Examples of Irony

The Kite: 

"The last time I had felt a rush like this was that day in the winter of 1975, just after I had cut the last kite, when I spotted Baba on our rooftop, clapping, beaming. I looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided. Hardly there. But there."

The kite is not only an important symbol in the story, but it is also a good example of irony that is evident at the beginning and end of the story. The kite is ironic because it is the very thing that made Amir abandon Hassan, but it also brings him closer to Sohrab and gives them new hope. The kite also ties into Amir's search for redemption and his guilt. Because Amir wanted so badly to redeem himself to his father, he did his best to win the kite fighting tournament. He won and brought the kite home as a trophy, but it reminded him every day of his mistake of not saving Hassan. This incident led to Hassan's alienation and eventually Sohrab's misfortune. Sohrab falls into a depression after being rescued, and it is flying the kite that gives Sohrab a sense of connection with his father. Amir starts to accept the horrible fate that befell Hassan, even quoting him, saying, "For you, a thousand times over."

Baba dying at the hands of cancer

“Lore has it my father once wrestled a black bear in Baluchistan with his bare hands. If the story had been about anyone else, it would have been dismissed as laaf, the Afghan tendency to exaggerate….But no one ever doubted the veracity of any story about Baba.”-Amir

Baba had always been very strong-willed, as if nothing in the world could stop him from voicing his views. One would expect someone as self-righteous as Baba to die perhaps in a fight while bravely standing up for the weak, or at least in a battle that he incites, prepared for death. It is somewhat unexpected and morbidly funny how Baba dies at the hands of cancer, something completely out of his control. However, Baba does die on his own terms, happily, surrounded by his son and new family.

Amir laughing while taking Assef’s beating

“What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this. I remembered the day on the hill I had pelted Hassan with pomegranates and tried to provoke him…I hadn't felt better, not at all. But I did now. My body was broken-just how badly I wouldn't find out until later-but I felt healed. Healed at last.” –Amir

Similar to how being beaten up relieved Assef of his kidney stones, it relieved Amir of the guilt that he had been plagued with ever since that day he hadn't saved Hassan. It is ironic that while he is being injured physically, he is also healing mentally. Amir finally stood up to Assef, and in his pain, he discovered what he had been searching for the whole time-redemption. Unlike that day when he abandoned Hassan in the alley in order to keep the kite and his father’s pride, allowing himself be beaten by Assef to save Sohrab was a selfless and noble thing to do. Amir did not willingly take Assef’s blows for glory, but because it was his punishment for betraying Hassan. Without even realizing or trying, he had finally become the kind of man his father would have been proud of, had he still been alive then. 

Symbols

Kite

“I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.” -Amir

The kite can be viewed as a symbol for achievement through sacrifice.  Amir had always secretly envied Hassan for earning Baba’s attention and pride, and wanted Baba to be proud of him too. In order to win over his father, he won the kite fighting tournament and had Hassan bring the kite home, at the cost of Hassan’s well-being. Amir wanted so badly to win the kite and his father’s affections that he didn't stop Assef from violating Hassan, because he knew that Assef was stronger than he was and that he could lose the kite if he interfered. That day, Hassan’s dignity was lost and Amir gave up his integrity in favour of pride. Another instance where the symbolism of the kite is particularly noticeable is at the end of the book when Amir is flying a kite with Sohrab. Amir had to risk his own life to save Sohrab, but in the end he prevailed and in a way, he earned Hassan's forgiveness.

Pomegranate Tree

“There was brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that even time could not break. - Amir” 

Amir and Hassan have always been close as brothers, even though they were never aware of it. The pomegranate tree was sort of a sanctuary for them; a place where childish naivety and carefree imaginations ran rampant and their understanding of each other deepened. The pomegranate tree symbolizes childhood, innocence and loyalty. During their childhood years, the pomegranate tree flourished, like their friendship, and bore many fruit. Amir and Hassan even carved their names into the bark: “Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul,” demonstrating the reckless lack of fear that often comes with being a child. There was also that time when Amir threw pomegranates at Hassan under that tree to try to invoke Hassan’s anger to atone for his own sins, but Hassan, being loyal to Amir, merely squashed a pomegranate onto his own face. However, when Amir returned to Kabul and learned that Hassan had died, he found that the pomegranate tree was now withered and almost dead and bore no fruit. Amir and Hassan’s childhood was long gone, but Amir is still connected to Hassan through his need to rescue Sohrab.

The Slingshot

“His hand was cocked above his shoulder, holding the cup of the slingshot at the end of the elastic band which was pulled all the way back. There was something in the cup, something shiny and yellow. I blinked the blood from my eyes and saw it was one of the brass balls from the ring in the table base. Sohrab had the slingshot pointed to Assef’s face”

Hassan is most adept at using his slingshot to defend Amir. It is almost like his signature item. Unlike Assef with his brass knuckles, Hassan wields his slingshot to uphold justice and with caution. The slingshot is a symbol for justice and standing up for others. Just like how Hassan defended Amir against Assef when they were children, Sohrab also protected Amir from Assef with his slingshot when Amir was trying to rescue him. Sohrab might not have known who Amir was, or the history between him and Assef, but even a child like him can sense that what Assef was doing was wrong and that he should be punished for it. Sohrab, like his father, knew how and when to stand up to people who abuse their power.

Prevalent Themes in The Kite Runner

Finding Redemption in Unexpected Places:

"There is a way to be good again." - Rahim Khan

Redemption, unlike atonement, is not only the giving of compensation to make up for a mistake that was made, but also the complete freedom from sin; to redeem oneself. By saving Sohrab from Assef and finally standing up to him, Amir honoured Hassan's wish and broke free of the cycle of fear he had been trapped in since he was a child. Amir had saved two people that day. He saved Sohrab who, like his father, had been violated by Assef, and he also saved himself from the cowardice that had been driving him repeatedly to sin. His desire to redeem himself to his father was the very reason why he didn't save Hassan when he was peeking into that alley, as well as his fear of being hurt physically. Him saving Sohrab at the cost of having to take Assef's blows-in a way-makes up for the mistake he made and the lies he told to hide it.


The Potency of Guilt:

"That was a long time ago, but it's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize that I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years." - Amir

Guilt is a very strong emotion, and it is the most noticeable in the actions and thoughts of Amir, following him ever since that incident with Hassan and Assef in the alleyway. It is the guilt of having seen Hassan being raped and not doing anything to stop it that drives Amir to send Hassan away. Amir had many chances before then to set things right and confess his crimes, but he was afraid of Baba being disappointed in him, and Hassan hating him. Atonement is a frightening thing, even more so to a child who doesn't understand the people around him and how they think. The guilt causes Amir to hate himself and wonder about what life could be like if he had saved Hassan. Would Hassan forgive him? Would he and his father have escaped to America with Hassan and Ali? Would Hassan still have a son if he went to America with them? Thinking about these things makes Amir realize that it is he who ultimately caused Hassan's death and Sohrab's misfortune. Baba also feels a sense of guilt because he slept with Ali's wife and she gave birth to Hassan. Hassan is biologically Amir's half brother and Baba's son, but because of his reputation, he had to keep it a secret from both of them. Keeping that secret tormented Baba for his whole life, and he took it to the grave.

Facing Reality After Living a Sheltered Life:

"That's the real Afghanistan, Agha sahib. That's the Afghanistan I know. You? You've always been a tourist here, you just didn't know it." - Farid.

Both Baba and Amir have lived very (in comparison with the rest of the population of Kabul) sheltered, luxurious lives in Kabul. They had servants, a mansion, an American car, and Baba had a great reputation. Amir never had to work for his food, and the streets were filled with people he knew. Amir took things for granted, not realizing how wonderful his life was until he and Baba moved to America. Baba had to leave all of his hard-earned material possessions back in Kabul, and they had to struggle to earn every dollar. Amir never realized how difficult it was to make a living out of nothing, given his father was a wealthy merchant. Facing reality when all his life he has been being pampered is something that takes a bit of time. He needed to realize that not everything he learned from school or from people he knew was fact, and that in every country, there is controversy, racism and poverty. By seeing different facets of things or places he thought he once knew, he broadened his horizons and learned to empathize.

Bibliography

Links to images used:

Themes:
sunrise: http://mikemesserli.blogspot.ca/2011/12/sunrise.html
stake through heart: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gammablablog/57807041/
broken down building: http://kayklein.tumblr.com/image/5204506790

Symbols:
kite: http://oi55.tinypic.com/vfjndi.jpg
pomegranate tree: http://www.willisorchards.com/system/products/images/190/original/wonderful_pomegranate_tree-image1.jpg?1370582459
slingshot: http://www.iainclaridge.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/0610/slingshot1.jpg


Irony:
kite: http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photography-beyond-bars-image19236147
black bears fighting: http://www.harveywildlifephotography.com/black%20bears/bin/images/small/black_bears_fighting.jpg
arm in cast: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/5e/PlasterCast.jpg/250px-PlasterCast.jpg