The pomegranate tree is a symbol of friendship and of Hassan's martyrdom in The Kite Runner. The friendship between the youthful Amir and Hassan flourishes and then dies under the boughs of the pomegranate tree where the two once played. As if to emphasize this tree as a symbol of their bond, Hosseini has Amir carve his and Hassan's names on its trunk. Amir at this point naively treats the two of them as equals, identifying them both as "sultans," although it will be class inequality that rips them apart.
Significantly, the pomegranate is one of the four holy fruits of Islam, the religion of both boys, a status that the fruit derives from the Jewish tradition in which Islam is rooted as a religion of the Book. Jewish priests, as described in the Torah, had pomegranates embroidered on their priestly robes as a symbol of the abundance and fertility God gave to the Jewish people.
From the start, the red of the pomegranate is likened to blood, and later in the novel, the juice of the pomegranate, staining Hassan, becomes a symbol of his martyrdom: he sacrifices himself for Amir. Amir sits under the tree and pelts his friend with the pomegranate fruits, hoping Hassan will alleviate his guilt over the rape by striking back. Instead, Hassan takes the abuse without retaliation:
Hassan was smeared in red like he'd been shot by a firing squad.
Hassan adds a Christlike note to the symbolism when he crushes a pomegranate on his forehead. It drips "down his face like blood" just as the crown of thorns caused blood to drip on Christ's face.
As time goes on, "droughts" impact the tree so that it no longer bears fruit, a symbol of the way the friendship between Hassan and Amir has dried up.
The pomegranate tree located on the northern hill of Baba's property is where Amir and Hassan would meet, play, and read books as children. Amir even recalls carving, "Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul" into the side of the tree. The tree is significant because it symbolizes Amir and Hassan's friendship. Unfortunately, Amir and Hassan's friendship is ruined after Amir witnesses Hassan getting raped by Assef and does not intervene. Tortured by guilt, Amir cannot stand to be around Hassan and does not enjoy visiting the pomegranate tree. In chapter 8, Hassan asks Amir to visit the pomegranate tree to read, and Amir agrees. However, Amir thinks that he's made a mistake visiting the tree and walks back home without reading to Hassan. Later on in the chapter, Amir asks Hassan to follow him up the hill so that he can read a new story to Hassan underneath the pomegranate tree. Shortly after arriving, Amir picks up a pomegranate and asks Hassan what he would do if he threw the pomegranate at him. Amir then hurls the piece of fruit at Hassan's chest and begs Hassan to hit him back. However, Hassan does not retaliate and even smashes...
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a pomegranate over his own head. At this moment, the boys' friendship is over, and Amir proceeds to set up Hassan in an attempt to further distance himself.In chapter 21, Amir returns to Kabul as an adult to atone for his sins by rescuing Hassan's son, Sohrab. When Amir arrives in Afghanistan, he travels up the northern hill near his old home and visits the pomegranate tree. Amir remembers that Hassan had written in his letter that the tree had not produced fruit in years, which symbolizes Amir and Hassan's broken friendship. Overall, the pomegranate tree is a symbol of Amir and Hassan's childhood friendship, and its health represents the state and nature of their friendship.
The pomegranate tree is significant throughout "The Kite Runner," because it symbolizes the friendship between Amir and Hassan. In chapter 4, page 27, Amir tells us that he and Hassan would grab a book and run to an old cemetery. "There was a pomegranate tree near the entrance to the cemetery. One summer day, I used one of Ali's kitchen knives to carve our names on it:"Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul. Those words made it formal the tree was ours." It was under this tree, full of fruit that the friendship was also full. The boys shared stories and dreams. In chapter 8, it is winter. After Hassan is raped and Amir is beginning to be sick with guilt, the two boys climb up the hill again but Amir can't stand to see the carving in the tree so he refuses to read and they leave. Later in the same chapter on pages 91-92, Amier talks of the boys being back near the tree. He says they picked a dozen pomegranates from the tree. Amir begins to throw the fruit at Hassan and tells him to "Get up! Hit me!. Hassan takes one of the over-ripe pomegranates and smashes it into his own face, turns and walks away. Here ends the friendship. Later when Amir goes back to Kabul as an adult he goes to the tree and realizes that the tree has not "born fruit in many years." Just as his friendship with Hassan had died and not born the fruit of friendship, so the tree had died and not born any fruit.