A Study On The Kite Image In The Kite Runner From The Perspective Of Conceptual Integration Theory

The Kite Runner, debut novel of the Afghan-American writer Khaled Hosseini, wasthrust into the world’s spotlight in the year2003, and it was also the first English novelwritten by the Afghans. The Kite Runner presents a spiritual salvation story of an Afghanimmigrant in the United States from a first-person perspective of Amir, and also describesthe social and political transition in Afghanistan, presenting the racial discrimination ofSunni Pashtun against the Shia Hazara.Foreign and domestic researches on The Kite Runner mainly focus on politics andculture, betrayal and redemption, narrative techniques and the kite image. The kite as thekey image throughout the whole text of The Kite Runner not only has rich culturalmetaphorical meanings, but also mobilizes the conflict elements and strengthens theconflict effects throughout the entire story. Though there are some papers and worksstudying on the kite image, they mainly focus on its various metaphorical meaning, whilefew people studies the formation of the metaphorical meanings. Conceptual IntegrationTheory is a cognitive linguistics theory raised by American scholars represented byFauconnier and Turner. It is a theoretical framework to explore meaning construction.Therefore, this paper intends to interpret the kite image in The Kite Runner with theConceptual Integration Theory in order to elucidate the implicatures, functions andcognitive understanding process.Based on close reading and qualitative analysis, the metaphorical meaningsconstruction of the kite image for the Afghan nation and Amir and Hassan are analyzedwith Conceptual Integration Theory. For Afghanistan, the kite fighting is a tough war, andindicates the bravery and confidence of the nation. Therefore, the kite image can help thereaders better understand the background and development of the novel. For Amir, the kiteimplies his desire for Father’s appreciation, his pursuit of bravery, his escape afterbetraying Hassan and his final redemption. The kite image also symbolizes the fragilefriendship between Amir and Hassan, which is the potential premise of the following story.The conclusion is drawn through the conceptual integration analysis of the kite image: thekite image throughout the text reflects the mental activities and growing process of Amir, and its meaning construction process can help readers understand the development of thestory and the characters more precisely and deeply.