Parallel Structure in the Kite Runner

Parallel Structure in The Kite Runner

Parallelism: a repetition of similar events or situations for effect (eg. links ideas / characters together, allows the writing to come full circle)

Incident Example #1 Example #2 - One eyed Assef Hassan was great at a Sohrab uses his slingshot slingshot and used it to and fulfilled his father’s defend Amir; threatened to threat by putting ball in make "one eyed Assef" if Assef’s eye; he too saves Assef didn't back off (p. 45) Amir (p. 305)

- watch and money - Amir hid birthday money - 26 years later Amir thinks and a watch under Hassan’s Wahid’s boys are looking at mattress to frame him so his watch so he gave it to that Baba would have no them ( p. 251)(they are choice but to ask Hassan actually looking at his food) and Ali to leave (p. 110) He also puts money under the mattress – to help this time, not hurt. (p. 254)

- kite running Hassan runs the kite for –Amir runs the kite for Amir (p. 71) Sohrab (p. 391)

- quotation – Hassan says to Amir, "for - Amir says it to Sohrab at you a thousand times the end of the novel when over"(p. 71) when he is he is just about to retrieve about to get the blue kite for the kite for Sohrab (p. 391) Amir

- Farid says it to Amir in the hospital when Amir asks him to do a favour (p. 319)

- Shahnamah (the story of Amir reads the book to Amir reads the book to Rostam and Sohrab) Hassan when they are young Sohrab while he is in the (about Persian heroes, under the pomegranate tree hospital (p. 371) Rostam is a great warrior (p. 31) who mortally wounds his nemesis, Sohrab, only to find out that Sohrab is his long lost son: notice parallel) - Assef rapes Hassan - Assef presumably rapes - rape because he hates Hazaras Sohrab because he is and because he has to get Hassan’s son and because back at Hassan for he can (293) threatening him with the slingshot (p. 81)

- Kamal watched Hassan get raped; he also gets raped by four boys (p. 127)

- Hassan and his father Ali Hassan returns as an adult - Hassan and Ali's home live in a mud hut on Baba’s with his wife and property (p. 6) (eventually) son to live in the same house to help Rahim Khan. He felt it was a matter of respect not to live in Baba's house (p. 219)

- Assef promised to get back He gets back at Amir later - Assef's promise at both Hassan and Amir for by beating him up (p. 302) the initial slingshot incident. using the same brass (p. 46) He gets back at knuckles he used a a boy Hassan by raping him.

- Assef tells Amir of his - Amir laughs while being - Irrational laughter experience in jail, laughing beaten by Assef because he while being beaten up finally feels redemption for because his kidney stone what he did to Hassan.(p. passed and he read it as a 303) sign from god (p. 297)

Amir watches while Hassan - Amir returns to - redemption is raped. He doesn’t help of Afghanistan to save Sohrab save Hassan (p. 82) for his similar fate with Assef; he does for Sohrab what he was unable to do for Hassan (p. 305) - Amir wants Hassan to hit him with pomegranates - Amir recalls the incident because he craved with the pomegranates punishment for not helping during his fight with Assef Hassan (p. 98) (p. 303) - harelip - Hassan is born with a - Amir's lip is smashed harelip (p. 3) during fight with Assef; the doctor describes it as being split "clean down the middle." Amir recognizes this as similar to a harelip (p. 312)

-special presents - Hassan's unique birthday - Amir gives Sohrab the present from Baba is having photograph of Sohrab and the surgeon correct his Hassan outside the mosque harelip (p. 49), (p. 333)