The Kite Runner Cleft Lip Analysis

Symbolism In the novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, Amir and Hassan’s cleft lip is a significant symbol since it signifies Hassan’s poverty, Baba’s secretly loving personality toward Hassan, and also is a sign of Amir’s redemption. Hassan is the son of Ali, who is both the servant for Baba and Ali’s family. Hassan cleft lip is due to his a deformity during his birth. First of all, Hassan’s cleft lip symbolizes his poverty since he is unable to afford a fix to his deformity.. In the first few chapters, Amir refers to Hassan’s cleft lip when describing him with a solid description,“And the cleft lip, just left of the midline, where the Chinese doll maker’s instrument may have slipped, or perhaps he had simply grown tired or careless.”(pg.3) Hassan’s cleft lip is a
Another rib snapped, this time left lower. What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this...my body was broken--just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later--but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed.”(pg.303) This part of the novel is very significant because it is the pivotal point of Amir’s life. During the fight, Amir gets injured severely and his lip gets split and becomes cleft. From here on, Amir’s identity merges with Hassan’s identity. When Amir is fighting Hassan, he is sacrificing his life to save Sohrab just like Hassan once did for him. During their sacrifice, they both have cleft lips. His guilt of watching Hassan get raped by Assef is lifted and his mind is at peace. As a result, he “laughed” and he “healed at last” although he was severely injured. After the fight, Amir believes that he has compensated for the trouble he gave Hassan. Amir learned to stand up for the people he cares for, like Hassan does for him, and he becomes a “father” for Sohrab. To summarize, Amir’s cleft lip is a symbol of his