Ever-Changing Relationships In The Kite Runner, By Khaled Hosseini

In the novel, “The Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini, many motifs take place portraying different themes of ever-changing relationships. The Pomegranate Tree in the novel best symbolizes friendship and betrayal between the main characters, Amir and Hassan, who are childhood friends in Kabul. In the beginning of the novel, Amir is a selfish and spoiled child, due to his father Baba, who is a leader and hero in Kabul. Whereas Hassan's adopted father, Ali, Baba's servant, teaches Hassan how to be grateful for what he has in life and be loyal to Amir. Amir and Hassan’s friendship is demonstrated throughout the novel with the use of the pomegranate tree as their space of freedom and connection to one another. In the novel, “The Kite Runner,” Hosseni uses the motif of the pomegranate

They immediately found this place as an area to escape from their lives and be with each other. The tree helped form their relationship through times of hardship and times of grief. One day, Amir and Hassan, “used one of Ali’s kitchen knives to carve [their] names on it. ‘The Sultans of Kabul: Amir and Hassan’” (chapter 4, page 27). This quote signifies the meaning of the pomegranate tree to Amir and Hassan. Amir and Hassan carving their names into the trunk of the tree shows how their friendship will continue to flourish from this point on. It portrays the beginning of their friendship that will be displayed throughout the novel with the use of the tree. In chapter 7, Hassan was brutally raped by Assef, the main antagonist, in the novel. Amir watched this happen and didn’t stand up for his best friend. This brutally damaged their friendship. Later on in Chapter 8, Amir and Hassan went to the tree for the first time since Hassan was raped. During this time, they had some small talk walking up the hill and they “sat against the low cemetery wall under the shade thrown by the pomegranate tree” (chapter 8, page