Symbols In The Kite Runner

November 27, 2011
4th period English Literature

One can tell that kites are the central symbol in “The Kite Runner” just by reading the title. Kites have many symbolic uses in this story. Freedom, joy, and camaraderie between Amir and Hassan are just a few examples kites symbolize in this novel. In the very beginning of the story we can see the first symbolic use of the kites to represent relationship. “Then I glanced up and saw a pair of kites, red with long blue tails, soaring up in the sky. They danced high above the trees on the west end of the park, over the windmills.” (Page 1) The kites represent the relationship between Amir and Hassan, they float close to one another occasionally bumping each other accidently or manipulated on purpose. As the kite flyer and the kite runner they are a perfect team as each is an expert in their own right. “Every winter, districts in Kabul held a kite-fighting tournament. If you were a boy living in Kabul, the day of the tournament was undeniably the highlight of the cold season … In Kabul, fighting kites was a little like going to war.” (Pages 49-50)
Kites represent the conflict the story is set in. Not only the war the people of Afghanistan are facing but also the battle the main character is encountering. Amir’s internal conflict over not protecting Hassan when he was getting raped, the battle to win Baba’s attention and to earn his praise and finally the battle over whether to get involved in rescuing Sohrab. “Every kite fighter had an assistant─in my case, Hassan─who held the spool and I fed the line.” (Page 51) Here the class difference between Amir and Hassan, which largely dictates and limits their relationship, is symbolic to kite fighting.
In kite fighting, one boy controls the kite while the other assists by feeding the string. Just as Hassan makes Amir's breakfast, folds his clothes, and cleans his room, so does he cater to Amir in kite tournaments. Even though Hassan shares in the excitement of kite fighting, he does not actually have control over the kite. Hassan may help the kite "lift-and-dive," but Amir is the one who claims a victory. When running kites Hassan may catch a cherished rival kite and hold it in his arms, but always to bring it back to Amir. His joy is vicarious, just like his experience of wealth and privilege while living in Baba's
household.
Another symbolic use of kites is used to represent freedom. “At least two dozen kites already hung in the sky, like paper sharks roaming for prey.” (Page 63) Hosseini paints a picture of hundreds of kites trying randomly and with great determination to cut each other down, he also shows the war conflicts of Afghanistan overthrowing one another. At the same time kite fighting is violent, the mere act of kite flying is innocent and speaks of freedom. Amir and Hassan do not have control over the differences between them. Yet despite their differences and the symbolism of their respective kite-fighting roles, flying kites is an activity that brings Amir and Hassan together. For a moment, they are part of a team. They are more like brothers then than perhaps any other time, because the activity is somewhat mutual. It allows them to momentarily escape their differences and enjoy a shared sense of exhilaration and freedom.
Even on the cover of the book there are kites flying high over Afghanistan. This can also be seen as Amir’s and Hassan’s shared sense of freedom they both feel from life’s realities until the kite then returns to the ground. All the kites’ symbolic use in the novel helps reveal each character’s characteristics and role to the story as whole.