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摘 要

卡勒德.胡赛尼的第一部作品《追风筝的人》，一经出版便在全球引起轰动。作为阿富汗美籍华人，作者早期在阿富汗的成长背景使得《追风筝的人》被认为是第一部真正描写阿富汗并面向全世界的英文小说。小说以阿富汗的民族传统游戏追风筝为引线，从主要人物阿米尔的心理活动以及后来的自我救赎出发，描写了当时阿富汗的政治宗教文化，内外时局的动荡，以及种族歧视等。从而构建了一副生动而又残酷的早期阿富汗景象。

小说中，风筝贯穿全文，作为故事情节发展的重要引线代表着不同的意象。目前国内外对该小说的研究主要集中于阿富汗的政治、宗教文化，背叛和自我救赎，以及风筝的意象和多重主题等方面。本文从国家民族和个体人物两个方面进一步解读小说中的风筝意象。首先从当时阿富汗的国家形势，政治宗教文化出发，解析风筝对整个阿富汗民族的特殊意义，再者着眼于小说中的主要人物，具化风筝这一意象在个体人物方面的特殊表现，以及其在情节发展发面的重要推动作用。

小说中，一方面对阿富汗人民来说，追风筝作为传统民族文化，是勇敢，自由以及对生活的热情的象征，风筝游戏的禁止象征着阿富汗传统文化的衰落，困难的开始。另一方面，风筝的飘摇不定也代表阿富汗动荡的内外时局。在人物情节方面，对主人公阿米尔来说，风筝是背叛也是救赎；对哈桑来说，是忠诚也是苦难的象征；对爸爸来说，风筝代表着他的巨大力量和人格魅力，以及自我忏悔。小说中风筝作为线索贯穿全文，反映了人物的情感波动以及成长历程，推动了情节的发展。

通过对小说中风筝意象的揭示，本研究探讨了阿富汗的社会状况和政治文化，美好人性与现实情况下的背叛与救赎等一系列矛盾冲突。最后，作者希望该研究能够帮助读者进一步理解追风筝的人和不一样的阿富汗。

关键词:《追风筝的人》 阿富汗 风筝意象

1. Introduction

1.1 Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini (1965-) was an Afghan-American novelist and physician. He has published three books about Afghan until now. They are The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns’ and The Mountains Echoed. Hosseini graduated from Independent High School and studied biology in Santa Clara University in 1984. A year later he got his bachelor’s degree, enrolled in the department of medicine at the University of California, San Diego and obtained the medical license in 1993 and then finished his internship in Mount Zion Medical College in Los Angeles. Before being a writer, Hosseini had worked as a doctor for over ten years, which he described as “an arranged marriage” for him.

Because of the huge influence of The Kite Runner, Hosseini received the Humanitarian Award from the United Nations in 2006, and was invited to serve as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador to promote refugee relief efforts. Hosseini has been dedicating to providing humanitarian assistance for his motherland Afghanistan. “He has said that he did not just want to call attention to the devastation in Afghanistan; he set out to remind the world that until the last few decades, before the world's eye was drawn to it by violence, Afghanistan was a generally peaceful nation” (Nunik Puspitasari 2013:2).

1.2 The Kite Runner

Due to his real life experience in Afghanistan for fifteen years, Hosseini’s stories about Afghan are much more pervasive, which include the political tumultuous issue, Taliban regime, radical conflicts and national war. The Kite Runner offers people a chance to look at Afghan social environment and culture and to some extent changes the world’s attitude to Afghan. The Kite Runner, as Hosseini’s first novel has got various Newcomer Awards, and continued to hold a post on the Amazon ranking list for 131 weeks. Even today, it remains one of the best sellers and recommended books on a world scale. Until now, it has been translated into more than 40 languages and sold out more than 6 million copies all over the world, creating a publishing miracle.

The Kite Runner thrust into the world’s spotlight in the year 2003. The novel describes

from the first-person perspective of Amir a spiritual salvation of an Afghan immigrant into the United States, and the social and political transition in Afghanistan, thus presenting the racial discrimination of Sunni Pashtun against the Shia Hazara, Amir’s spiritual journey and self-redemption. Due to the special theme and the moving plot, its publication in 2003 helped its author access many new literary awards and ranked among American major best seller lists. As a special image, the kite reveals the line throughout the story. By analyzing the kite image, the paper may help further understand the content and value of the story.

1.3 The writing background of The Kite Runner

According to Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, Afghan has been in the state of war and chaos about three decades. The war disrupted Afghan people’s normal life and brought serious effects on the whole country. It was a disaster to the Afghans people’s life especially when Afghanistan was controlled by cruel Taliban. Chaos and conflicts between different races and religious were rising. It makes Afghanistan people like one fragile kite controlled by the devil. Nation’s traditional spirit is same as the break line’s kite and vanished finally. The creations of The Kite Runner are based on Afghanistan’s special social background.

1.3.1 Soviet’s Invasion

In December 1979, Soviet began to invade Afghanistan and the war lasted for 10 years. Since that, Afghan’s peace was broken and people lived a difficult life. Just as what is described in the novel, “Suddenly Afghanistan changed forever” (Hosseini 2003:34). The Russian soldiers can be seen everywhere and death seems normal. They were overbearing, even publicly raped a woman. “When Russian tanks would roll into the very same streets, where Hassan and I played, bringing the death of the Afghanistan I know and marking the start of a still ongoing era of bloodletting”(Hosseini 36). Many Afghanistan people were forced to leave their homes and become refugees for survival. Some even couldn’t come back to their homeland after their departure from Afghanistan. Amir’s father is a typical example. During Soviet’s invasion, he left for America and then died abroad. Due to Afghanistan people’s strong will and no surrender to Soviet’s invasion, Soviet withdrew from Afghan in 1989. However, it didn’t mean the war ended and peace back again; conversely, Afghan’s internal environment was increasingly serious and sufferings come again.

1.3.2 Domestic Chaos

After Soviet withdrew from Afghanistan, Afghanistan’s capital Kabul was shortly controlled by Northern Alliance during 1992 to 1996. Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist political movement in Afghanistan and has been highly criticized by its cruel behaviors (Wikipedia Line 256). In 1996, Taliban defeated the Northern Alliance and then took over Afghanistan step by step. Afghanistan people were oppressed by Taliban’s autocracy. For tightening its grip, Taliban conducted the mass killings of Hazaras, fully implemented a series of strict and cruel Islamic laws, for example, punishing the cheaters in bloody stoning, banning women from schooling and working and forcing women to wear veils and speaking in low voices.

In the novel, due to speaking loudly, Hassan’s wife is beaten by Taliban. In Afghanistan, men must have long beard. Therefore, on the way to Afghanistan to rescue Hassan’s son Soharb, Amir has to wear a long and fake beard. Any recreational activities were limited, with no exception to the traditional “kites games”. To some extent, the ban of kites games represents Afghanistan’s culture and brave national spirit were strangled. People had no freedom and dignity, and lived a poor life. The whole country was left in a state of chaos in the form of race, class and religious conflicts. Such should be the important factors for the story’s development.

1.3 Need for the study

As the theme of novel, kite has penetrated the novel and played an important role in the whole story. With the better interpretation of the kite image, we will be able to get a comprehensive understanding to the Afghan and characters in the novel and their great meaning to the development of story or the deep effect to our life and society. But now most scholars mainly focus their attention on redemption and politics or religious, and it’s still lack enough or relative overall research on the image of The Kite Runner. For better understanding the story and digging its contribution to the human society, here it’s meaningful and necessary to research the kite image in The Kite Runner.

2. Literature review

2.1 The image

An image is an artifact that depicts visual perception, for example a two-dimensional picture that has a similar appearance to some subject—usually a physical object or a person, thus providing a depiction of it. (Wikipedia, Image).

In foreign interpretation, Aristotle first pointed out that metaphor in fact is the metaphorical image, can be called the figurative image (produced by the metaphor). Hegel’s definition (1835) of beauty and art is also consistent with the image theory of poetry. Due to the influence of oriental classical poetry, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Anglo-American and other young poets in London promoted a “solid” style, emphasizing the objective and accurate image, instead of subjective emotional vent. Just take Pound (1912) as an example, Pound’s imagery theory is the moment integration of thought and emotion rather than the general image. On the one hand, the imagery poet emphasizes the objective things and the subjective emotion must be expressed through objective image. On the other, it is necessary to avoid changing the shape and nature of objective things, giving objective things a symbolic sense. But it also distinguishes from an ordinary metaphor.

Comparing with that in western countries, the imagery theory in China is more broad and profound. Book of change, one of Chinese classics, mentioned image for the first time. On the other, in ancient China, the term ‘image’ is a very important concept. The ancients thought that the inner intention is abstract and the external matter is concrete. Then the blending of them is called image. Combing emotions and scenery is a common artistic skill in Chinese literary theory. The process of poetry creation is a process of observation, feeling, brewing, expression, and reproduction of life. The author pinned their feelings to a selected image and through that they created a specific art world. In accordance with this unique art world, the reader can appreciate from author’s feeling and infiltrate their own understanding into the poetry.

The image plays an important role in shaping characters and thematic expression. Usually, the image is abstract and objective. In most literary, it contains writers’ special emotions and attitudes toward some things. With the assistance of specific objective objects, then their feelings are vividly expressed. The same or similar feelings will also get a unique demonstration with the assistance of image. Except that, with the limitations of politics or some

unspoken reasons, “The word finite but Italy is finite may the best” (Yangyu, AD1195 ) can get best elaboration by image.

2.2 Previous studies on The Kite Runner

Due to the fact that The Kite Runner is a comparatively new published work, currently most study is focused on the analysis of the kite image, the protagonist’s betrayal and redemption, the characterization of the protagonists, religious dispute and racial discrimination, political problems, the writing techniques and so on.

The study abroad mainly focuses on the salvation and redemption, humanism, culture and political aspects. Hefner (2007) views the novel from the ethics of pain, believing suffering is also another way to redemption and self-development. Lux (2008) studies The Kite Runner from the perspectives of salvation and redemption and compares it with Shusaku Endo’s Silence. Mary F. Agnello, Bolanle Olanrian, and Lucey (2009) interpret Khaled Hosseini’s two novels, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns in their article Afghanistan and Multiculturalism in Khaled Hosseini’s Novels. In Afghanistan meets the Amazon, Timothy (2009) mainly studies from three aspects: the story’s huge surprise in America, its great meaning in crossing the border of nationalities and ethnicity within the background of global war and terrorism, and review of the American’s attitude to Bush’s Administration on terrorism. Power Relations in The Kite Runner: A New Historical Reading by mashel (2009) analyzes the story from the perspective of historicist. The stories in The Kite Runner have close relations with the Afghan’s realistic and background in that period of time. Surakarta (2012) takes a psycho-social approach to study Amir’s personality development in the novel, which includes search for identity, the efforts undertaken in the search for identity, identity confusion experienced by the characters, and character self-discovery. In Puspitasari’s (2013) paper analyzes the major character and the ironies as seen in The Kite Runner by Khaleed Hoseinni, firstly about the intrinsic elements that conveyed in The Kite Runner and then the second is the fundamental roles of major character and the ironies as seen in The Kite Runner

The domestic study ranges from the kite image, Amir’s betrayal, self-redemption and desiring for his father’s love, Hassan’s tragedy and the role of his mother. Comparing with foreign study’s limitations, domestic scholar’s study has been more remarkably and involved more aspects. Wang (2009) points out that kites are the important image and contain many

metaphors throughout the story. He analyzes the story in Afghan’s external and internal situations, kite tradition, spirit and the change of culture. Most importantly, he studies Amir, Hassan and his father’s different relations with kite. Lu (2011) analyzes the kite image’s symbolic meaning from the perspective of Highlight the Theme of Growth in the Kite Image. Jin (2013) interprets the novel from the perspectives of the protagonist’s growth, humanity and self-redemption. Wang (2013) probes into the kite’s symbolic significance and characters’ relations with kites. Study of Hassan’s tragedy from three aspects in The Kite Runner by Che (2013), includes Afghanistan’s social environment, Hassan’s loyal character and protagonist Amir’s selfishness. To a great extent, its Hassan’s character leads to his miserable and tragedy life. Ran (2013) interprets the kite image in The Kite Runner with the Conceptual Integration Theory in order to elucidate the implicatures, functions and cognitive understanding process. On the basis of close reading and qualitative analysis, the metaphorical meanings. Shi (2013) reflects every character’s behaviors decide their later life experiences, social relations and personal development. Wang (2014) analyzes the kite image in the novel from the aspect of different characters.

2.3 Deficiency in previous studies

As the important hint used in the novel, the kite is the key to the deep understanding of the themes and author’s contribution to the world and human society. However, at present the relevant research cannot witness a comprehensive and sophisticated analysis of the story from the perspective of kite image, despite the fact that some scholars have conducted comparative studies on the characters’ interpersonal development, country’s culture and politics, especially different colors’ kites in the novel and their symbolic significance. But, the relevant research on kite image is still limited and a bit superficial. RaoYao (2013) interprets the kite image in The Kite Runner with the Conceptual Integration Theory in order to elucidate the implicatures, functions and cognitive understanding process. To a great extent, that’s a relatively comprehensive and valuable study on kite image. According to the study, we have a further understanding to kite image and its contribution the story. Therefore, it is of vital importance to conduct a relevant interpretation of Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, which, the author of the thesis believes, will be fruitful and meaningful.

3. An Analysis of the Kite Image in The Kite Runner

In literary works, the image plays an important role in shaping the characters and thematic expression. Usually, the image is objective and contains writers’ special emotions. The kite, as the important image often bears different metaphors in literary works. In The Kite Runner, the kite, as an important clue and symbol of the country’s culture, bears specific cultural connotation and national spirits. Afghan people’s running for kites represents their constant seeking for freedom, bravery and good humanity. The Kite Runner depicts a rich kite image via plot development and protagonist Amir’s self-redemption.

3.1 The kite image for Afghanistan

In the novel, as the special image, the kite carries different meanings, and as a key element contributing to the plot development throughout the whole story. Afghanistan, as the background of the story, plays an important role in the development of the story.

Kite tournament is a traditional Afghan custom. It represents bravery and freedom. People in Afghanistan cherish this custom but “abhor the rules”. So the kite fighting’s rule is simple, “NO RULE”. The winter in Afghanistan is cold and long, and wind is very strong. For fun, the kite fighting becomes people’s first choice. In Kabul people’s mind, kite fighting was a little like going to “war”. Kite fighting was a tough but brave game, at that time there were about “one hundred” kites fought from early morning to darkness in the sky, and every fighter tried to “cut” others’ lines. “People in the street shout, ‘Cut him! Cut him!’” The sound grew louder, like Romans chanting for the gladiators to kill, kill!” (Hosseini 72). It’s serious and solemn to make a good kite. In the novel, Amir and Hassan picked the “bomb”, “paper” and “string” carefully, “spent hours every day” making the kite. The kite is their “weapon” and the “wound” on hand crosscut by the kite line is the representation of glorious injury in the kite fighting competition. Kite fighters run in the streets and alleys for fallen blue kites. For them, the sky is a “bloody battlefield”, getting the fallen kite and admired by others are the most coveted prize in winter kite fighting competition. The kite traditionally represents Afghan people’s spirit of bravery.

At the same time, Assef’s unfair and violent behaviors have foreboded the social unrest. The teenagers in Afghanistan like Hassan and Amir’s love to kite represents the whole nation’s endlessly pursuit of freedom and hope for life. In the kite fighting competition, Amir’s yearning

for winning is not only for regaining his father’s love but a reveal of inborn human’s emulative spirit. Except that, the kite fighting game, not only Hassan’s chance to stay and play with Amir joyously, but Afghanistan people’s yearning for freedom and kind humanity. Then with the story’s development, the external and internal conflicts finally broke out. Soviet and Taliban controlled the Afghanistan successively. Soviet’s invasion caused the whole nation’s turbulence, made the country in an edge of collapse. Taliban’s tyranny and banning on the kite fighting revealed the national spirit was suppressed and freedom was completely deprived. However, at the end of story, “Soraya” had turned the study upstairs into a bedroom for Sohrab. The sheets showed brightly colored kites flying indigo blue skies” (Hosseini 347), which reveals that Afghanistan’s suffering and chaos will come to an end and the country will be a free, brave and confident nation again. “The Hindi kid would soon learn what the British learnt earlier in the century and what the Russians would eventually learn by the late 1980s: the Afghans are an independent people. Afghans cherish customs but abhor rules. And so it was the same with kite fighting. The rules were simple, “NO RULES”. “Fly your kite. Cut the opponent. Good luck” (Hosseini 56). It reposes Afghan people’s positive attitude to life and their country. They still believe peace will come back again. Therefore, kite fighting represents their pursuit of freedom.

3.2 The kite image for main characters

The kite bears diverse meanings to main characters throughout the story. It reflects characters’ emotional fluctuations and growth process, contributing to the development of plots.

3.2.1 Amir’s betrayal and redemption

On the one hand, the kite represents betrayal in Amir’s eyes. Amir was born in a rich family and had superior material life from an early age. Amir spent his carefree childhood in his hometown of Kabul before the winter of 1975. In the novel, the description of the kite at different scenes declares Amir’s growth and character development. At the very beginning, the kite image shows Amir was forced to be a brave boy under the inference of tradition. Amir viewed the kite fighting competition as the way to win his father’s love. Though Amir was a natural coward, he was inspired by father’s unfrequented and care to Hassan, peers’ mightiness than him and Assef’s bullying. “Sometimes I look out this window and I see him playing on the street with the neighborhood boys. I see how they push him around him, take his toys from him,

and give him a shove here, a whack there. And, you know, he never fights back, Never, he just... Drop his head and ....I wasn’t like that at all” (Hossein 22). Hence Amir regarded the kite fighting competition as the last saving straw to win his father’s love. In the novel, one winter kite fighting competition changed his later life trajectory. At that competition, Amir fought from early morning to night and fought to the end. Especially when he thought his father’s word, “I were not like that at all, If I hadn’t seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I would never believe he’s my son?” (Hosseini 23) Then Amir was inspired again. “I would win the winter’s tournament. I was going to win. There was no other viable option. I was going to win, and I was going to run the last kites. Then I’d bring it to home and show it to Baba. Show him once and all that his son worthy. Then maybe my lie as a ghost in this house would finally be over” (Hosseini 55). Nothing can be compared with that kite and then the kite became one key factor of his betrayal. For winning the competition, though seeing his friend or brother was insulted by evil Assef, Amir was hesitate to save Hassan. At last, he succumbed to his coward and selfish. He won the kite competition with the price of “betraying” his loyalty friend Hassan. This is the first time Amir betrayed Hassan. Later, for reducing his guilt and driving Hassan away, Amir’s final evil plan of slandering Hassan’s theft led to his second betrayal. Amir ended his friendship with Hassan in a selfish and guilty way. However, Hassan’s departure didn’t make Amir pleased. In fact it exacerbated his sense of guilt. His sin became even deeper than before. Even for a long time he could not face his betrayal to his friend. While the price was too much, in his rest lifetime, he often thought of Hassan. He would suffer the torment in the conscience. Rahim khan told him, “In Afghanistan there has the way to be good again”. Finally he came back to Afghanistan again and stepped on a long self-redemption journey for that.

On the other hand, the kite is also the metaphor of Amir’s pursuit for self-redemption. Shortly after the kite tournament, Soviet invaded Afghanistan. Amir became a refugee and fled to the United States with his father. His move to America symbolized his rebirth and renewed relationship with his father. In America, Amir wished to bury his past sins. As Amir said, “America was a place to bury my memories” (Hosseini 125). However, he comprehended the impossibility of hiding the truth. “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out” (Hosseini 3). Like the kite flying in the sky while being controlled by the kite player, Amir wanted to escape from his guilt but failed. Looks, Amir lived a moderate but peaceful life in America. He entered into the university and began to study his favorite major, writing. Like the kite flies in the sky with the help of wind, Amir had grown up in a foreign country. He became a writer and married a beautiful girl, Soraya. Amir seemed to be a successful person in America step by step. However he never forgot his betrayal to Hassan in the kite tournament and bore the burden of guilt in the rest of his life. “The dark stain in the seat of his pants. Or those tiny drops that fell from between his legs and stained the snows black” (Hosseini 1). The shadow of this scene is lingering. Ever Amir begged Hassan to beat him up for his soul redemption. However, he didn’t not truly embark on his spiritual redemption until getting a call from his father’s friend Rahim Khan and then stepped on the way to turbulent Afghanistan to rescue Hassan’s son Sohrab. This is the real beginning for Amir to embark on his self-redemption journey. The redemption contains two kinds of meanings, which is to save others and to pay for it. To Amir, for rescuing Sohrab, Assef’s violence to him is another way to reduce his guilt and realize his self-redemption. At the end of the book, Sohrab’s smile to kites represents the realization of Amir’s self-redemption. Amir did all he can to run the kite for autistic Sohrab, just like Hasan ever did for him “for you, thousand times”.

3.2.2 Hassan’s loyalty and helplessness

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