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Pomegranate In The Kite Runner

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In Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner," the pomegranate serves as a recurring symbol that reflects the various themes and emotions explored in the novel. Throughout the book, the pomegranate is used to represent hope, love, guilt, redemption, and the interconnectedness of different parts of life. This essay will explore the symbolism of the pomegranate and its significance to the characters and themes in the novel. One of the main themes the pomegranate represents is hope. Hosseini writes, "There was a pomegranate tree in Baba's yard, and every fall Hassan and I used to go there and collect the fruit" (12). The pomegranate tree in Baba's garden is a place of refuge and comfort for the protagonist, Amir, and represents a symbol of hope and the possibility of a better future. …show more content…

Throughout the novel, the two characters share pomegranates and other fruits while they play together, symbolizing their close bond. Hosseini writes, "Hassan used to love splitting open pomegranates, scooping out the juicy red seeds with his thumb, then filling his mouth with the sweet, dribbling fruit" (13). This passage highlights the bond between the two characters, much like the juicy, sweet seeds within the fruit symbolize their close relationship. However, the pomegranate also represents Amir's guilt, as he remembers the time he betrayed Hassan and feels that he is unable to make up for it, much like a pomegranate cannot be put back together once it has been split open. Hosseini writes, "I thought about Hassan, the betrayal I lived with, like a pomegranate seed lodged in my throat" (17). The image of the pomegranate seed lodged in Amir's throat reflects the guilt and shame he feels over his actions and the inability to undo the

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Moreover, the setting is significant for the plot because Khaled Hosseini showcases the major differences that take over Afghanistan before and after the Soviet Invasion and Taliban rule. Likewise, the setting sets the tone for how the characters interact and the conflicts they face. In the beginning, Afghanistan is shown as a beautiful country where Amir has spent his entire childhood devoid of bloodshed and misery. Amir and Hassan’s interactions are based off the activities they do such as going to Cinema Zainab for new Iranian movies and hiking up the hill North of Baba’s home. At the top of the hill, they would watch the airplanes take off and land near the pomegranate tree that bears a lot of memories, such as the time Amir had pelted Hassan with pomegranates in shear frustration after the incident in the alley.

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In the book “Their Eyes Were Watching God” the author uses the pear tree, bees and the horizon as symbolism to describe her dreams and sexual discoveries. Janie’s ultimate goal is to find love. She want to have a relationship where she can connect on an emotional, physical and intellectual way. The Pear Tree is used metaphorically to resemble how Janie grows as a person.

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For the first ‘bare’ part of her life, Janie is a mule not to a man but to her own grandmother. In her youth, Janie yearns for relationships and objects that to her symbolize freedom. She is drawn to a blossoming pear tree because of how its “barren brown stems [turn] to glistening leaf-buds; from the leaf-buds from snowy virginity” (10), Here, Janie is awed by something changed from ‘barren’ to beautiful as she struggles with the suppression of her grandmother, who goes on to bash Janie for kissing a boy through a gatepost. It is clear Janie associates the pear tree with freedom, as she was avoiding her chores to sit under it. Thus, the beauty she finds in the turn from stem to blossom is directly correlated with the joy she finds in the escape from her grandmother and discovery of freedom.

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From him? … I’m thirty-eight years old and I’ve just found out that my whole life has been one [ ] lie”(Hosseini 206). The truth that Rahim Khan had disclosed was that Baba had illegitimately been the father of Hassan, therefore making Hassan Amir’s half-brother. This is an example of Hosseini using juxtaposition to illustrate Amir’s path to redemption because he ties this illegitimate brotherhood back to Amir’s initial perception of his brotherly relationship with

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The fruits of the pomegranate tree become a showing of Hassan’s faithfulness and devotion to Amir in page 92 and 93 of the book, when Hassan, after being bombarded by pomegranates from Amir, smashes a pomegranate on his head, asking Amir, “Are you satisfied? Do you feel better?” Hassan is doing the very thing that makes their friendship strong, devoting himself to Amir and

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Amir realizes that Hassan will never fight back due to the power Amir has. When Amir practically begs Hassan to hit him back, Hassan finally puts forward his first move of power by not giving Amir what he wants and instead smashes the pomegranate on his own forehead (Hosseini 93). Hassan and Amir are the perfect example of how a relationship with an imbalance of power can affect anybody, no matter what

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As well as the tree blossoms symbolizing Janie's womanhood emerging, ready for her to take on the world without someone looking over her shoulder. Janie sees the love in the pear tree, to which motivates her to seek her own version of such love. As Janie's life has been through ups and downs, Hurston still includes the pear tree as a metaphor of love, nearing the end of the novel. As Janie is feeling the aftermath of her beloved tea cakes death, she still holds true to the love she sees through the pear tree, she thinks back about the pear seeds, “The seeds reminded Janie of Tea Cake…”(191). This metaphor of love conclusively fills the novel.

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Later in the novel, Hosseini writes another passages that shows irony. This is when he writes, “My body was broken--just how badly I would’t find out until later--but I felt healed” (Hosseini 289). This is another significant moment of irony in the novel. Assef, the person who raped Hassan and is the root of Amir’s guilt, returns to the book as an adult but continues to bully small children like Sohrab, Hassan’s son. During this event, Amir is beaten harshly by Assef and he feels as though this is his payment for running away when Hassan needed help.

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He tried to get Hassan to hurt him, but Hassan was too loyal, and could never hurt Amir the way he hurt Hassan. Amir hurt him again and again, but Hassan protected Amir till the very end. One of Amir’s first actions based on guilt was when he hit Hassan with pomegranates. ” I hit him with another pomegranate, in the shoulder this time. The juice splattered his face.

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As a Hazara, Hassan doesn’t usually sacrifice much besides his time to do chores and serve Amir’s family. This changes in chapter eight when Amir attempts to get a rise by throwing pomegranates at him, screaming at him to fight back. “He opened [the pomegranate] and crushed it against his own forehead. ‘There,’ he croaked, red dripping down his face like blood. ‘Are you satisfied?

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The force of shame triggered Amir to turn his back on his best friend whom he later finds out is his brother, Hassan. Amir framed Hassan by saying he stole from him, “I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it.” Amir was dishonored by not taking up for Hassan when he was in need of his assistance, so Amir’s shame caught up with him and assumed it would make matters better by attempting to have Baba get rid of him and Ali by framing him. Also, Amir disrespected Hassan and hit him in the chest with a pomegranate, “I hurled the pomegranate at him.”

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The author of ‘The Kite Runner,' Hosseini, employs a variety of symbols to create a deeper meaning throughout the book. Symbolism is used to create deeper a meaning in in many ways in the book especially in objects like kites which represent happiness when the kite is flying high and guilt about the blue kite. Symbolism is also present in people especially the cleft lip which is a symbol of betrayal of brothers and also represents Baba’s and Amir’s redemption. The cleft lip symbolises betrayal of brothers and also represents Baba’s and Amir’s redemption.

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