The Kite Runner: Metaphors 5 key examples

The metaphor comparing the past to an animal suggests that Amir feels his past is violent and uncontrollable. By saying the past "claws its way out," Amir shows how intensely he feels the guilt he carries cannot stay hidden. No matter how hard he tries to forget, it violently forces its way back into his mind, damaging his ability to live peacefully. The animal imagery of this metaphor emphasizes how dangerous Amir’s memories have become. As they “claw” their way out they damage him.

The hyperbole of peeking into the alley for “twenty-six years” also stresses the overwhelming effect of that one day. Amir exaggerates his language here to show how every decision and feeling in his life has stayed connected to his witnessing Hassan’s assault in the alley. By claiming he has “peered” back into the alley for more than two decades, Amir shows that the past has not loosened its hold on him. His position as an unhelpful bystander “peering” into the alley is at the center of his guilt. It’s always present no matter how much time passes.

A cleft lip is a congenital disorder where a baby’s upper lip does not form completely, leaving a gap or split on that part of its face. There are varying degrees of severity for the condition, from a small notch to a large opening that connects to the nose. Describing this birth difference as a “doll maker's” mistake is derogatory on Amir’s part. It suggests that Hassan’s cleft lip is the result of either clumsiness or laziness. As a child, Amir imagines Hassan’s facial difference as something that could have been avoided if his creator had been more careful. This metaphor is one of many ways Amir distances himself from Hassan. By framing him as imperfect or lesser, made with “instruments” that “slipped,” he can continue to feel superior to his friend. Instead of seeing Hassan’s cleft lip as something he should be kind about, Amir judges it as a flaw. He sees it as a sign that Hassan is somehow unfinished or broken.

Even though they live in the same home, the metaphor of “different spheres” Amir uses here shows how separated Amir and Baba are. When someone says that people occupy “different spheres,” the expression usually means that they occupy entirely different worlds. Baba’s gruff exterior and refusal to compromise on his morals keep his son at arm’s length, and this metaphor points to the deep emotional gap between them. It’s as if they move through separate realities, where Amir has no hope of reaching his father.

The second metaphor compares Amir and Baba’s shared love of kites to a “paper-thin slice” of connection between their worlds. This expression emphasizes how delicate and limited Amir feels their connection truly is. Flying kites together gives them rare moments of closeness, which Amir treasures because it’s the only time he and Baba fully see eye-to-eye. However, the bond is fragile and easy to tear, like the thin paper of a kite itself. Amir wants to protect their tradition of flying kites together because that “slice” is the only connection they have.

The metaphor of forgiveness “budding” suggests that any true forgiveness starts small and fragile. It’s not a single brash event but a gradual process, like a new shoot emerging from the end of a branch. Amir is suggesting that he’s discovered healing does not happen all at once. Rather than being a sudden solution, forgiveness grows slowly over time. In short, Amir's realization that he has forgiven his Baba doesn't come with a lot of fanfare. The forgiveness began quietly, almost invisibly, when he started to let go of the suffering Baba caused.

Amir also personifies “pain” as a human-like character who can gather its things and “slip away.” This secret departure by pain is another aspect of Amir’s realizations about how emotional wounds can heal. In his world, longstanding pain does not announce its departure or demand attention when it disappears. Instead, it fades when he least expects it. By giving pain these human actions and this sense of agency, Hosseini reflects Amir’s growing sense that moving past his anger with Baba can feel like a natural process.

The metaphor Amir uses in this passage—when he says “[q]uiet is peace”—shows that he believes that “quiet” is inherently a good, calm state. In his mind, a person who is quiet remains connected to the world, albeit at a lower intensity. Here, Amir explains that turning down the "volume" on life still allows the life to exist, just less forcefully. The “peace” of quiet does not necessarily mean loss.

However, the metaphor comparing silence to an “off button” creates a much harsher image for the reader. Things that are “quiet” are peaceful but present. Silence, by contrast, indicates emptiness and absence. When Sohrab becomes silent, he does not simply lower his energy. He shuts off completely. It’s as though after he tries to kill himself the part of him that can respond to the world no longer exists. Amir worries that Sohrab is so traumatized that he wants to to shut “all of it” off forever. By contrasting quiet and silence in this way, Hosseini shows how serious Sohrab’s condition is. The silence is not restful or healing. It’s an absence that Amir will have to drag Sohrab back from.