The Kite Runner Foreshadowing Analysis

In the novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, the author uses foreshadowing and symbolism in order to contribute to the discourse on the topic of loyalty in society. In the beginning of the book, Hosseini uses foreshadowing when Amir talks about how “Hassan never denied [him] anything,” on page 4. This foreshadows to page 105 when Hassan says a simple “Yes,” to admit that he stole the watch and the cash when he did not. This shows Hassan’s loyalty because he would take the blame for Amir which shows what a good friend he is. Foreshadowing is also seen when Hassan has the dream about Amir going into the lake to show that there is no monster. This foreshadows Amir betraying Hassan in the alley. Amir is the monster, and Amir does admit that

The slingshot that Hassan owns symbolizes Hassan being Amir’s tool. On page 77 during the rape scene, Amir had a moral dilemma about saving Hassan from getting raped or running away. Amir said “In the end, [he] ran.” This shows Amir’s true feelings towards Hassan. Amir made this choice and left Hassan proving his disloyalty towards Hassan because he only sees Hassan as a tool to retrieve the kite to get Baba’s approval. The pomegranate is also shown as a symbol in the book to represent Hassan’s loyalty towards Amir. In chapter 7, Hassan gets raped by Assef, and Amir does nothing to help him. Later on, Amir and Hassan return to the tree where Amir becomes infuriated with Hassan for not treating him the same, ever since the kite festival. On page 93, Amir says, “‘Hit me back, goddamn you!’ I wished he’d give me the punishment I craved, so maybe I’d finally sleep at night. Maybe then things could return to how they used to be between us….” This shows how Amir craves for closure with Hassan, as his guilt is eating him alive. Instead, Hassan ends up hitting himself with the pomegranate instead of aiming at Amir. This shows Hassan’s loyalty towards Amir because even though Amir betrayed and abandoned him the day he got raped, he still had no intention of wronging him back, and would rather sacrifice himself, than allow anything bad to happen to