Oh, irony, how you never cease to amuse! Irony in literature is often used, rather effectively, to invoke an intellectual humor on otherwise serious writings. Irony is often clever, but is rarely important beyond the ironic idea itself. Could it be that irony can actually deepen the themes within a novel? In "The Kite Runner", Khaled Hosseini uses irony to emphasize ideas, to connect characters, and to show transformation. As a result, the novel is incredibly gripping and leaves a lasting impact.
In simpler literature, writers build to an event by growing tension, presenting the event, and resolving the conflict. Hosseini instead uses irony and foreshadowing to emphasize ideas far before they take place. On page 225, Amir thinks to himself "One of the balls had come unscrewed. I stopped and tightened it. I wish I could fix my own life as easily." While an interesting thought, the reader's world is not turned upside down. When the ball comes back on page 290, however, it marks a defining moment. "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." Not only does this ironic parallel emphasize the ball, but it connects to Hassan calling Assef "One-eyed Assef" in the beginning of the novel. As a result, the reader sees
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At times the fuel behind jokes, but at others the driving force of lasting themes. Hosseini chooses the latter, bringing irony to the story and making it incredibly interconnected. Ironic ideas, character connections, and ironic metaphors result in "The Kite Runner", a novel filled with crucial lessons and themes. Kite Runner teaches a reader to dig deeper, to search for parallels to the story or even to their own life. By making these connections, readers think critically. Novels in which the reader takes a driving role in their interpritation leave the longet impact, and this impact is richened by artful use of
How does Hosseini use symbolism in ‘The Kite Runner’ to present key relationships? You should consider different reader responses and the extent to which your critical approach assists your interpretation.
The Kite runner is the first novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini, published in 2003 by Riverhead Books . It takes place before Afghanistan’s revolution and its invasion by Russian forces. The kite runner is a vivid and engaging story that gives a picture of how long Afghanis struggled to triumph over the forces of violence, forces that threaten them even today. In this novel , four themes have been introduced, first of all Redemption is a way to make up sins committed , secondly, Adversities contribute to a person’s personality , thirdly , Fear can lead to severe mistakes and long term consequences, before last, After pain and struggles come survival and lastly, Friendship is the essence of a bond that seek the best mutually.
Although irony may be associated with negative events or actions, it can also be a sign of good for characters within stories. According to Dictionary.com, irony in literature is defined as “a technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated.” The use of irony is found within the novel The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini. Hosseini uses irony to portray and develop the main dynamic character in this story, Amir. Most of the major events Amir is faced with at a younger age seemingly come full circle when he reaches adulthood. Irony plays a role as Amir lives through tragic events that ultimately teach him how to become a better person.
Khaled Hosseini writes the novel, The Kite Runner to make readers think of how his use of symbolism and other
It is often said that irony is the vital literary element to a story because it gives the story character. Whether it changes the mood, creates suspense, adds foreshadowing, engages the reader or something else, irony can do many things for a story.
The Kite Runner is the first novel of Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. It tells the story of Amir, a boy from Kabul, Afghanistan, whose closest friend is Hassan, a young Hazara servant. Novel turns around these two characters and Baba, Amir’s father, by telling their tragic stories, guilt and redemption that are woven throughout the novel. Even in the difficult moments, characters build up to their guilt and later on to their redemption. Their sins and faults alter the lives of innocent people. First, Amir and Baba fail to take action on the path to justice for Ali and Hassan. Moreover, Amir and Baba continue to build up their guilt due to their decisions and actions. Although Amir builds up more guilt than Baba throughout the novel, he eventually succeeds in the road to redemption unlike his father. After all, Amir and Baba have many chances to fix their atonements but Baba chooses not to and Amir does. Baba uses his wealth to cover up his sins but never atone himself while Amir decides to stand up and save Sohrab and finally finds peace. Amir and Baba’s reaction to sins essentially indicate their peace of mind and how they react to guilt and injustice.
Irony is a very big part of a story, because it can create new elements in a story. Some of these elements may include humor and theme. "The Ransom of Red Chief" is a great example for this.
The Kite Runner is a film based on the first novel of Khaled Hosseini, which was published in 2003 and became a bestseller, thus was translated to many different languages and spread around the world, becoming a discussion topic for quite a while. One of the reasons why this book is so rich and attractive is the variety of characters, which are all born in Afghanistan and spent at least most of their childhood there, but at the same time have different views, virtues and experience. And those characters, depending on the generation they belong to, are shaped by particular circumstances, political and historical events.
The Kite Runner is a powerful book contrasting selfishness and selflessness. The book follows the life of Amir, a character who experiences guilt and tragedy throughout his life. While growing up in Kabul, Amir witnesses the imperfect and prejudice society in his country. Within an imperfect society, there are many who are self-invested, and among those, there are those who are selfless. Characters Amir and Hassan possess selfish and selfless traits. The traits that these characters possess are influenced by fear, victimization, and loyalty, ultimately leading them to inaction and action.
Harvey Freedenberg in an online article titled “The Kite Runner,” says that Hosseini “demonstrates striking skill at melding a page-turning story with intensely involving characters and conflicts.” He says what makes people love the book so much is, “ that it wrestles with themes… [Of] friendship, betrayal, the relationship between fathers and sons, the quest for redemption and the power of forgiveness.” Erin Miller in an online article titled “Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini” complements Freedenberg’s analysis by saying that another reason why so many people love this book is that “The core story could be set in any culture because it deals with issues that are universal,” so readers can relate to the familiar themes.
The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini can be seen as a great book but at the same time one that is too simple and easy. In discussions of The Kite Runner, one controversial issue has been the inner levels of the novel. On one hand, many people believe that the novel is filled with numerous themes that are deep and make one think about the human experience and will leave you thinking long after you finish reading it. On the other hand, there are also many literary critics who contend that opinion and say that the novel is overly sentimental and simplistic. The view I obtained while reading The Kite Runner would be in agreement with the first statement. I also believe that the novel is deep and makes one think
Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, is most definitely different than other authors. He uses strong, detailed words that may be difficult, at some points, to understand. His use of vocabulary is rather challenging for me. The more use of challenging vocabulary, in my opinion, makes the book even more interesting. Now, I’m not a big fan of reading, but after reading this book, I had found an interest in reading more challenging books like The Kite Runner. Not knowing a word can change the whole scene by finding out what it actually means. Now, Khaled uses a wide variety of figurative language to grab your attention.
Hosseini, uses syntax very powerfully throughout the story. He makes the reader feel the pain and feel the tension of each scenes in the book. " never mind that we taught each other to ride a bicycle with no hands, or to build a fully functional homemade camera out of a cardboard box. Never mind that we spent entire winters flying kites, running kites. Never mind that to me, the face of Afghanistan is tat of a boy with a thin-boned frame, a shaved head, and a low set ears, a boy with a Chinese doll face perpetually lit by a harelipped smile…"(25).
The book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a story about two brothers who develop both emotional and physical scars that in the end shape them as individuals. This amazingly written novel will leave the reader sobbing at times of sorrow, and smiling and laughing at times of joy. This
In addition, symbolism is shown to portray redemption at the climax of the book. Amir has rescued Hassan's son, Sohrab, from captivity in Kabul. However, a recent life of sexual abuse has rendered his emotions inert. Attending an Afghan summer celebration, Amir notices a kite-fighting tournament taking place. Purchasing a kite for him and Sohrab, they accomplish in cutting another. Looking down at Sohrab, Amir sees the vacant look in his eyes is gone. “Whistles and applause broke out. I was panting. 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” (Hosseini, 391). Thus Amir redeems himself, and thus it is shown that symbolism portrays redemption throughout the story.