Sttylistic Choices In The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini

On May 29, 2003, Khaled Hosseini published his first book, The Kite Runner. It is a tale of Amir, an Afghan boy trying to atone for the mistakes of his childhood. Many different stylistic choices were made in this writing from the use of fragments and changes in point of view to the overwhelming imagery. Sometimes all three choices show up in one single paragraph, just to add more character to the overall novel.

Hosseini used fragments often, particularly with single verbs meant to emphasize a part in the writing. When Amir is meeting Sohrab for the first time, “His eyes fell on me. Lingered. Then he looked away. Looked down at his naked feet ” (280), is one such example. Hosseini could have connected the two, but he wanted the reader to notice

Smiled ” (131). This was a proud moment for Amir since it is one of the few times that Baba ever smiled at him. Hosseini has described a father-son relationship with little affection, so Amir noticed that smile and took pleasure from it. Hosseini does not describe the smile that Baba gives to Amir. The readers know that this is during Amir’s graduation, so most would assume that it is a proud, genuine smile. Baba was proud of a lot of things from his successful business to his beautiful wife. According to Amir though Baba was never really proud of him as a child. This makes this moment all the more special and gives both the reader and Amir a feeling of affection. Another instance of fragments containing a single word occurred when Amir visited Rahim Khan in Pakistan. “I walked up the creaky stairs to the second floor, down a dim hallway to the last door on the right. Checked the address on the piece of stationery paper in my palm. Knocked ” (197). It is a suspended moment, a second before everything comes crashing down, a second before Amir’s entire childhood is revealed as a lie and everything changes. This one second in time expresses the hesitation that Amir feels, that he is instinctively wary of entering. Hosseini cleverly wrote this

Imagery is seen through Hosseini’s usage of analogies especially when he writes “Suddenly you’re breathing through a drinking straw ”(121) is one such instance of imagery. Readers would have experienced this feeling and know how difficult it is to draw in a full breath of air through a drinking straw. It shows how Amir’s breathing is constricted and tight, but does it in a very skillful way instead of just saying that Amir could not breathe. Another analogy is “...a dam has cracked open and a flood of cold sweat spills, drenches your body” (121). A concrete dam cracks after pressure has been put on it for a long time, and Hosseini makes it a symbol of Amir’s mind cracking under the pressure. Amir has so much guilt and fear hanging over him that being stuck in the dark “cracks” him. Darkness is a place filled with sin, and the dam releases all the demons contained within him. These analogies add depth to the writing and allow the readers to relate to Amir’s condition. Hosseini used these analogies to help the readers clearly visualize the panic attack and better understand what was