How does Hosseini tell the story of "the kite runner" in chapter 1?
How does Hosseini tell the story of the Kite Runner in chapter 1?
Khaled Hosseini uses a veritable smorgasbord of literary and narrative techniques to tell the story of ‘The Kite Runner’. From engaging in the use of foreshadowing and symbolism, to characterisation and the way he styles his prose. Below is an analysis of how he does so.
As mentioned, Hosseini’s use of foreshadowing almost encapsulates the chapter. Baba states that “God [should] help us all”, anticipating the Taliban's takeover of the country decades later. Hosseini’s use of foreshadowing connects him to the genre of magical realism. Even though there are no supernatural events in the novel, there is an underlying sense that every action has significance and must come full circle. From this foreshadowing, we can infer that Amir’s guilt has something to do with Hassan, who we can already tell is a crucial character, as he is referred to as “the hair lipped kite runner”, the title of the book. Moreover, the narrator tells the reader that he went for a walk in golden gate park. The narrator also describes two kites that he sees flying. Not only is this a reference to the title of the book, it also foreshadows the relationship between Amir and Hassan. The fact that they are flying together but held to different strings, shows that though they are friends, they will never be the same, and could easily be split by any blow of the wind. With only one image Hosseini conveys to the reader the relationship of the two central characters, as well as the fragility of said relationship. Furthermore, the kites are flying over San Francisco “like a pair of eyes looking down...” This shows the reader that whatever events may happen, the relationship between Amir and Hassan is the most important theme of the novel.
There is also a lot of symbolism within the first chapter. The narrator states how when he was younger, he remembers “staring through a crumbling mud wall”, this is a metaphor for the political state
Khaled Hosseini uses a veritable smorgasbord of literary and narrative techniques to tell the story of ‘The Kite Runner’. From engaging in the use of foreshadowing and symbolism, to characterisation and the way he styles his prose. Below is an analysis of how he does so.
As mentioned, Hosseini’s use of foreshadowing almost encapsulates the chapter. Baba states that “God [should] help us all”, anticipating the Taliban's takeover of the country decades later. Hosseini’s use of foreshadowing connects him to the genre of magical realism. Even though there are no supernatural events in the novel, there is an underlying sense that every action has significance and must come full circle. From this foreshadowing, we can infer that Amir’s guilt has something to do with Hassan, who we can already tell is a crucial character, as he is referred to as “the hair lipped kite runner”, the title of the book. Moreover, the narrator tells the reader that he went for a walk in golden gate park. The narrator also describes two kites that he sees flying. Not only is this a reference to the title of the book, it also foreshadows the relationship between Amir and Hassan. The fact that they are flying together but held to different strings, shows that though they are friends, they will never be the same, and could easily be split by any blow of the wind. With only one image Hosseini conveys to the reader the relationship of the two central characters, as well as the fragility of said relationship. Furthermore, the kites are flying over San Francisco “like a pair of eyes looking down...” This shows the reader that whatever events may happen, the relationship between Amir and Hassan is the most important theme of the novel.
There is also a lot of symbolism within the first chapter. The narrator states how when he was younger, he remembers “staring through a crumbling mud wall”, this is a metaphor for the political state