Dichotomies In The Kite Runner

Austin Gao

Due 9/6/2016

Literature

2009 The Kite represents an illusion, for while the user experiences a sensation of boundless freedom and liberation through the maneuvers of the kite, the user is really grounded and unable to transcend his current situation. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, Amir remains plagued by the dual nature of the kite for nearly the entire novel; he experiences false moments of freedom and liberation alongside the crushing, debilitating guilt associated with his past mistakes. Kites manifest multiple times throughout Amir’s narrative, and these moments reveal some of the greatest dichotomies in his life. One of the greatest pivotal moments in the novel happens when Amir uses a kite-flying tournament to get closer to his father, and he sacrifices his

The words are blunt, unapologetic in nature, resonating with so much truth that it pierces Amir’s false happiness (Hosseini 133). For Amir, the kite brought only a false sense of freedom from his remorse. In reality, he was still entrenched in the battle for his father’s love, still trying to find a way to get all of his father’s attention. The kite-flying competition was an illusion, a dream that Amir could ever be his father’s only son. The reality that Hassan was Amir’s half-brother, and the equitable love that Baba gives them, serves as the anchor that keeps Amir from his own childhood dreams, the truth that Amir could never escape. Even though Amir’s lofty ambitions send the kite flying on that spring day, Hassan’s practicality and unwavering loyalty helps Amir win his father’s affections for that month. Even though Amir believes that he can soar above the truth in his world, he and Hassan both remain grounded, forced into oppression by their