SYMBOLISM IN THE KITE RUNNER
By ardea, briana and yasmin
What is symbolism and why do writers use it?
• Symbolism is " something that represents something else by
association, resemblance or convention, especially a material object
used to represent something invisible".
• The reason for a writer to use symbolism is so that he can add depth
and color to his novel instead of blatantly saying the mood or
emotion
Key Symbols Used In The Kite Runner
• Kites
• Pomegranate tree
• Cleft Lip
• Blood/ Death
• Slingshot
• Hassan's Smile
• Orphanage
• Lambs
KITES
Symbolism of Kites
• Afghani culture & happiness
• Amir's obsession for Baba's approval
• Tragedy,
• Amir's weakness and sins
• Redemption, Happiness and Brotherhood
• "The old warrior would walk the young one, embrace him,
acknowladge him his worthiness... Salvation, Redemption" (59)
POMEGRANATE TREE
Symbolism of the Pomegranate Tree
• Amir and Hassan's friendship and childhood innocence
• Hassan's never ending loyalty
• Ruins of the friendship Hassan and Amir had
• “Amir and Hassan: The sultans of Kabul” (24 & 231)
CLEFT LIP
Symbolism of the Cleft Lip
• Hassan's status as poor
• Redemption
• " The cleft lip, just left of the mid-line, where the Chinese doll maker's
instrument may have slipped or perhaps he had simply grown tired
and careless"(3)
BLOOD
AND
DEATH
Symbolism of blood and death
• Evils of life
• Assef's role ans Antagonist and his evil nature
• Baba and Hassan's sins
• "There is no act more wretched than stealing"(16)
ORPHANAGES
Symbolism of orphanages
• Atonement of Baba's sin
• Atonement of Amirs sin
• "Baba paid for the construction of the two story orphanage ... with his
own money."
HASSAN'S SMILE
Hassan's smile
• Hassan's unconditional loyalty
• Hassan's happiness and forgiveness
• " The man in the chapan exuded a sense of self-assureness, of ease...
Mostly it was in the way he smiled ... one might have concluded that
this was a man who thought the world had been good to him" (189)
SLINGSHOT
Symbolism of the slingshot
• defence from the evils of life
• Childhood
• Standing up for what is right
• loyalty
• "Hassan held the slingshot pointed directly ay Assef's face...'please
leave us alone agha"
• "If you make a move they'll have to change your nickname from Assef
'the ear eater' to 'One-Eyed Assef' because I have this rock pointed at
your left eye" ( 36 & 37)
LAMB
Symbolism of the lambs
• Redemption
• Slaughter of innocences
• “I caught a glimpse of his face. Saw his resignation in it. It was a look I
had seen before. It was the look of the lamb.” (66)
THE END