In the novel The Kite Runner, a young boy named Amir leaves Afghanistan with his father to escape the Soviet invasion. While they are away, his closest friend, Hassan, is raped by their father’s servant and left to die in the streets. Amir returns home to find his homeland under a new regime, one that violently opposes the freedoms he once enjoyed.
In the novel, a kite is an important symbol; it represents many things in addition to innocence and childhood. The kite also represents hope and freedom, two things that are lost throughout the novel. Additionally, the kite represents honesty and trust among friends. Perhaps most importantly, the kite is symbolic of redemption for Amir. The kite brings him back to Afghanistan and forces him to confront his past after he has spent years running from it without looking back. In this way, the kite symbolizes Amir’s return to Afghanistan and his ultimate responsibility for his sins against Hassan.
The kite also represents strength and resilience because it symbolizes Hassan’s own resilience during a time of great struggle for him. During this time in Afghanistan—just after the Soviet invasion—the population was not only oppressed by their government but also by those they trusted most: their family members.
