Amir was so happy that he kissed Hassan on the cheek, and that night he wrote his first short story. When Amir finished, Hassan clapped and told him it was the best story he had ever read him. One day, Amir pretended to read to Hassan from a book but made up his own story to trick Hassan. After school, Amir would read to Hassan, who loved books despite his illiteracy. While Amir went to school, Hassan stayed home to do housework with Ali. The boys played and got into mischief together like any other two boys, except that Hassan made Amir's breakfast, cleaned his room, and did all his other household chores. At the same time, all these years later, Amir says Hassan is "the face of Afghanistan" to him. According to Amir, their ethnic and religious differences kept them from being true friends or family. But despite their closeness, Baba never considered Ali his friend just as Amir never considered Hassan his. Baba and Ali grew up as quasi-brothers, just like Amir and Hassan a generation later. After sending the young men to serve in the army, he took Ali into his household. Baba's father was asked to decide the young men's punishment. Only their five-year-old son, Ali, survived. In 1933, the same year Baba was born, two intoxicated young drivers struck and killed a Hazara couple. Both Hassan and Sohrab use a slingshot to stop Assef, although Hassan only has to threaten to use his, and Sohrab actually inflicts pain.Chapter four opens with the story of how Ali became a part of Baba's family. Representing two generations, the slingshot symbolizes both childhood as well as the need to stand up for what is right. Amir now has his own "harelip" and is physically like his half-brother. The scar Amir has after being beaten by Assef symbolizes his brotherhood with Hassan. Amir wants Hassan to hit him with the pomegranate fruit in order to inflict a physical punishment and lessen his guilt instead, Hassan breaks the fruit over his own head.Īmir spends most of his life trying to forget Hassan, yet only when he gets a physical reminder of his only childhood friend is Amir able to be at peace. The tree not only symbolizes a unifying force between Amir and Hassan but also serves as a source of division. Years later, after Hassan is dead and Amir is wracked with guilt, the tree - just like Amir's memories - still exists but no longer bears fruit. Thus, the tree symbolizes their relationship. While Amir and Hassan are young and carefree and as close as a servant and master can be, they carve their names in the tree, and it bears fruit. The character of Sohrab, who does not know who his father is, who becomes Hassan's favorite hero, and who meets an untimely death, symbolizes Hassan. The character of Rostam, who acts dishonorably toward the king by sleeping with his daughter, symbolizes Amir. And the heroes of Afghan and Middle Eastern cultures are shared by those of differing beliefs and socioeconomic conditions. ![]() Socioeconomic conditions may determine levels of literacy and understanding, but they do not guarantee heroic attitudes and actions. Myths and stories about legendary heroes as well as stories and literacy in general symbolize both the similarities and differences between the Shi'a Muslims and the Sunni Muslims. Thus, kites also symbolize the thematic topics and interrelationship between betrayal and redemption. The two main kite fights in the novel - the tournament Amir wins and the one at the end of the book - not only also represent Amir and Hassan but also symbolize the juxtaposition of roles, for at the end Amir has become the kite runner. ![]() The Afghan kites with their glass strings symbolize the dichotomy between beauty and violence, simultaneously representing Afghanistan and the half-brothers, Amir and Hassan. ![]() However, kites symbolize so much more in The Kite Runner. Traditionally, kites symbolize both prophecy and fate, and both of these ideas can be applied to characters and events in The Kite Runner. Kites and everything associated with them (kite flying and kite fighting) are the most important symbols in the novel.
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