Kite Runner Case
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Kite runner Paper
“A thief you can watch a liar you can never trust”. In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini the lies told by Baba and Amir have far reaching negative consequences, but the underlining theme is that there is always a way to atone for ones wrong actions. The novel tells a story of two very different boys growing up together in Afghanistan. Hosseini develops this theme of loyalty and betrayal and its consequences through the use of symbolism, repetition and the complex relationship of the stories main characters Amir and Hassan.
Hosseini uses the sheep and pomegranate tree to symbolize the tumultuous relationship and the loyalty and betrayal of Amir and Hassan. “I see the sheeps eyes. It`s a look that will haunt me for weeks.” (76-77) Amir recalls the look of acceptance on the sacrificial sheep eyes before it is slaughtered for the Muslim holiday of Eid-e-Qorban. All that Amir thinks about is how that was the same look he saw when he watched Hassan get raped by Assef. Rather then stopping the rape, he chooses to betray and sacrifice Hassan for the higher purpose of Baba`s attention and acceptance. He even lies when Baba and Ali when asked if he knew what was wrong with Hassan following the rape. This betrayal causes his extreme guilt well in adult hood, until he receives a call from Rahim Khan in Pakistan and a chance at redemption. He sees this look again when he returns to Afghanistan to save Hassan`s son Sohrab, “Sohrab`s eyes flicked to me. They were slaughter sheep`s eyes.” (285) This time Amir is loyal to Hassan when he stands up to Assef and is prepared to do anything to save his son Sohrab. Through the use of the sheep as a symbol for their relationship, Hosseini asserts that Amir able to overcome his betrayal and guilt towards Hassan, by saving Sohrab. The pomegranate tree also is a major symbol in the novel, because when everything was good and Hassan hadnt been raped yet, Amir carved their names in the tree “Amir and Hassan, Sultans of Kabul”. (87) Their relationship was stable. However, after Hassan was raped by Assef and betrayed by Amir. The two once again went up the hill to the pomegranate tree, all that Amir can think about is how he let Hassan get raped, he is so stressed out about that, he starts to throw pomegranates at Hassan. “Then Hassan did pick up a 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?” (93) All Hassan wants to do is hang with Amir and too be his friend; even after everything has happen Hassan is still loyal to Amir. Yet, Amir cannot live with his guilt and ultimately betrays Hassan again by setting him up with the theft of some of his birthday presents. Finally, in the final chapters of the novel, Amir returns to the pomegranate tree as an adult. In the mist of chaos of destruction the tree was sill there. “The carving had dulled, almost faded altogether, but it was still there “Amir and Hassan. The Sultans of Kabul.”(264) This