Team Tom Angleberger English 12 (Kite Runner Edition): May 2013

Motifs

Rape

"Just like I pretended I hadn't seen the dark stain in the seat of his pants. Or those tiny drops that fell from between his legs and stained the snow black."

Rape is sometimes said to not be about the act itself, but rather as a way to feel power and control

over another person. This seems to be the case when looking at the Kite Runner.The most prominent incident involves Assef, a boy from a well off family, rapes the young hazara Hassan for disobeying him. There are other examples in the novel were people in power abuse those below them because they can. The Russian soldier attempts to rape the young mother on the truck because she is in no position to refuse him. Even young Sohrab is raped by Assef, who is motivated to do so by his hate for the Hazaras. The image of the bloody snow is from the quote we felt was the most powerful piece of writing in the novel regarding this subject.

Slingshot

“Hassan held the slingshot pointed directly at Assef's face.

His hand trembled with the strain of the pulled elastic band and beads of sweat

had erupted on his brow.

"Please leave us alone, Agha," Hassan said in a flat tone.”

“Sohrab had the slingshot pointed to Assef's face.

"No more, Agha. Please," he said, his voice husky

and trembling. "Stop hurting him."”

In contrast to the rape, the slingshot is the great equalizer. It represents the weak fighting the powerful. It represents a sense of security, but most of all, it represents courage. Courage to stand up for those we care about, to stand up against what we deem evil, and to stand up when others cannot defend themselves. As such, the slingshot also acts as the end of Amir’s guilty, since Sohrab lifts the slingshot in the same manner as his father did to defend Amir. The image depicts Robin Hood, who fought for the poor against the oppressive power of the rich, in the same way Hassan and Sohrab stand up for Amir against Assef.

"For you a thousand times"

"He was already turning the street corner, his rubber boots

kicking up snow. He stopped, turned. He cupped his hands around his mouth.

"For you a thousand times over!" he said."

""Do you want me to run that kite for you?"

His Adam's apple rose and fell as he swallowed. The wind lifted

his hair. I thought I saw him nod.

"For you, a thousand times over," I heard myself say."

This line has much to do with the relationship between Amir and Hassan. It at first represents the loyalty between a master and servent. When Sohrab is introduced, the meaning is altered, and shows it has more to do with looking out for our loved ones then say a forced sense of loyalty between an employer and employee. In that moment, Amir wins the affection of Sohrab in the same way Hassan lovingly calls Amir. The image we choose depicts two happy children, who share a bond of kinship, which is a stronger bond than any amount of money can buy.

Symbols

Kite

"That was the thing about kite flying: Your mind drifted with the kite."

The Kite is one of the most prominent symbols in the novel, and even the title of the book reflects this. The kite is a majestic , beautiful, and graceful sight to behold, but also the kites in the novel

“The Kite Runner” have thorns similar to the thorns of a rose. In contrast to the beauty of the kite, the kite`s string is riddled with glass, in the attempt to allow it to cut down other kites in the sky. The kite symbolizes the underlying pain and suffering that is hidden behind its more prominent angelic feature. The kite tournament in Kabul brought both Amir and Baba closer together, although this is all you can see from an outside perspective, there is much more to the story. Like the kite and its deadly features Baba and Amir`s relationship also has a cruel side to it. Underneath the happiness of Baba and Amir bonding together as father and son over the kite tournament, Amir must come to terms for the suffering he had let Hassan succumb to in an attempt to gain Baba`s acceptance. This pain that inflicts both Amir and Hassan is the string that guides the kite, although the string in nearly invisible it is still ever present and an almost an everlasting affliction that guides the kite, that is the epiphany of beauty and child-like innocence.

Scars

"As confided to a neighbor's servant by the garrulous midwife, who had then in turn told anyone who would listen, Sanaubar had taken one glance at the baby in Ali's arms, seen the cleft lip, and barked a bitter laughter."

Hassan`s scar symbolizes Hassan`s loss of innocence. Before Hassan had undergone surgery for his cleft lip, Hassan was happy. Shortly after Hassan`s surgery, of which he had not been enthralled to receive, he had lost his innocence to Assef through the rape scene in the alley. The cleft lip symbolizes purity of person. After the surgery and rape that followed shortly after, the scar left by the surgery was like a grim reminder to the events that had transpired, to those that had been present during said events. The same scar that marked the end of Hassan`s lost innocence as a child, Amir had received a scar in a similar position. Although in contrast to how Hassan had received his scar, Amir had received his from Assef as a result of Amir trying to redeem himself. The scars represent different ideas based on who wears them and that is where our image comes into play and represents the scars left by old travesties and feats.

Lamb

"He moved his head slightly and I caught a glimpse of his face. Saw the resignation in it. It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb."

The lamb of sacrifice represents the sacrifice of innocence. The sacrificing of a lamb is a religious practice that was conducted by Amir`s Father Baba, in their backyard. Amir expresses his distaste for the sacrifice but is ignored by Baba and they end up sacrificing the innocent lamb. Amir later makes the same sort of sacrifice, the sacrifice of Hassan`s innocence. Hassan had lost his innocence to Assef while trying to defend Amir`s kite that he had run for him. Even Amir had noted the resemblance between Hassan and the Lamb when he had stated that, “I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba. ” In the same way they had attempted to display conviction to god through the practice of sacrificing the lamb, Amir had to sacrifice Hassan`s innocence to receive Baba`s acceptance as a result.

Theme

Redemption

“There is a god, there has to be, and I now I will pray, I will pray that He forgive that I have neglected Him all these years, forgive that I have betrayed, lied, and sinned, with impunity, only to turn to Him now in my hour of need, I will pray that He is as merciful, benevolent, and gracious as His book says He is.”

Redemption is the key to the entire story. It’s what leads Amir to come back to Afghanistan. It’s what takes him to Sohrab, and what brings Amir to rediscover his faith in God. Redemption is symbolized by the hands clasped in prayer, as Amir did when he prayed to be forgiven by God for his sins.

Sacrifice

"But before you sacrifice yourself for him, think about this: Would he do the same for you?”

Sacrifice is a major component of the novel, as Amir sacrifices both himself and Hassan to appease Baba. Hassan is the sacrifice when he is raped by Assef, and he is the sacrifice once more when Amir frames him for the theft of Baba’s watch. Later, Amir regrets the sacrifices he made for Baba, claiming “the last time [he had sacrificed for Baba], [he] had damned [himself]”. The reason we picked the crucifix is because it represents Jesus Christ, who sacrificed himself for humanity, similar to how Hassan sacrificed his humanity for Amir.

Loss

“Your old life, I thought. My old life too. I played in the same yard, Sohrab. I lived in the same house. But the grass is dead and a stranger's jeep is parked in the driveway of our house, pissing oil all over the asphalt. Our old life is gone, Sohrab, and everyone in it is either dead or dying. It's just you and me now. Just you and me.”

The loss of innocence, loss of childhood, and loss of family. Loss is an important theme in the novel, as Amir and Hassan lose their innocence and childhood during the kite tournament. Amir loses his friend and brother, he loses Baba, and even his sense of self-worth and his dignity. The gravestone is symbolic of the death and losing people you care about. This mirrors Amir’s intangible losses.