Motifs

Rape

I've changed my mind," Assef said. "I'm letting you keep
the kite, Hazara. I'll let you keep it so it will always remind
 you of what I'm about to do."

Rape is a very big motif because it occurs throughout the story. Rape is complete and utter control over another person that doesn't have power by someone that does. It is the most disrespectful act and harms a person not just physically but mentally as well, and this effect will last their entire life. Sohrab is traumatized by what Assef did to him although it hasn't been proven that he raped him, it seems as though he might have. Something that could imply that Assef raped Sohrab would be due to the instance where Assef made him dance in a dress when he turned the music on otherwise he would physically abuse him and maybe even sexually. He also did the same with Hassan, and making someone dance in woman’s clothing is also very controlling, demeaning, and it affects someone emotionally.

Irony

“I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative,
the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right:
Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price
I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba.” 

Irony is very prevalent in the story because of how much it occurs, and even so that a character from the story (Amir) even realizes it's existence in his life. Rahim Khan told Amir that he had grasped irony in his writing unlike most authors. There was also one of the biggest instances of irony in the story that occurred when Amir failed to stop the rape of Hassan. Amir wanted to be like his father and make him proud which is why he chased the kite with the intention of giving the cut kite back to Baba and show him what he has done. Little did Amir know that, what Baba would have wanted would have been for Amir to drop the kite idea and help Hassan during his time of need. Now Amir lives his life in regret of that decision and spends every last moment trying to make up for his terrible mistake. This ironic because he did the total opposite of what Baba would have wanted which determines what Amir would have wanted as well. Another example of irony in the story is when Amir finds out that Hassan is his half brother and that Baba slept with Ali's wife, thus betraying his friend. This causes Amir to realize how much he is like his father because they both let their friends down. The last ironic situation that happens in the story is when Assef gives Amir a beating, and this causes him to relieve all the stress and guilt that has been put on him this entire time. It serves as a relief and is ironic because the person that has caused all his guilt and torment is the same person that relieves him from it.

Harelip Scar

"Because history isn't easy to overcome.
 Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun
 and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi'a,
and nothing was ever going to change that.
 Nothing."

The harelip scar is a motif in the story "The Kite Runner" because it has a very deep meaning underneath what other people might first see, and its recurrence in the story shows that it has been put there for a reason and should be truly appreciated by its explanation. The harelip scar was originally brought up when Hassan was born with it. Baba treated Hassan with great respect even though he had the scar, and that might have given Amir the impression that Baba was treating him with even more respect due to that defect. The harelip scar represented the poverty of the Hazara because they didn't have enough money to provide for surgery. Baba then pays for his surgery that shows his fatherly love in a way that isn't too obvious. Later on in life, Amir got beat up by Assef and then ended up having a scar on his lip as well. This in a way, shows that his personality has merged with Hassan and now he is that figure for Sohrab in life. This shows that the scar means a lot more than just a defect and it represents Hassan and what he stands for which is why Amir is now carrying the same traits and living the same life in order to honour him as well.