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Symbolism In The Kite Runner

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Symbolism In The Kite Runner
Windows to the Soul
Throughout the novel The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini gives the reader a clear insight into the character of Hassan. One instance in which Hosseini does this in the description of Hassan’s eyes, “eyes that looked, depending on the light, gold, green, even sapphire” (3). Each color represents Hassan in a different way, gold for wealth (Parker), green for his Islamic faith (Fauzan) and rebirth, and blue - sapphire is a shade of deep blue - for trust and loyalty (Parker).
The color gold may not seem fitting to represent Hassan, as it usually denotes monetary wealth and prestige (Parker), but digging deep into his character, the reader can tell that Hassan is definitely a wealthy man, just not in the way one might think. First,
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Hassan remained loyal to Amir throughout his entire life. In fact, Hassan said that he would “sooner eat dirt” (54), than lie to Amir. Hassan’s loyalty was unrequited throughout his life, yet he remained true. This could be for multiple reasons. The reader does know that during the first part of childhood, Hassan honestly believed that Amir felt the same way, “that’s the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too” (55). However, Hassan remains true to Amir even after he knows that Amir betrayed him. Even after weeks of Amir ignoring him, Hassan still went with Amir to the pomegranate tree when he asked. Amir practically told him what he was going to do when he asked, “what would you do if I you with this?” and still “Hassan’s cry was pregnant with surprise and pain” (92), when Amir actually threw the pomegranate at him. However, the reader knows that Hassan is not naive, so the option that Hassan is loyal because he thinks Amir will be is unlikely. The other possible reason for Hassan’s loyalty could be that it was simply how he was raised in the society he was in. He was Hazara and Amir was Pashtun, therefore it was only natural for Hassan to be submissive to Amir. He had “such an ingrained sense of one's place in a hierarchy” (42) that he had no choice but to be, as Assef said, "A loyal Hazara. Loyal as a dog" (72). This may just be too simple,

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