Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling novel, The Kite Runner, is an eye-opening look into
Afghani and Islamic culture through the painful memories of an American immigrant, Amir.
Hosseini’s novel is rich with beautiful imagery and settings. The book also masterfully tells of
disturbing events and very real characters. Perhaps Hosseini’s greatest achievement is his vast
and quite effective use of symbolism in The Kite Runner. One such recurring symbol is the
pomegranate. The pomegranate’s rich symbolic history from cultures around the world provides
many different interpretations as to the various ideas the pomegranate represents. The Kite
Runner can be viewed as an analogy for the well-known story of Adam and Eve’s expulsion
from the Garden of Eden by interpreting the pomegranate as the forbidden fruit.
Many people are familiar with the story of Adam and Eve’s fall from paradise in the
Book of Genesis in the Old Testament or from the Hebrew Torah. What may be less familiar to
people is that a similar story is also found in the Koran. The Koran states, “‘O Adam! Dwell thou
and thy wife in the Garden, and eat ye plentifully there from whatever ye list; but to this tree
come not nigh, lest ye become of the transgressors.’ But Satan made them slip from it, and
caused their banishment from the place in which they were” (Rodwell 6). The Koran does not
explicitly state the type of tree that was forbidden, just as the Book of Genesis only tells of an
unnamed forbidden fruit. This forbidden fruit is commonly believed to have been an apple.
Many scholars now believe, though, that the forbidden fruit of scripture was actually a
pomegranate.
The transformation in common culture of pomegranate to apple may have had many
causes. Et...
... middle of paper ...
...ions that will lead both countries
toward a better future and paradises of their own.
Works Cited
Freedman, David Noel. The Anchor Bible Dictionary: Volume 2. New York: Bantam Doubleday
Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1991.
Ghauri, Abdus Sattar. “The Concept of Original Sin.” 13 November 2002. Understanding Islam.
23 February 2008 com/related/text.asp?type=article&aid=178#_ftn2>. Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Penguin, 2003.
Prpic, J. Kaya, and Ainslie E. Ellis. “Influences in the design of a faculty-wide tutor
development program.” HERDSA, 2002.
Rieger, Mark. Introduction to Fruit Crops. Birmingham: Food Products Press, n.d.
Rodwell, J. M. The Koran. London: Orion Publishing Group Ltd, Orion House, 1909, 1992,
1994.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 4th edition. Houghton Mifflin, 2006.
and Eve eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, they are "awakened" and gain the insight
Growing up, many tell their children about the Bible story of Adam and Eve. Many people may not realize but most stories written today can relate to the hero’s journey, even Bible stories. The hero’s journey pattern displays itself throughout drama, myths and religious rituals. The story of Adam and Eve follow the hero’s journey except with a twist at the end. The last step of the hero’s journey ends with a return back to the normal world, but that does not happen in the story of Adam and Eve.
In Genesis 3, the Fall of human beings is described. The serpent asked Eve if there were any trees that Adam and Eve could not eat from in the garden. Eve told the serpent that God said that they could not eat the fruit from the tree or touch the tree in the middle of the garden. The serpent told Eve that they would not die, but they would be open to the knowledge of good and evil like God. When Eve and Adam ate from the tree in the middle of the garden, they were opened to the knowledge of good and evil (The New Oxford Annotated Bible: With the Apocrypha...
Guilt can do many things to a person; harm them, make them become a better person, or a person simply does not feel remorse for what they have done. Many things can cause a person to feel guilt, they could’ve lied to someone, stole something committed a sin, and much more; everyone experiences guilt at some point of their life. In the novel, guilt is portrayed throughout the course of the main characters journey to redemption. “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, and how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.” In The Kite Runner, a key theme that was present was that your past will always haunt you unless you redeem yourself- Amir will always remember about Hassan, the death of his father, and the extremity of his lies, but in the movie version, the element that was missing was the thoughts of Amir, to help the viewer get a better take on his pain and guilt; in present time many people go through life changing events that can torment them for the rest of their lives, some people manage to break free from the chains of guilt by redeeming themselves, and go on to live a happy life, like Amir.
First, let us analyze the particulars of the Christian Genesis story as to begin formulating the basis of comparison and contrast. We shall look at the two parts of Genesis, the first discussing the formulation of earth and its inner particulars, in concert with the first few verses associated with the second part of Genesis, which touches on the creation of the first man and woman:
...tations of Eve vary. Eve’s story may be written very simply in the Bible, but the way that the pilgrims interact with scripture make the straightforward account take on more diverse interpretations.
Paul Kissling and Kenneth Mathews have identifies similarities between Gen. 3:7 and 5:22, and claim they represent a comparison between pre-fallen Adam and Enoch. Contra Kissling and Mathews, Philip Alexander reads “angels” in place of “God” in the Enochian texts, diluting if not destroying any such comparison. However, a thorough search of antediluvian Genesis indicates not only are Kissling and Matthews correct, but they have touched on only two points of a much larger comparison that has gone largely unnoticed. This paper investigates the comparison between the three men presented as righteous: pre-fallen Adam, Enoch, and Noah; and their opposites, who show the depths of sinful humanity: Cain, Lamech, and Ham. The following is a synopsis of the work and conclusions.
said to me, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" I said to the
This novel presents two almost irreconcilable individuals. The main character, Amir, was raised without a mother; therefore, Amir was left with his father, Baba, to please as he grew up. Early on in his life, it became obvious that pleasing Baba would prove to be problematic. They simply did not have similar interests as a consequence of Baba “fathering a son who preferred burying his face in poetry books to hunting” (Hosseini 19). Baba was described as a very dominating figuring standing at a monstrous six feet five inches tall who often enjoyed hunting and ran his own business. Amir, on the other hand, was of insignificant stature even for his young age and often was found reading poetry and stories with his friend and servant, Hassan, who, although being a year younger than Amir, often beats Amir in the area of athletic prowess such as throwing rocks when “Hassan made his stone skip eight times. The most I [Amir] managed was five,” (Hosseini 14) or even simply running when Amir said, “Hassan ran faster than I [Amir] did, and I was falling behind,” (Hosseini 53). The son was simply not very sportive. Inversely, The athletic father also greatly enjoyed playing soccer as a child and later enjoyed being a spectator of this sport; consequ...
As the first book of the Old Testament convey, Genesis, and its Greek meaning “in the beginning,” life originated with God in the Garden of Eden. Accor...
When the modern person ponders the formation of human beings, our mind automatically goes to Adam and Eve, whom were the first man and woman created by God according to the Book of Genesis. Before there was Adam and Eve, diverse cultures came up with myths about the construction of humans. These myths included: “The Song of Creation” from the Rig Veda, An African Creation Tale, From the Popol Vuh, and A Native American Creation Tale “How Man Was Created” Each one of these legends gives a diverse perspective on the creation of human beings.
Since the beginning of time, societies have created stories to explain the mystery of the origin of man and the universe. In the Babylonian text, Enuma Elish and the book of Genesis-which originated in the same part of the world-one finds two very different stories about the creation of man. These two creation stories contrast the two societies that created them: the chaotic lives of servitude of the Babylonians and the lives of the recently freed Jewish people.
And He [God] said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the
There creation is pictured as a garden both beautiful to the eyes and filled with delicious