the extent that guilt is a controlling force in his life. Explain how they present an idea about ‘guilt’:

“there is a way to be good again”,

“….it’s wrong, what they say about the past, 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”.

“I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan—the way he’d stood up for me all those times in the past—and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran.”

Comment on the ‘event’ that Amir is constantly referring to as being the thing that rules his life- do you believe he deserves to suffer like this? Why/why not? Why do you think the guilt from this one wrong action causes him to commit more ‘crimes’?:

 Explain what happens when Amir attempts to run away from the guilt in his past. Why do you think he cannot escape it?: Amir cant escape from his guilt because he cant forgive himself. When he moves to America he believe hes leaving that all in the past all in Afghanistan but really its with him and that memory will haunt him for the rest of his life.He cant forgive that he drove Hassan and Ali away when all they did were provide him with everything, he watched Hassan suffer for crime he could have stoped and now he has to live with that.

Reflect on the presentation of ‘guilt’ in this text. What do you think the big things the author wants us to learn about the effects of guilt on living a normal life are?: Hosseini wants to get the message to the reader that the decisions we make in the moment can affect our life forever, and although you can move and keep running away from them, the truth is they will never leave you no matter how much you force it to. However saying that, it also doesn’t mean you cant change, you can look at those mistakes and take it as a learning curve, you can change and redeem yourself.

Redemption:

Explain why the fight scene allows Amir to feel healed. Why do you think he needed to endure physical pain and suffering in order to balance the scales?: For as long as Amir can remember Hassan has always been the one to stand up for Amir, even more then Amir can stand up for himself. Amir knows that Baba already has concerns that Amir backs down too easily. He overhears Baba saying to his friend, Rahim Khan, ‘Self-defense has nothing to do with meanness. You know what always happens when the neighborhood boys tease him? Hassan steps in and fends them off. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. And when they come home, I say to him, ‘How did Hassan get that scrape on his face?’ And he says, ‘He fell down.’ I’m telling you, Rahim, there is something missing in that boy.” For this Amir spends many years in shame for not standing up for Hassan, that evening in the alleyway, even if it meant for him to get hurt.When Amir faces Assef again in order to save Hassan son Sohrab, he looks at it as a second chance, a chance to finally redeem himself for what he cause Hassan in the past. Assef instructs his guards, ‘When it’s all done, only one of us will walk out of this room alive… If it’s him, then he’s earned his freedom and you let him pass, do you understand?’ This shows us that Amir knows he has a strong chance of not walking out of the room alive, but yet he still agrees to fight Assef, because he knows this is his only chance to finally gain back redemption and if he dies trying then it will be worth it. The fight is trenchous, Amir nearly loses his life yet he narrates “What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this…My body was broken- just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later- but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed.” Amir laughs because feels he deserves this, he feels relief. He thinks he should have accepted the beating from Assef years ago, when he was given the choice of saving Hassan and likely getting physically hurt or letting Assef rape Hassan. Since that time, Amir has struggled with his guilt, which was only made worse by the fact that he was never punished for his actions. He had even gone looking for punishment in the past because he felt the need to feel the pain that Hassan would have felt, he tries to get Hassan to hit him with the pomegranates, because he felt then there would at least be some justice for the way he treated Hassan. But Amir’s guilt lingered until his confrontation with Assef, which despite the physical pain, made him feel psychologically healed. When Amir finally stands up to Assef he realises that the physical danger and hurt is actually nothing compared to the emotional pain of guilt he carried for all those years.

Describe how Amir believes he can redeem himself for Baba. Explain the reality of this after Amir achieves what he set out to. Why does it not work out: Amir has always had a very distant relationship with his father Baba, he believes this could be because Amir mother died when giving birth to Amir. Baba has always said to him “There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft… When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness.”, he thinks Baba blames him because he looks his mother’s life which has “rob him of his wife’s life.” Amir has very diffrent interests to Baba, he enjoys readinga nd writing, whereas Baba has always pushed him into likinga na palying football which Amir did not enjoy and quite frankly sucked at. This doesnt help the realtionship as Baba feels dissapointed that his son isnt like him.

The one thing both Baba and Amir do have in common is Kite flying, Amir thinks that the only way he can win Baba over is if he wins the contest and shows Baba that he is worth something, that he can really be good at something they both share a strong interest for, he says “I was going to win, and I was going to run that last kite. Then I’d bring it home and show it to Baba. Show him once and for all that his son was worthy. Then maybe my life as a ghost in this house would finally be over.” He imagines, “‘A dramatic moment of silence. Then the old warrior would walk to the young one, embrace him, acknowledge his worthiness. Vindication. Salvation. Redemption.”

When Amir finally reaches his goal of winning the contest, and getting Baba redemption, he can’t help but feel empty. Although he has now gained a relationship now with Baba that he has always wanted, he lost the relationship with best friend Hassan along the way. After weeks go by him and Baba do more together they start to finally grow a father son relationship after all these years, yet Amir can’t help but still fell empty for a gap that he thought Baba would fill – “I finally had what I’d wanted all those years. Except not that I had it, I felt as empty as this unkempt pool I was dangling my legs into”. He starts to realise that there are underlying problems in his and Babas relationship and winning a kite contest cant and most probably wont ever fix that. As soon as the thrill of doing everything with Baba runs out he realises that he doesn’t actually like this knew way of life and he wants everything to go back to how they were before the kite flying competition, when him and Hassan would play like brothers. This is because he has realised he can’t just put the incident with Hassan aside, this sign has stuck with him and he can’t just seem to shake it off.

Why do you think Amir responds to this phone call the way that he does? He has lived with his sin for 26 years. Why do you think he tries to redeem himself now?: Amir looks at the phone call he receives in the winter of 1975 as a second chance, a way he can finally redeem himself from the sins has had committed. The underlying truth why Amir goes to Afghanistan is not to actually for Sohrab but for himself, he looks at it as an opportunity where can fix things and finally move forward with his life without having to carry the guilt of the sins he committed on his shoulder. He knows that no matter what people say to him he knows he not that truly brave and honourable inside, cause he is actually scared of what might happen to him “You are an honorable man, Amir agha…I cringed inside.” He still goes even though he’s putting his life in danger cause he knows that this might be his one and only chance to make things right, but for a matter of fact he’s still hasn’t changed. He goes even knowing there could be chance that he doesn’t come back, he could leave Soraya alone with no husband. Even though Amir goes it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s doing ti for the right reasons, as he is really only going to meant things with himself.

It isn’t till after Amir fights Assef in order to get Sohrab when we truly see, and matter of fact he sees that this is more than just a redemption trip, he’s here because he knows he owes it to Hassan. I think Amir realizes that all his life he has been afraid of the one thing that he faces when he goes to Afghanistan that being strong enough to stand up for himself and what he believes in, this is the first step to his self redemption.

Discuss what Hosseini is trying to teach the reader about in this novel. What messages/lessons/warnings does he give to the reader about the guilt/redemption cycle? What should we take away from Amir’s story:

The message Hosseini tries to reveal to the reader throughout the book is the theme of redemption and guilt, both ideas working hand in hand as redemption can’t come unless there’s something to feel guilty for. He uses the protagonist Amir to show this, he unravels the lesson how the guilt from actions of the past can determine your future. He shows this in Amir as even though he moves to America and starts his life over “For me, America was a place to bury my memories.”, the guilt of not stepping in for Hassan still lingers over him “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 looking into that deserted alleyway for the last twenty-six years.”, and over time he realises the only way he can stop this is by redemption. When he goes back to Afghanistan to save Sohrab, and finds himself in the same situation with Assef, he realises he has never earned his redemption he needed to be forgiven because he was always hiding from his guilt and had never faced it head on. This shows the reader that redemption can only be found in yourself, it can only be driven by your own desires.

Symbolism:

Kites and kite fighting: The kites appear throughout the novel starting in chapter one, when Amie describes himself walking through Golden Gate park and looking up and seeing kites fly above him, the Kites are introduced here as both reminders of Amir’s past guilt and symbols of hope. They don’t appear gain till chapter 6 where we learn the importance of kite flying in afghanistan, here Amir and Hassan are about to enter the annual kite fighting contest, which Amir is hoping to win along with Hassan’s help. Then in chapter 7, the kites are significant as this is the chapter Amir’s life changes forever, after successfully winning the contest Amir seeks to find the blue kite to bring back and show everyone. Amir searches everywhere and finally finds Hassan in an alleyway, holding the blue kite – which Amir thinks of as the “key to Baba’s heart”, here he comes across hassan in an alleyway holding onto the blue kite. Assef tells Hassan that they will let him go if he hands over the blue kite. Hassan refuses, as he ran the kite fairly and must deliver it to Amir, but he doesn’t do so. In chapter 10, Baba and Amir are in a truck fleeing to America, Baba whispers in Amir’s ear to think of something happy, and Amir immediately thinks of a day flying kites with Hassan. Flying kites becomes a symbol of hope for something better, and nostalgia for a past that was more innocent and peaceful. The kites don’t come up again till chapter 10 where the novel is caught up from the opening scene where Rahim Khan calls Amir, and after the phone call Amir walks thought golden gate park and watches the beautiful lake, a man playing with his son, and two kites flying overhead. Amir feels that Rahim Khan knows everything about Hassan, and that he is inviting Amir to return as a way of redeeming himself. When Amir is back in afghanistan in chapter 16 he describes “There are no more kites, and the streets smell like diesel instead of lamb kabob”. Finally at the end of the book in chapter 25, Soraya interrupts Amir’s conversation and points out some kites flying in the sky over the park. Amir finds an Afghan kite seller and buys a kite, and he takes it over to Sohrab. Amir checks the string and talks to Sohrab about Hassan, and his skill at kite-flying and kite-running. Amir asks if Sohrab wants to fly the kite, but there is no response. Amir starts running, the kite rising behind him, and then he realizes Sohrab is following him. Amir feels a rush of joy, as he hasn’t flown a kite in decades. Behind them people cheer for their victory, and the tiniest smile appears on Sohrab’s face. Amir knows it is only a little thing, but it is perhaps a sign of better things to come, an omen of hope for the future. Amir asks if he should run the green kite for Sohrab, and Sohrab nods. Amir says “for you, a thousand times over,” and he sets off running with a smile on his face.

The kite serves as a symbol of Amir’s happiness as well as his guilt. Flying kites is what he enjoys most as a child, not least because it is the only way that he connects fully with Baba, who was once a champion kite fighter. But the kite takes on a different significance when Amir allows Hassan to be raped because he wants to bring the blue kite back to Baba. His recollections after that portray the kite as a sign of his betrayal of Hassan. Amir does not fly a kite again until he does so with Sohrab at the end of the novel. Because Amir has already redeemed himself by that point, the kite is no longer a symbol of his guilt. Instead, it acts as a reminder of his childhood, and it also becomes the way that he is finally able to connect with Sohrab, mirroring the kite’s role in Amir’s relationship with Baba.

“I was going to win, and I was going to run that last kite. Then I’d bring it home and show it to Baba. Show him once and for all that his son was worthy.”

“The curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either… Never mind that we spent entire winters flying kites, running kites. Never mind that to me, the face of Afghanistan is that of a boy with a thin-boned frame… a boy with Chinese doll face perpetually lit by a harelipped smile. Never mind any of these things. Because history isn’t easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi’a, and nothing was ever going to change that.”

“Do you want me to run that kite for you?”
His Adam’s apple rose and fell as he swallowed… I thought I saw him nod.
“For you, a thousand times over,” I heard myself say.

The symbol of the kite stands for bringing all kinds of people together. During kite flying festivals, people from different walks of life participate in kite flying. Kites make everybody equal and all egos, snobbishness, sense of being superior are brought down to the same level.

Pomegranate tree: The pomegranate tree located on the northern hill of Baba’s property is where Amir and Hassan would meet, play, and read books as children. Amir and hassan carve their names on the tree as kids  “Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul”, it symbolizes their connection and how it will never go away like the carving, which stays there even when Amir sees the tree again 25 years later. The pomegranate tree represents The pomegranate tree symbolizes the nurturing and beautiful friendship these two young boys have, at the time, but it also represents the guilt, the happiness and the incident that changed Amir and Hassan’s life forever. The boys saw the tree as their special place and thought that nothing could take the friendship away from them. After the horrible tragedy that Amir witnesses with Hassan, the tree no longer holds the same meaning for the two of them. Amir is wracked with guilt, that he carries most of his life. One day he takes Hassan up to the hill and he grabs a pomegranate from under the tree, he smashes it against his head and then puts another in Hassan’s hand urging him to throw one at him, Amir believes that he needs to feel the physical pain Hassan felt, when he didn’t help him he needs to feel this pain in order to feel at peace, but instead Hassan hits the pomegranate over his own head. This shows us that Hassan will never hurt Amir no matter what, it’s a coincidence that the pomegranate pulp is red as it almost symbolizes blood, making Hassan bleed for Amir. Late on in the novel when Amir goes back to Afghanistan he visits the tree, as see’s it’s no longer bearing fruit, its represents the fact that Amir and Hassans friendship in no longer in tact and “blooming”, but its still there like the carving because the fruit may stop producing but the memories will never disappear.

The pomegranate tree is a symbol of friendship, loyalty, innocence, purity, success, power, nature, fertility, prosperity, immortality, etc. Which is ironic as this is the tree where Hassan and Amir play, Hoesseini intentionally put the tree into novel as it shows the friendship as a deeper meaning. However in the Koran the pomegranate tree is mentioned as “the good things created by god”, this is significant as its almost showing us the the friendship of Amir and Hassan was a unbreakable bond formed by god, and although Amir betrayed Hassan, at the end of the novel he also risked everything in order to save Hassan son and therefore Hassan, which shows us that this is more than just a friendship as in the end these two boys will do anything for eachother.

Scars: Hassan’s cleft lip is one of his most defining physical features “the face of Afghanistan is that of a boy with a thin-boned frame… a boy with Chinese doll face perpetually lit by a harelipped smile.”, a symbol of social disparity between Hassan and Amir, as Ali doesn’t have money to pay for the surgery to fix the lip. It is Baba who ends up paying for the surgery, where the cleft lip then becomes a symbol of Baba’s secret parental love for Hassan. Consequently by the end of the novel in the bloody gruesome fight, Amir’s upper lip gets split open- “The worst laceration was on your upper lip,” Armand said. “The impact had cut your upper lip in two, clean down the middle. But not to worry, the plastics guys sewed it back together and they think you will have an excellent result, though there will be a scar. That is unavoidable”. Lying in his hospital bed Amir cant stop thinking about the doctors words to him ‘The impact had cut your upper lip in two, he he had said, clean down the middle.’ clean down the middle like a harelip. The scar symbolize how Amir is now like Hassan, the way he stood up to Assef after all the years and saved Sohrab. The scars stands as a physical reminder to Amir of the healing by the physical beating Amir faced that in order to feel redeemed and forgiven by not only himself but Hassan. It also shows how much Amir has changed as a person its shows that he has grown within himself to stand up to the one thing he has been running away from his whole life, the one think Hassan always did for Amir yet, he could never return. It shows the journey he had gone through in order to forgive and live with himself.

The Slingshot: The slingshot in the Kite runner is a symbol of loyalty, from the beginning of the novel it shows us how Hassan will always protect Amir even if he isn’t in the wrong like when “I talked Hassan into firing walnuts with his slingshot at the neighbours one-eyed german shepherd. Hassan never wanted to, but if i asked, really asked, he wouldn’t deny me”. When Hassan’s father Ali would catch them Hassan would always take the blame for Amir, it shows us just how loyal Hassan really is. When Amir and Hassan run into Assef, Hassan is the one to stands up for Amir with his slingshot, and towards the end of the novel when Soharb stands up to Assef with a slingshot in order to save Amir’s life. The slingshot represents two generations, as both Hassan and Sohrab use a slingshot to stop Assef, although Hassan only to threaten to use his, and sohrab actually inflects pain. But the act of this threat by both Hassan and Sohrab has been made out of the pure act of loyalty in order to save Amir, it shows that they will do anything to save the ones they love even if it means hurting someone.