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.