Amir and Hassan do not have control over the differences between them in fact, they are both the victims of a lie, and their relationship would have been different had they known they were brothers. At the same time kite fighting is violent, the mere act of kite flying is innocent and speaks of freedom. When Hosseini paints us a picture of hundreds of kites trying haphazardly and with great determination to cut each other down, he shows us also the warring factions of Afghanistan overthrowing one another.

In its violence, kite fighting represents the conflicts that rage Afghanistan nearly throughout the course of the novel. The string, which is covered in ground glass, carves deep gashes into the fliers' hands as they try to cut each other down, and once kites fall out of the sky, the kite runners retrieve them with the same furious determination as, say, a hunting dog does a slain bird. The kites battle and so too do the children flying them. The activity of kite fighting is violent by nature. In order to free himself of selfishness and cowardice, Amir must go from being merely a kite fighter-someone who seeks glory-to a kite runner, someone who genuinely does things for others. His joy is vicarious, just like his experience of wealth and privilege while living in Baba's household. Hassan may catch a cherished rival kite and hold it in his arms, but always to bring it back to Amir, to whom it then belongs. Hassan may help the kite 'lift-and-dive,' but Amir is the one who claims a victory. Even though Hassan shares in the excitement of kite fighting, he does not actually have control over the kite. Just as Hassan makes Amir's breakfast, folds his clothes, and cleans his room, so does he cater to Amir in kite tournaments. In kite fighting, one boy controls the kite while the other assists by feeding the string.

One of these layers involves the class difference between Amir and Hassan, which largely dictates and limits their relationship.

Beyond their significance to the plot, kites have multiple layers of symbolism in the story. Therefore, even after all of his injuries and trials on Sohrab's behalf, it is the act of kite running that finally makes him feel redeemed. After Hassan gets raped while running his kite, Amir cannot separate kite fighting and running from his own betrayal and cowardice. One can tell kites are central to the novel just by reading its title, ' The Kite Runner.' On a plot level, the grand kite tournament of 1975 sets a circle of betrayal and redemption into motion, around which the story revolves.

The kite runner cover