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"The Kite Runner" LRB #6

The Kite Runner

By: Khaled Hosseini

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini the reader is given several instances that can be interpreted as a symbol. Published in 2003, Hosseini’s novel is said to give an accurate depiction of modern day Afghanistan. This depiction can be seen in infamous rape scene. As we found out early on in the book, the Hazara’s were shunned their culture “raped,” so to speak, related to this, Amir and Hassan are the two most blatant symbols found within the first 109 pages. Amir represents the people who turned their heads as the Hazaran culture was destroyed. Hassan represents the Hazarans; that is why he was the character to be violated.

Another prominent symbol within the novel is the sling shot. The standoff between Hassan and Assef was a battle of David and Goliath proportions. In The Bible, we read the tale of David, the son of a servant, who battles Goliath, the Philistine champion warrior. The battle goes much like the one between Assef and Hassan, with the meek coming out on top.

Hassan’s cleft lip was also an obvious symbol. As read in How To Read Literature Like A Professor, illness and physical deformities have a larger meaning. In The Kite Runner we see two examples of physical deformities in that of the two characters Hassan and his father, Ali. The author gave physical deformities to the main two Hazaran characters to show their standing in the Afghan society. This small, broken Hazaran family is condemned to a life of poverty and servitude. When Hassan was born, the book states” [His mother] had taken one glance at the baby in Ali's arms, seen the cleft lip, and barked a bitter laughter.[…] She had refused to even hold Hassan, and just five days later she was gone.” He was even exiled by his mother who was not Harzara. Hassan’s physical deformity was corrected, as if Baba was trying to make him into a true Pashtun; however it did not help him. Ali, on the other hand, has multiple malformations: congenital paralysis of his lower face muscles and a twisted, atrophied right leg. Though these two are deformed, they remain the kindest characters of the novel. Giving way to the common statement never judge a book by its cover.

Evident in the last part of chapter nine, the rain serves as a symbol as well as snow earlier in the novel. Another How to Read Literature like a Professor reference, the rain and snow give an ominous effect to the events to come. As we know snow symbolizes death, despair, and cold. This effect gives way to the rape scene, as well as the deceptive relationship between Amir and Hassan. The rain storm also is representing their broken relationship as Amir double crosses his loyal companion by portraying him as a thief. The author also used the rain, in this instance, as a plot thickener to make the reader want to continue reading.


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