The kite symbolizes many things throughout The Kite Runner. Hassan and Amir’s kite is a representation of a child’s innocent imagination, which is why they named it “Sohrab,” meaning “morning” in Persian. It was also symbolic of the boys’ relationship, which was the source of joy for both of them. Sohrab was their defense against the elements—their way of escape from the harshness of the world around them.
The kite represents Amir’s guilt over Hassan’s death. When he finds Hassan in the streets of Kabul, he witnesses the boy being mutilated and killed by one of his father’s soldiers. In order to cope with what he has seen, Amir convinces himself that Hassan had died months before this event actually took place. This is why he later states that he had seen Hassan die with his own eyes; otherwise, he would have been forced to acknowledge that Hassan had died at Amirs’ hands. He could not stand to face such horrific truth about himself, so he did everything in his power to hide it from others and himself.
