Discussion Topic

Literary Devices in The Kite Runner

Summary:

The Kite Runner employs various literary devices to enhance its themes. Foreshadowing is evident in Amir's reflections on Hassan and future events, while symbolism is seen in Soraya's infertility, representing emptiness, and Sohrab as a symbol of redemption and the innocence of Afghan children. Imagery enriches the narrative through vivid Afghan wedding descriptions. In significant scenes, like Amir's beating by Assef, the pain serves symbolically as partial atonement, and the television and other objects symbolize Western influence and false affluence.

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In Chapter 13 of The Kite Runner, where does the text show foreshadowing, symbolism, and imagery?

FORESHADOWING.  There is an example of foreshadowing when Amir wonders if Hassan has married and who the girl may have been. At the time, Amir probably never expected to find out, but circumstances would later provide him an answer. Baba's death proves to be forthcoming when Soraya suggests that the newly married couple move in with him instead of getting a home of their own. When Baba tells her "There is no pain tonight," we know death is near. Amir's quest for atonement is suggested following Baba's death when he states that

Baba couldn't show me the way anymore; I'd have to find it on my own.

Amir and Soraya's talk of adoption when she is found to be infertile signals their future with Sohrab.

It wasn't meant to be... Or maybe it was meant not to be.

IMAGERY.  The author creates a wealth of imagery with his description of the Afghan-style wedding, especially through the use of the native words and terms: the nika, with Amir dressed in traditional green; the Ayena Masshaf, when the two looked at each other's reflections in mirrors; and the ahesta boro, the wedding song.

SYMBOLISM.  Soraya's infertile womb serves as a symbol for emptiness, "rising from Soraya and settling between us."

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What is a significant passage in Chapter 22 of The Kite Runner and its literary devices?

Amir experiences the realization of partial atonement for past sins while taking a beating at the hands of his old nemesis Assef. Amir knows that "There is a way to be good again," but it can only happen by successfully rescuing Sohrab from the Taliban. Assef, with brass knuckles and longstanding grudges, stands in Amir's way: It seems an impossible task, the passive Amir facing the bloodthirsty Assef; and when young Sohrab intervenes with the slingshot, the boy also experiences a moment of redemption when he disfigures his father's old tormenter. The pain is invigorating to Amir.

... for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace... I laughed... I hadn't been happy and I hadn't felt better, not at all.  But I did now. My body was broken--just how badly I wouldn't find out until later--but I felt healed. Healed at last.  (Chapter 22)

The beating symbolically serves as partial atonement for Amir, and the loss of Assef's eye fulfills an old promise made by Hassan. The scene can be considered an early climax to the novel, but Sohrab's improved mental health and relations with his father will still take some time.

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What symbols does the author use in Chapter 24 of The Kite Runner?

Sohrab is the most significant symbol in the chapter.  As Hassan's son, he is a symbol of redemption to Amir - by saving the child Amir can alleviate his guilt and pay back a small portion of the debt he owes his friend.  Both Hassan and Sohrab are brutalized by Assef and defend themselves against him with a slingshot and stone, adding another level of symbolism to the symbolic reincarnation of the father in the son - of the Biblical David going up against Goliath. As an abused and molested child, a "wounded little boy", Sohrab may also represent the innocent children of Afghanistan, victimized by "history and religion" in their homeland. 

Other symbols include the television, representing Western influence as well as fulfillment of a promise Amir made to Hassan in Chapter 6, the "fake dusty palm tree...flying pink flamingoes on the wallpaper...Formica...counters" of the hotel lobby, signifying the falseness of Western affluence and modernity, and the pigeons at the Blue Mosque, faithful and trusting, flocking to the peace and safety offered by Islam.  Also, the Les Miserables poster next to the American map at the embassy is a Statue-of-Liberty-like representation of America as a refuge for the downtrodden, Mr. Anderson's small, manicured hands signify sterility and unwelcoming, and his caressing of the tomato plant symbolizes his yearning for his dead daughter.  

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