Chapter 15: Flights of Fancy

When most people relate flight to effects on a story, it is human flight, or flight by some actual character. In the novel The Kite Runner though, I find the flight of the kites to mean something more than just a simple kite flying contest.

1. The first contest we see: Amir and Hassan working together. Amir flies the kite, cutting the strings of other fliers' prized weapons, and Hassan assists while waiting for the final competitor to be cut down. He is the kite runner, the one who chases the trophy down. But back to the point. Amir and his father differ greatly. They often do not get along, and hardly ever see eye to eye. But one thing they can relate over is the annual kite flying competition. Amir's "Baba" supports him in the contest and Amir knows that if he can only win and bring home the kite of the final opponent that his father will be pleased with him. So the flight scene that we see with Amir, with glimpses of a pleased Baba in the crowd, signifies an escape from the usual world of disagreement and disappointment, to a world where father and son can be united and love one another with no tension.

2. The second: Amir has traveled back to Afghanistan to see a dying friend, and promptly rescues Hassan's son Sohrab from the house of his long-time enemy Assef. Sohrab has endured losing his parents, living with a cruel master who forces him to entertain and rapes him, and later attempting to commit suicide when he believes that he may have to live in an orphanage. Amir eventually takes the boy back to California and adopts him, where Sohrab, reclusive after his experiences, refuses to talk or interact with anyone. That is until, at a picnic, Amir flies a kite with the young boy. Sohrab's interest is sparked as Amir reminisces about his flying days with Hassan, and the boy comes out of his shell, if even just a little, to participate and even speak to Amir. This flight symbolizes exactly what flight so often means: freedom. With the release of the kite into the air, Sohrab releases some of his anger, depression, resentment, and embraces a little bit more love and acceptance. He begins his journey to becoming whole again, to becoming completely free from the harsh feelings he harbors. Amir, guilty because he blames himself for part of Sohrab's mentality, begins to free himself from his guilt as he sees his adopted son open. He releases his blame and welcomes the inviting thought of a healing Sohrab. Like the kite soars through the bright blue sky, Sohrab, and even Amir, let their souls fly free on a lovely summer day.