In Khaled Hosseini's novel, The Kite Runner, Baba's relationship with pride represents this of a grand tree being caged by a man-made structure. From the beginning of the novel, Baba is illustrated as this accomplished and great man -- he built orphanages, wrestled "bears," and other things. This is illustrated by the tree in this image: it's size and strong roots. However, Baba has one weakness: his self-imposed isolation through his prideful nature. He is unable to see "colors" in his "black-and-white" world. In other words, he has trapped himself through his own actions; for example, Baba's rejection of food stamps, chemotherapy, and even his inability to deem Hassan as his son. All of these actions were motivated by pride and the protection of his reputation. This is represented by the man-made bench, acting as a "cage" for the tree. Like Baba, who made his "bench" and isolated himself through his egocentric nature. Through Baba's actions, he is unable to reach the level of character development that his potential holds. This represents the wooden floor, also man-made, which prevents him from growing any further than he could. Ultimately, this metaphor of a grand tree being caged by a bench represents Baba's relationship with pride in The Kite Runner.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Pride in Seclusion
In Khaled Hosseini's novel, The Kite Runner, Baba's relationship with pride represents this of a grand tree being caged by a man-made structure. From the beginning of the novel, Baba is illustrated as this accomplished and great man -- he built orphanages, wrestled "bears," and other things. This is illustrated by the tree in this image: it's size and strong roots. However, Baba has one weakness: his self-imposed isolation through his prideful nature. He is unable to see "colors" in his "black-and-white" world. In other words, he has trapped himself through his own actions; for example, Baba's rejection of food stamps, chemotherapy, and even his inability to deem Hassan as his son. All of these actions were motivated by pride and the protection of his reputation. This is represented by the man-made bench, acting as a "cage" for the tree. Like Baba, who made his "bench" and isolated himself through his egocentric nature. Through Baba's actions, he is unable to reach the level of character development that his potential holds. This represents the wooden floor, also man-made, which prevents him from growing any further than he could. Ultimately, this metaphor of a grand tree being caged by a bench represents Baba's relationship with pride in The Kite Runner.
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I really like the connection you made with the bench and the specific examples you used. I think this tree could also be used for Amir because even though the tree keeps growing, the bench around it represents the sensitive subject of Hassan and the guilt that follows. It shows how as Amir gets older, he still keeps his past a secret.
ReplyDeleteI really like your message about how Baba has isolated himself because of his own actions; he refuses to connect with Amir because he feels guilty about Hassan, and he can't connect with Hassan because he never actually claimed him as his own. Baba really was alone through all of this, and because his wife died, had no one to confide in.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great metaphor for Baba, and the tree analogy is extremely fitting. I think you could find even more connections in how cultural tradition cages Baba as well, and that is a very man-made structure.
ReplyDeleteI think the encapsulation of the tree with the man-made benches is a really cool approach to this metaphor. I think it's especially prevalent that the tree is a singular tree with the other trees all relatively far away, adding on to the man-made isolation with the natural isolation he felt when he moved to America.
ReplyDeleteI really like the metaphor you used for Baba. He's a pretty complicated character who's pretty heavily wrapped in his own pride, but I find it pretty interesting
ReplyDeleteI really like the creativity of this metaphor. In a way, the bench could also represent Baba's secret of Hassan being his son. He created the problem for himself and it now constantly binds him throughout his life.
ReplyDelete