SYMBOLISM WRITEUP
For the symbolism category we have chosen three symbols. The three symbols we have chosen is: The lamb, Hassan’s cleft lip and the wilted Pomegranate tree. With these symbols we have chosen three pictures that we thought would connect to the symbols itself and to the quotes we have selected from the book. The three images that we have chosen are of a Lamb that is submitting, a boy with a cleft lip, and an old Pomegranate tree. The reason why we have chosen these three symbols is because we believe that these were the most important symbolic features in the story that really made it more moving and interesting to read.
The lamb is one of the most important symbols in Kite Runner because of the comparisons between the Religious ideologies to the character Hassan. In Islam and Christianity and Judaism, the story of Abraham signifies the lamb as a sacrifice of an innocent. Similarly in the book Amir himself states in the story,
“He positioned himself behind Hassan. Hassan didn't struggle. Didn't even whimper. He moved his head slightly and I caught a glimpse of his face. Saw the resignation in it. It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb.”
In other words, Amir compared Hassan to the lamb he saw when Baba made him watch the mullah slaughter the lamb during Eid-Al-Adha. Eid-Al-Adha honors prophet Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son for God. Similarly speaking, in the story Hassan was the one who showed innocence and who figuratively sacrificed himself for Amir by being raped. The image that has been chosen for this symbol relates to the quotes because the image shows a lamb resting its head on the dirty ground almost like its being submissive; Likewise Amir in the quote is addressing Hassan’s face as he, “Saw the resignation in it” like the lamb in the picture.
The lamb is one of the most important symbols in Kite Runner because of the comparisons between the Religious ideologies to the character Hassan. In Islam and Christianity and Judaism, the story of Abraham signifies the lamb as a sacrifice of an innocent. Similarly in the book Amir himself states in the story,
“He positioned himself behind Hassan. Hassan didn't struggle. Didn't even whimper. He moved his head slightly and I caught a glimpse of his face. Saw the resignation in it. It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb.”
In other words, Amir compared Hassan to the lamb he saw when Baba made him watch the mullah slaughter the lamb during Eid-Al-Adha. Eid-Al-Adha honors prophet Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son for God. Similarly speaking, in the story Hassan was the one who showed innocence and who figuratively sacrificed himself for Amir by being raped. The image that has been chosen for this symbol relates to the quotes because the image shows a lamb resting its head on the dirty ground almost like its being submissive; Likewise Amir in the quote is addressing Hassan’s face as he, “Saw the resignation in it” like the lamb in the picture.
Hassan’s cleft lip is another crucial symbol to the story, as it furthers a meaning and observance to Hassan’s features and attributes and how people treat him. Hassan’s cleft lip acts as a mark to his status in society and it also further signifies his poverty in society. This difference is also relevant between him and Amir because he is a Hazara and Amir is a Pashtun, which makes Amir much wealthier than him. Hassan’s cleft lip gave everybody a bad impression of him that even his own mother, Sanaubar criticized him. The image that has been chosen for this symbol is of a boy who has a cleft lip, and the boy in the image seems like he has been neglected by something or someone. The quote that we have chosen for this symbol is of Hassan’s mother Sanaubar, who denied Hassan when he was a born baby. On page 82 of the book it sates, “Sanaubar had taken one glance at the baby in Ali's arms, seen the cleft lip, and barked a bitter laughter. [...]. She had refused to even hold Hassan, and just five days later she was gone.”
The image that has been chosen for this symbol connects to the selected quote because as stated before, the cleft lip boy in the image seems he has been neglected. Therefore, we can sort of relate Hassan’s pain to the cleft lip boy in the image. Although there is no evidence that Hassan felt bad that his mother left, one can only imagine how they will feel if their mother just leaves and comes back after decades. We can infer that Sanaubar initially had no feelings for Hassan when he was born; therefore we can relate Hassan’s potentially hidden feelings to the image.
The wilted Pomegranate tree is the most significant symbol in the story because it signifies Amir and Hassan’s friendship. The tree also signifies the past and the present, where the past was when Amir carved, “Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul.” The present is when Amir goes back to his old house after several years and observes the same tree with the dull carving. The image that is chosen for this symbol is of an old wilted Pomegranate tree. The quote that is chosen for this symbol is of Amir coming back to Kabul after several years, and he discovers the tree where he embedded the carvings. The quote that is chosen and that relates to the image is Amir describing his feelings,
“ I stood under it, remembered all the times we’d climbed it, straddled its branches, our legs swinging, dappled sunlight flickering through the leaves and casting on our faces a mosaic of light and shadow. The tangy taste of pomegranate crept into my mouth. I hunkered down on my knees and brushed my hands against the trunk. I found what I was looking for. The carving had dulled, almost faded together, but it was still there: Amir and Hassan. The sultans of Kabul. I sat cross-legged at the foot of the tree and looked south on the city of my childhood.”The image essentially relates to the “Wilted Pomegranate tree” look which Amir had very fond memories of. It also relates to the aftermath of destruction and time, however the memories of Amir to the tree is more relevant to the image and quote.
“ I stood under it, remembered all the times we’d climbed it, straddled its branches, our legs swinging, dappled sunlight flickering through the leaves and casting on our faces a mosaic of light and shadow. The tangy taste of pomegranate crept into my mouth. I hunkered down on my knees and brushed my hands against the trunk. I found what I was looking for. The carving had dulled, almost faded together, but it was still there: Amir and Hassan. The sultans of Kabul. I sat cross-legged at the foot of the tree and looked south on the city of my childhood.”The image essentially relates to the “Wilted Pomegranate tree” look which Amir had very fond memories of. It also relates to the aftermath of destruction and time, however the memories of Amir to the tree is more relevant to the image and quote.
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