One thing that perhaps all humans can agree on, based on their own life experiences, is that obstacles do not can be avoided. They can be ignored, they can sometimes even be dodged, but ultimately, they cannot be avoided. In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and the poem "Where There's a Wall" by Joy Kogawa, character and symbolism are used to demonstrate that our own thoughts and deep contemplations are the greatest obstacles to our need of redemption and self. -accomplishment. Those who leave their guilt unaddressed open the way for guilt to consume them, leading to a global change not only in their lives, but also a global change in who they truly are. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe character is one of the most fundamental tools used by Hosseini and Kogawa to express the obstacles that both characters have created for themselves using their own thoughts. and feelings. Throughout The Kite Runner, Amir's greatest goal was redemption, whether in his childhood, adolescence, or adulthood. Throughout his life, Amir has always tried to redeem himself, not necessarily for himself. During Amir's childhood years, his goal is to make amends with Baba, as he constantly tries to do so because Baba always made him feel like he wasn't good enough and that Hassan was better than Amir, which led to the event that shapes the book. , Amir watches Hassan, who he didn't know at the time was his brother, get severely raped and Amir had done nothing about it. More importantly, it was about making Baba proud by bringing home that blue kite, so that Amir could be worthy in Baba's eyes. Throughout his adolescence and adulthood, Amir developed a new goal, that of self-redemption, the main reason being to be able to rid himself of his guilt. No matter where Amir was in life, nothing ever stopped him from achieving his goals and doing what could have stopped the growth of such enormous guilt, except for one obstacle, and that is Amir himself. Amir's thoughts and what he valued most, which at that time was the image he represented to the rest of the world and what others would think of his childhood mistake, which led him to make an even bigger mistake by remaining silent. Additionally, Kogawa's character in his poem demonstrates these ideas in the same way, except the only difference is that Amir's "wall" was more of a mental barrier, an image in his mind. However, this character is faced with a physical wall, a physical barrier and an obstacle, preventing him from being free and being a part of whatever is on the other side of the wall. Much like Amir, the character in the poem knows that she can in fact get past this wall, and even lists all the possible ways to do so, but she is still stuck on the other side, not because she doesn't doesn't want to see what's going on. on the other side of the wall, but because she is thinking too much and these thoughts have led her to believe that she cannot go further than the wall. “From this side of the wall / I look at the top / lost in the clouds / I hear all the noises you make / but I can't see you” (29-33). These lines reveal that the character feels lost, perhaps he no longer knows who he is, hence the expression "lost in the clouds", but he knows what could be on the other side because he hears everything, he just can't see it. , which makes it all the more difficult to believethat everything she could be and everything that could change is indeed on the other side of the wall. The character is frustrated, lost, and wants to know the truth, but the real truth she needs to discover is who she really is, and it begins with self-redemption, the same way Amir began to make contact with his real me afterwards he redeemed himself. The character in the poem might view Amir as an inspiration and motive to take the first chance she may get to redeem herself and flourish, because at one point Amir was just as lost as she was and just like her, he knew everything he could do, but chose to do it. ignore what is right in front of him. The manner of symbolization used throughout the novel and poem plays a huge role on the meaning and point of the main thematic ideas of both texts; guilt and loss of self, standing as obstacles to redemption and self-fulfilment. In The Kite Runner, the kite itself is always the beginning or end of something new. The book begins with the kite and ends with the kite, and the main event of the book occurs because of the kite. Amir sees kites in San Francisco, which brings him back to memories of his life in Kabul: "I looked up and saw a pair of kites... floating side by side as a pair of eyes looking at San Francisco, the city. I'm calling home now. I looked up at the twin kites. I thought about the life I had lived until the winter of 1975 came and changed everything. And made me what I am today” (Hosseini, 2). Amir then goes on to tell his story, emphasizing the fact that essentially, he lived his childhood trying to please Baba, and he ended up doing just that, by giving him the blue kite. This blue kite itself gave rise to the main event and the beginning of something new, the turning point of the story; the rape of Hassan while Amir watched and remained silent for 25 years. During these 25 years, Amir did nothing but avoid his chances of redeeming himself from his guilt and what had happened. When Amir finally redeemed himself, he also realized it through the kite, when Sohrab, the reason why his guilts were washed away and his past mistakes were made up for, smiled after running with Amir, elaborating thus the connection between Sohrab and Amir. Once again, the kite symbolizes the start of something new, this time being the start of a guilt-free and burden-free life for Amir. In Kogawa's poem, the wall is a symbol that tells a story. One side of the wall can be seen as a representation of the past, while the other side represents the present. But the narrator is stuck in the past. Her thoughts are based on the past and what happened then, and she knows exactly how to overcome it all, listing many ways to overcome the obstacle, also known as the wall, throughout the poem. Additionally, it seems like she believes she can't leave where she is currently because she is lost in herself and who she really is, as a result of previous events, so she stays on this side of the wall, carrying the burden of who she really is. has already happened and what cannot be undone. She stands, listening to the people she can't see who are on the other side, knowing that life on this side would be better, but once again she is trapped in this fear of giving up everything that has already happened and to move on to make amends. . In comparison, the kites symbolized for Amir the same wall as the one in the poem, but the kites also ultimately destroyed that wall when they became the reason.