Kite Runner. The Writer Explores

¶ … Kite Runner. The writer explores the title and what the significance of the title is to the book itself. There were three sources used to complete this paper.

The Kite Runner and the Title's Significance

In the story of the Kite Runner there is an obvious significance in the title because of the beloved hobby that Amir practiced as a child with his friend Hassan at his side. The hobby involved all of the boys in town building kites and then flying them. Once they were in the air the boys would maneuver the kites through clever string manipulation and slice the competitors' kites from the sky. One by one the kites would fall and eventually there would only be one kite left. At that point the kite owner would run through the town to capture and own the last kite that he cut from the sky and it would serve as a makeshift trophy until the next year's competition (Hosseini, 2004).

This is a true competition that the author took part in as a child but it is where the fiction also begins as the story unfolds (Shah, 2005).

Because Amir's father had such a difficult time relating to Amir's literary interests, the kite competition was one place where Amir could make his father proud, and he did even though he later hid and allowed Hassan to become raped.

The significance of the title doesn't stop at the hobby however. When one takes a closer look it become evident that the title applies to many other scenarios in the book.

When Amir goes to rescue Sohab the kite runner metaphor kicks into high gear.

It begins with Amir learning not only that Hassan is dead, but that Hassan was in fact his half brother (Hosseini, 2004). With the knowledge that Amir and his dad escaped to America and Hassan was "cut out" by Taliban makes Amir the winner again by being the last "kite" still standing in the family.

We see the metaphoric symbolism once again when Amir goes to rescue Hassan's son, Sohrab. At that time Amir must go through many channels and much red tape, as if dancing the kite in the sky once again and in the end he is once again facing Assef on the playing field of life.