Is the lamb a symbol of victimhood? Is the lamb a symbol of innocence? These are the questions we have to answer when talking about whether or not the lamb symbolizes something in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner.
There is no doubt that the lamb has been a symbol of victimhood, innocence and purity for many years. The story of Abraham and Isaac comes to mind when we think of lambs as victims. After God had tested Abraham’s faith by telling him to kill his son, Isaac, he told Abraham to sacrifice an animal instead. This can be seen as a type of foreshadowing, because in The Kite Runner, Hassan is raped by Amir’s half-brother and then killed by them with a knife. This story was told in such a way that it made us think that the lamb would be used as a metaphor; instead, it was used almost literally. The victim, in this case, is Hassan, who was innocent and pure, just like the lamb. We also see many references to lambs throughout the novel; they are used as metaphors when someone is described as “pure” or “innocent.”
