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Khaled Hosseini’s usage of imagery and symbolism in The Kite Runner depicts the effects of war and poverty on Afghanistan. On pages 246-248 in The Kite Runner, Amir is going back to Afghanistan because of Sohrab and Rahim Khan. As Farid is driving Amir through Afghanistan, he realizes how much Afghanistan has changed from his childhood memories. Khaled Hosseini uses imagery to describe the scene when Amir first reaches Jadeh Maywand. Amir sees "children playing in the ruins of a windowless building amid jagged stumps of brick and stone" and this depicts the changes in Afghanistan (246). Through the image that Hosseini creates, we can see that Amir realizes that Afghanistan is no longer that happy childhood he had. Now, Afghanistan is facing obliteration and many buildings are destroyed. Afghans do not have shelter and children no longer have the same toys that Amir and Hassan once played with. When Amir and Hassan were playing in Afghanistan as children, Kabul was alive and rowdy with bustling crowds.  In another scene, Hosseini uses imagery to describe an old beggar asking Amir for money. Through this literary technique, Hosseini is able to depict the poverty in Afghanistan. When Amir gives the old beggar some money, he smelled like "sour milk and feet that hadn’t been washed in weeks"(248). Here, imagery provides a visual of the effects of poverty on the poor Afghans. The readers can infer that the old beggar has not eaten or showered in a long time. Hosseini also uses symbolism to help portray social struggles in Afghanistan. Not only does the old beggar represent poverty in Afghanistan, but he represents the fact that Afghanistan is lacking shelter, money, water, food, clothes and other necessities. In addition to the fact that Afghanistan is facing extreme poverty, there is also extreme corruption in Afghanistan. After the old beggar accepts the money, he looks around to make sure that no one is watching. This hints at the fact that the Taliban will probably have either taken the money from the old beggar or they might have punished him by whipping or beating him. Poverty is difficult to resolve during this time period of political instability. However, poverty does not just destroy a person physically, but also mentally. It makes people cautious and wary of each other. They are afraid of others stealing their money and betraying them. They are always trying to fend for themselves. In conclusion, Hosseini uses imagery to create a visual of the consequences of war, poverty and political instability in Afghanistan.