Kite Runner Pomegranate Tree Essay

In Khaled Hosseinis novel, The increase Runner, the changing depiction of the pomegranate tree tree symbolizes the changes in amir and Hassans consanguinity, and is woven into the novels central theme of take advantage and vehementemption. by means ofout the novel Hosseini depicts ameers struggle to redeem himself ever since he witnessed the rape of Hassan and s excessivelyd by as a obtuse bystander. amir and Hassan share a very close fri stopping pointship doing anything together yet the obedience between each other was lopsided. emeer could never match Hassans unconditional love and loyalty towards him and this sets up the internal struggle in amirs mind, because he was sensitive enough to realize the un vindicatoryness of the situation. Hosseini uses the pomegranate tree throughout the book as the backdrop for describing reveal events that influence Amir and Hassans relationship. The first depiction of the tree portrays a safe haven nevertheless subtle details in the pass point to the events that unfold by and by.As children, Amir and Hassan spent umpteen hours low the shade of a pomegranate tree up on a knolltop where Amir would read stories to Hassan. here(predicate) the pomegranate tree is a symbol of comfort, a place where he and Hassan could be alone communion the simple pleasure of story split uping. Amirs description of the shadows of pomegranate leaves terpsichore on Hassans face depicts the protective aspect of the tree, a bema for the two friends (28).The tree and hill are symbolic of Amir and Hassans friendship the tree is rooted in the hill but as the seasons change both the hill and the tree change and so does their friendship. The diagnose of seasons foreshadows how over time Amir and Hassans friendship will be destroyed, in the same way that the rain had turned the iron inlet rusty and caused the white stone walls to decay (27). When Amir and Hassan return to the pomegranate tree after the rape, Amir says to Hassan he w ill read him a new story as they walk up the hill and a sense of hopefulness is conveyed.Amir points out that the grass was still green. Here the green is symbolic of hope and renewal and it connotes Amirs reason to fix his damaged relationship with Hassan (91). However, when Amir describes that the green grass atop the hill will soon be scorched yellow it in addition foreshadows Hassan and Alis abrupt departure from Kabul, and the devastating impact this has on Amir and Baba (91). Hosseinis use of the word scorched connotes an event that happens suddenly and is a premonition of worse things to come.Amir is not able to deal with his memories of their happier age under the tree, and instead of storytelling he decides to provoke Hassan to reproach him for his own inactiveness when the rape occurred. Amirs ulterior motives to provoke Hassan and not tell stories are revealed when he picked up an overripe pomegranate (92) and throws it at Hassan. The overripe, corruption pomegran ate is symbolic of a wound that has been left alone too long, the ill-doing of Amir not helping Hassan when he was raped.The pomegranate harvest-tide itself represents the complexity of their relationship it is a fruit with a hard scratch up that is difficult to peel and inside there are beehive-like segments hiding hundreds of red pulpy seeds. Amir is not able to come to terms with his guilt and tries to avoid Hassan at first, but later when he tries to make return he realizes that for Hassan it will never be the same. The pomegranate also alludes to the disallow apple from the Bible, symbol of the original sin, and thus it serves to foreshadow the events that are just about to unfold.As Amir hurls pomegranates at Hassan, he repeatedly calls Hassan a coward, but in reality he is letting out his own frustration in the hopes that Hassan will retaliate. He is hard to cover up his guilt for not intervening when Hassan was raped, almost as if Amir is trying to justify that Hassan is the coward and not himself. Once Amir stops pelting the pomegranates he sees Hassan smeared in red like hed been shot by a firing squad (93). The imagery here represents how deeply Amirs actions and words had wounded Hassan.Ironically, it also foreshadows the eventual death of Hassan, later in the novel, when he is shot by a Taliban firing squad. When Amir returns to Afghanistan after receiving Rahim Khans earn, he finds Kabul under the Taliban governing totally changed. As Amir walks up the old craggy hill from his past he realizes that nothing is the same (264). The craggy hill today represents the destroyed Afghanistan. Amir describes that while walking up the hill all(prenominal) breath felt like inhaling fire (264).This simile illustrates how much disoblige walking up the hill causes an lder Amir now, although it was something he did almost every day with Hassan when they were carefree children. When he reaches the pomegranate tree, he recalls Hassans letter saying the pomegranate tree hadnt borne fruit in geezerhood (264). The barren tree is symbolic of how their friendship was ruined twenty geezerhood ago in the winter of 1975. But when Amir locates the faded press clipping of his and Hassans name on the tree, the fact that it was still there makes the pomegranate tree a symbol of hope once again and shows Amir a way to atone for his sin (264).After so many years and so many struggles their friendship was tattered but upon beholding it, Amir finally resolves to redeem himself for the guilt of betraying Hassan a betrayal that became a heavy burden on his shoulders for twenty long years through his silence and inaction. The changes of the pomegranate tree depict the changes in Amir and Hassans relationship. We first see it as the lush shady tree from Amirs childhood where he and spent countless hours reading stories. abutting it appears as the scene where Amir destroys his friendship with Hassan.And finally, it is at the same but now barren p omegranate tree where Amir returns and locates the fading proctor of his long lost friend. Each conflict in Amir and Hassans friendship was always on Amirs part. It was Amir who stayed silent when Hassan was assaulted, it was Amir who tried to provoke Hassans reproach by throwing pomegranates at him, but it was also Amir who do the effort at the end to rescue Hassans son and his nephew, Sohrab. Like the faded carving, Amirs friendship with Hassan had faded but never completely disappeared.Amir made the worst mistake of his life but he still had an luck for redemption, and that was by rescuing Sohrab from the Taliban and acknowledging him as his own flesh and blood If he didnt, he knew he would go to his grave with the guilt of the sin he act in the winter of 1975. While atonement for ones sin is the central theme of The Kite Runner, the pomegranate tree is one of the primary(prenominal) symbols used by the author to show Amirs tour for atonement and redemption in the book. Hoss einis repeated use of the pomegranate tree serves as a useful symbol to understand the evolving relationship of Amir and Hassan.