Hosannas may catch a rival kite and carry it, but he must always bring it back to the kite flyer. Despite not having control over the kite, Hosannas is just as excited as Emir is. The blue kite in The Kite Runner is the symbol of Abs’s attention. Kites are the only things that Emir and Baby have in common. They have different personalities, desires and dreams, but they are connected by the kites. Therefore Emir thinks that by winning the kite tournament, he will earn Abs’s affection. The kite fighting is violent – children battle against each other, trying to cut all kites down with such great eagerness. This symbolizes the conflicts in
Afghanistan. The hundreds of kites with huge determination on cutting each other down, shows us how crowds in Afghanistan are overthrowing one another. Kite fighting is violent, but flying a kite is innocent and also a symbol of freedom. Emir and Hosannas does not know the difference, they are both being lied to, and their whole relationship would have been different only they had known they were brothers. Yet regardless of their kite fighting characters, flying the kite brings them together. As the novel continues, after the kite tournament, the kite becomes a symbol of betrayal. Hosannas sacrificed himself just to bring the kite to Emir.
He got raped by Safes and Emir betrayed him by hiding instead of standing up for him. Because of this, Emir stops flying kites for a long time. He lost all hope, and sees himself as a failure and coward. This leads to many problems as he grows. There is one rule in Afghanistan kite-flying, and that is winning. This is why Emir is desperate to win the fight between him and Safes. Remember, to bring the last fallen kite home is a major honor, and Emir betrayed Hosannas to get it. Now this time, Sahara is the last fallen kite, and Emir does not only have to win against Safes, he must also bring Sahara with him home.
It lead to some complications, but they managed to get through, and in the end Emir has finally redeemed himself and found peace by taking on Hessian’s role for Sahara. Emir went from a kite fighter – one who seeks adoration and glory to a kite runner – someone who helps others. The symbol of the kite shows up one last time at the very end. It is when Emir is flying a kite with Sahara and sees him smile for the first time in a year. At this moment when they are bonding, Emir gathers hope one more that one day, Sahara will be happy again. The kite symbolize hope at the end for Emir, Sahara and their entire family.
