Literary Analysis of “The Kite Runner”

Alliteration is whereby the author repeats a sound of sequential words. The sounds are mostly consonant. An example in "Kite Runner" is whereby the author uses "rifles rapid rattle. Historical allusion has been used by Khaled Hosseini in Runners kite so as to express the political theme. An example of historical allusion is shown in the Hassan and Amir's difference. The Biblical allusion is shown on page 93 whereby, we have the statement ‘the juice on the face of Hassan’ which is a reflection of Crown of Thorns. The juice is dripping down his face like blood. Also, an example of the Abel and Cain was used in the novel to symbolize the sins of Amir. The biblical allusions are used to express the theme of religion in the novel.

The imagery is a literary language which is used to describe sound, taste, sight or a smell. An example in the Kite Runners is seen in the first chapter expressed through the sparkling water and crisp breeze. Here Amir was on a walk near a lake when he describes the sparkling sound of the water on the sunlight and how the boats sailed on the water together with the propelling breeze. The language used in this sentence reflects on how minds image the water appearance in the sunlight. Also, there is another imagery in Amir's description of his dad, having a big chest and how he holds him comfortable together with his dad's brut being small in the morning. This imagery creates a sense of touch and smell. Literary alteration is expressed whereby the speaker says that "the God's force is able to break, burn, blow and make me new" (P 265). This literary device of alliteration is used by John Donne to show the power of God to break and form a new thing.

Use of onomatopoeia has been expressed in “Kite Runner”, when Amir describes the sound of the car by saying, "He killed the engine and we sat for a minute, listening to the tink-tink of the engine cooling off, neither of us saying anything" (p 273). The sound of the engine (tink-tink) is an onomatopoeia. It is used to stress the sound on the mind of the reader. Use of symbolism is expressed in the novel whereby, the doctor says," The impact had cut your upper lip in two, clean down the middle. Clean down the middle. Like a harelip" (p 297). The author uses the "clean down the middle" aspect to symbolize the place of Amir in society as well as how he is torn between two sides. This is because Amir is a Pashtun but he respects Hazaras which should not be the case. Another example is in Amir's description of the sound, from dropping pebbles on water during his childhood, as ‘plink' (p 274). The novel also utilizes simile. For example, Amir describes the attitude of Baba about letting go of the past by use of widower. He says, "Baba was like the widower who remarries but can't let go of his dead wife" (p 129). The author used this quote to show how Baba could not forget things which reminded him of his Afghanistan home. This expresses how he is daring.

In chapter 9 and 10 there is a use of personification. "Our twin shadows dance on the rippling grass", Amir says (p 122). Here the shadow of Amir and Hassan is given the human characteristic of dancing. An example of a tone use is where, the author uses short sentences to make the novel more dramatic. The message below is giving an example of diction in the novel, "And again, something in his bottomless black eyes hinted at an unspoken secret between us. Except now I knew he knew. My suspicions had been right all those years. He knew about Assef, the kite, the money, the watch with the lightning bolt hands. He had always known. Come. There is a way to be good again, Rahim Khan had said on the phone just before hanging up. Said it in passing, almost as an afterthought. A way to be good again" (page 192).

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