Throughout history bears are used to symbolize strength, protection and courage due to their protective instincts and powerful bodies. In Khalid Hosseini's The Kite Runner, Baba is usually a reference to the bear. He is a highly respected businessman in Kabul. Baba is considered very moral and powerful. He lost his wife during the birth of his son, Amir, who is easily bullied by the other children in the neighborhood, because he is too afraid to stand up to other children. Baba fears that if Amir can't handle himself as a child, he won't be able to handle himself as an adult. Baba is a very strong and powerful character, while Amir is often seen as cowardly and weak; so their relationships are not very strong because they are both so different. In the book Baba often resembles a bear due to his strength. Amir is different; he is usually seen as weak, but begins to resemble a bear as he ages. The author uses bear symbolism to emphasize the growth of Amir's character and to show the similarity between Amir and Baba. Throughout the story Baba is shown as brave and powerful through the symbolism of the bear, while Amir is revealed to have no connection to the bear. bear. In the story Amir states that: “I imagined Baba's wrestling match countless times, I even dreamed about it. And in those dreams I can never distinguish Baba from the bear” (12). Amir, unable to distinguish the bear from Baba, shows his strength and power. The way Amir imagines and dreams of Baba fighting with the bear shows how he admires Baba and adores him. But the way Amir is unable to identify who is who also shows that Baba's powerful characteristics make others fear him too. As Amir reflected, he thinks, “In the end, I escaped. I......middle of paper......th that Baba had throughout his life. This quote clearly shows that as the story progresses, Amir grows more and more in strength and mentality. He was a coward at first and Baba worried whether he could handle himself. He finally made his father proud and stood up to Assef. Overall the symbolism of the bear shows the growth of Amir's character and his resemblance to his father. In this book, Baba was seen as powerful and moral. On the other hand, Amir is seen as weak and cowardly. Baba's character is strong because he faces his difficulties while Amir runs away from them. At first Amir did not resemble Baba due to his weak and cowardly character. As the story progresses, Amir begins to resemble Baba as he faces his fears and past mistakes. Through the symbolism of the bear the author shows the growth of Amir's character and the similarity between Baba and Amir.