Chapter 10

Chapter 10 is set a few years later, in 1981, in the back of an old russian truck, as refugees getting out of Pakistan. They arrive at a checkpoint in Mahipar, and the russian soilder sets his "glazed eyes" on a young lady. Exposition on this character shows that he is quite cold and heartless, as he is very rude towards one of the Karim soldiers when he says that he wants 30 minutes in the back with the young lady, and then he'll let the truck through. Baba stands up, as we know already he is quite a heroic character, and Amir picks up on this, thinking "why do you always have to be the heroic one?". He wants justice for the lady, but the russian says that he will put a bullet in his brain if he does not shut up. Amikr starts to panic when Baba does not back down. Amir puts his hand to Baba and tells him to back down, to which Baba replies "Haven't I taught you anything". Amir has an analepsis to the time of Hassan's rape, and this makes him reflect on himself. It is not so much to whether he has done anything wrong, it is questioning whether he is actually Baba's son, after all, he did not inherit the heroic gene from him. Some more anamorphism is used, this time describing the russian guard as a "bulldog faced russian". This could indicate that he is quite ruthless, and he holds his gun up when Baba does not back down. He points the gun to Baba's chest, which immediately Amir hides away from, instead of maybe attempting to save his own father. This shows him up to be very cowardly, if we hadn't already gathered that from past events. Baba in the end does not get shot, but we see Amir's mixed emotions when he says "I have never felt more like laughing and crying at the same time".

Pathetic fallacy is used when they arrive in Jalalabad, as it is "sunrise", which could indicate hope and a new start for them. When Karim ushers them into a house and tells them that their journey cannot be completed, Baba is angered. Amir shows that it happened very fast by saying that something "zipped" across the room, and then Karim is slammed against the wall by Baba. More anamorphism is used when Baba wants to know how long the parts will be for the truck, as it says "Baba roared". This shows he is a very powerful man, due to his use of physical and verbal communication.

They are ushered into a basement, in single file, and after a few days Amir realises that Kamal and his father are in the basement with them too, as it is very dark so he has not been able to see very well. This gives us some more exposition on their family, and Amir says that his father look very "withered" and "deflated". He catches snippets of a conversation about Kamal, saying "bleeding down there...his pants..doesn't talk any more...just stares".

The truck is beyond repair, so everyone except an old couple decide to sneak in a gasoline truck. Amir says that the air feels thick, and it felt like his eyes were burning. Baba gives him a light to focus on, which is another symbol of hope, and is quite angelic and god-like. He says it's like a small miracle, which also indicates that Baba is god like. Baba tells him to think of something good. Amir has an analepsis of a good time, which of course includes Hassan, and this also uses pathetic fallacy in it. You can tell it is spring or summer time as the tress are in full blossom, and they look up at a clear sky, so this indicates a positive mood.

He has to use his other senses when he is describing the journey in the gasoline truck, as he cannot see anything. He mostly uses his hearing, saying he can hear MiG's roaring over head, which are aircraft, and the sound of gunfire. These indicate the war around, which they are trying to escape from.

When they arrive in Pakistan, Amir immediately hears screaming and hears the word "fumes". When he rushes over to see what is going on, Kamal is laying inert on the ground. Kamal's father is desperate, kissing Kamal's face, praying. When he realises that his son is dead, he takes the gun off of Karim and shots himself. The imagery of red is used again, and this deeply disturbs Amir, as he "doubles over" and "dry heaves" at the side of the road.

In this chapter, the narrator (Amir) is not very reliable, because there are a lot of conversations that he only half hears, which mostly involve Kamal's father. This means we do not get the full story, so therefore may make judgements on what they mean.

Chapter 9

Amir is in his bedroom opening his birthday presents from all the guests that came to his party, that Baba had thrown for him. He is very ungrateful, saying he gave them a "joyless" glance, even though any boy at the age of 13 would have been extremely excited to open a mound of birthday presents. The birthday present he received from Baba though, stands out the most, a bike which is described as "the king of all bicycles". Amir goes into great detail describing it but as he describes the body frame, he says it's red "Like a candy apple. Or blood.". He goes from comparing it to something very sweet and happy, to something that is quite disturbing, and the colour obviously brings back memories from what happened to Hassan, with his blood on the snow. He also describes the present's as "blood-money", because if he hadn't won the tournament, Baba would not have thrown him the party, and he also wouldn't have received all these gifts.

Baba asks if he likes the bike, and in his best attempt, Amir says thank you. Baba offers to take him out for a ride, but it's "an invitation, but only a half hearted one". This shows that Baba has possibly lost some interest in Amir, maybe the novelty of him winning the kite tournament has worn off. A few lines later, this is repeated, but through something Amir says. This shows their similarities in how half hearted they both are, and how sometimes they both don't really care about the other's feelings.

The only item that he does not throw onto the pile is the gift he receives from Rahim Khan, a leather notebook, and this seems to be because he knows it isn't "blood money", and Rahim is actually giving it to him out of the kindness of his heart. He also knows that Rahim is quite genuine, because he gave him his opinion on his short story that he wrote, with very positive comments.

Hassan and Ali also give Amir a present, a book called shahnamah, which took some scrimping and saving on their behalf. Amir takes the book, thanks them both, and then "buries" it under the pile of presents, as if he can feel it's burning stare on him. The use of the word bury shows that he is trying to hide it, along with his feeling about the rape of Hassan, making sure they don't come out.

Amir then commits his most unbrotherly gesture yet, hiding his watch from Baba and some money under Hassan's pillow. When they confront each other, which was Baba's decision, Amir states that they had been crying, because their eyes were "red and puffy". The colour imagery has been used again, and the red links in with all the bad stuff that has happened to them. When Baba asks Hassan if he took the watch and the money, Hassan says that he did. This shocks Amir, and he says that he "almost blurted out the truth". He also said the he "almost" did something at the time of the rape, but he did not, so he never follows up his gut feeling. Hassan again sacrifices everything to save Amir, to let Amir get what he wants. But to even more of a surprise, Baba forgives Hassan. We do not know at this point in time, but Hassan is actually Baba's child, so this may be the way a father would forgive his son for something, so long as he learns from his mistake.

An analepsis comes from Amir, of how Baba said to him that stealing was the only sin. How theft is the biggest crime, whether it be of possessions or a life. This highlights his confusion, and adds to ours slightly, of why at this point in time, Baba would forgive Hassan.

Ali has a different idea though, he wants to leave. Baba says that he "forbids this". This highlights his god like status, that he is in control of everything, and if he forbids something, it will not happen. But Ali rightly points out that now they have quit, Baba does not have ownership over them any more, and should do what they ask.

Pathetic Fallacy is used when Baba drives Ali and Hassan to the bus stop. It is raining heavily, even though Amir says it rarely rains in summer, which just shows how sad and melancholic the even of Hassan and Ali leaving it. It makes the scene quite dramatic. Amir is looking through the window at them leaving, which shows that he feels like he's in quite a different would to them, being separated. He talks about how he should run after them, and beg for them to stop, tell them the truth. But he doesn't and instead stays behind the window.

Exam style question

Exam Question – Baba’s diary entry

Today, I experienced one of my proudest moments as a father, the kite-flying tournament. Every year is bigger and better than the last, although the same feeling never goes away. I still remember my first year, the exhilaration of the kite floating violently in the wind, as if it were a golden eagle, swooping down on its prey. That feeling will never go away, being in power of such a glorious machine, the red of the fabric contrasting against the white, silky snow.

Of course, my first year wasn’t the most successful, though every year I progressed, slowly, acquiring new skills from each of my fallen enemies. Then one year, a blue kite plummeted from the sky, followed by a green, another blue, a yellow as bright as the sun on a steaming, sweaty summers day. It was just me against one more kite, and what my glorious son Amir did today, was exactly how I handled it. Closed my eyes, and cut, cut through the string like the eagles teeth slicing through the meat of its victim.

Today, I could hardly believe my eyes, when my own son Amir, cut through that final kite. I knew that he could do it, that if he set his mind to something, he could achieve it, and become a real man. He has something to be proud of, he has something to his name, and most importantly, he has something that other men will respect, and look up to him for. He will never appear za’eef, “weak”, in front of his enemies.

And that is something any father would be proud of.

Of course, Hassan caught the kite, he has the winning trophy to share, and I am equally proud of him as I am of Amir. He has never been perfidious toward Amir, he said himself that he would get the kite, and sure enough he did. I just hope Amir can always be as loyal to Hassan; I’d never want two brothers to have any kind of hatred, even if they are ignorant to that fact that they are related by blood.

I don’t think I will ever forget the look on Amir’s face when he sliced the kite, his face filled with jubilation, and embracing Hassan with both of his arms. Like true brothers. And of course, like a loyal brother, Hassan went to find the kite, his feet pacing, tearing over the ground. Amir reaped the rewards of becoming a champion, he shook a multitude of hands, took embraces from people he’d never known but now wanted to know him. But before all of that, before he’d even acknowledged the colossal number of people that wanted to felicitate his triumph, he looked at me. Straight at me, to see my reaction and for those few seconds that our eyes met he seemed almost inert. It was like nothing in the world mattered more than being accepted, but honestly, I could not figure out why. I am his father, I’ve always treated him like my own and I’ve never given him anything less than would be expected. In fact, I’ve given him a great deal more than any other father I have encountered. I’ve always bought him the kite he wanted, even if it was the most extravagant kite in the entire shop.

It’s not like I’ve ever treated Hassan better than Amir, in fact, I’ve always done my best to try and treat them equally. When Amir asked for a bigger kite, his happiness was evanescent, where as when I purchased the same kite for Hassan, he was euphoric, and deeply grateful.

I just keep questioning myself to whether it’s because … well, of his mother. My angelic wife, my dearly beloved. I cannot stop myself thinking that maybe Amir blames himself for passing. I have never influenced him to think this. Maybe I’m just making a mountain out of a molehill; of course a child is going to want to see their parent’s face when their time of victory has arrived. But it was something in his eyes, like a great weight had been lifted off of his weary shoulders.

I felt the same feeling when he returned home with Hassan, after retrieving the kite, the trophy. When I saw my little winner’s face, a smile plagued mine. I opened my arms and embraced him. Then what shocked me most of all, was that he began to weep, slowly, softly in my arms.

I’d always known my Amir to be a little over emotional, I once took him to a Buzkashi tournament, and when one of the chapandaz fell off of his saddle, Amir began to cry. The chapandaz was hurled around in the stampede, and lay inert on the ground. I was disappointed in Amir when he started to cry, but maybe I should have known that he would be a little too sensitive towards this type of sport.

I cannot understand why he would have wept today, he has won one of the most coveted trophies in Kabul, if not the most important tournament. He has his male pride, surely that’s all that matters?

Baba

Chapter 8

After the rape at the end of Chapter 7, Hassan and Amir start to spend less and less time together. Amir also disrespects Ali, by lying to him about Hassan, when he acts very concerned about his behaviour after he returned from the kite tournament. You can tell Amir is feeling tense by him saying "I snapped".

Baba also takes Amir to Jalalabad, and you can tell that Amir has started to become spoilt by his father giving him everything he wants all the time, including his attention, when firstly, he makes and excuse for Hassan not to have to come. Secondly, when Baba decides to invite "two dozen other people". Amir says " It should have been just the two of us - that was the way I wanted it", so he sees the day as being ruined because it didn't go the way he wanted it. It seems as if the tension has made him scrutinise everything, and see the imperfections in things that, at one time, he would have been grateful for. He has a brief analepsis on the way to Jalalabad, when his family remind him of the kite tournament and being proud of him winning, and this brings back the memories of Hassan's blood stained trousers, which make him sick.

Amir also gets very irritable with Hassan, when he keeps on asking him what he has done wrong and why he is ignoring him. The only time they had spoken to each other was when they had walked up to the top of the hill, which earlier, the narrator stated had a cemetery on top of it. This is very symbolic to their friendship now, it used to be full of life, but is now silent. He gets very annoyed when Hassan pleads him to come on a walk with him, and Amir snaps and says -
"I'll tell you what I want you to stop doing"
"Anything"
"I want you to stop harassing me. I want you to go away"
This shows that Hassan still wants a brotherly relationship with Amir, and will do anything to make Amir happy. But Amir on the other hand, will not. He wants to be left alone, the guilt has eaten away at him, and Hassan also reminds him of what a bad friend he has been. He is trying to fix this by getting rid of him for good, making Hassan hide away so that maybe he can feel good about himself, feel guilt free. The way the Amir describes the way he feels when Hassan is around him is a real give away of his guilt - "When he was around, the oxygen seeped out of the room. My chest tightened and I couldn't draw enough air; I'd stand there gasping in my own little airless bubble of atmosphere". This also shows that he feels very alone, and it is only him experiencing this. The word "seeped", also shows that he feels it happening immediately, and like he can't hold onto it, it's getting away from him.

His relationship with Baba also suffers in this chapter, due to wanting to get away from Hassan. Amir says to Baba "Have you ever thought about getting new servants?". Baba does not respond well to this, and anamorphism is used to get across how angry he is about it, for example "Baba roared".

One afternoon, Amir decides to go up the hill with Hassan and read him one of his new stories, as Hassan is very fond of them and always gives him compliments. The way Amir describes Hassan shows that he has been deeply effected by the rape - "Hassan's smile wilted. He looked older than I'd remembered. No, not older, old. Lines had etched into his tanned face and creases framed his eyes, his mouth.". This could link into an earlier chapter, when Amir said he saw Hassan's face change. That could have been a prolepsis to this point in time. They are in the same place, but with completely different emotions, and now, physical features. His smile has faded and he looks old because of his worrying.

Amir turns 13 and has a birthday party to celebrate, and is made to greet each guest individually. Assef turns up, which makes Amir panic, and when Assef starts to bond with Baba, he says "My stomach turned at the sight of my father bonding with Assef." He describes Assef on the surface, but then compares him to his personality. On the surface he looks perfect, like "every parent's dream". But then Amir notices his eyes, and the way they betray him, like a window looking into his true personality. Later, he sees Assef by Hassan when the fireworks are on, and Assef punches Hassan in the chest. The way Amir describes this is "In those brief bursts of light, I saw something I'll never forget.". This again is like he is peering into something he wasn't meant to see, like it was meant to be in the dark and unoticed, but the light revealed it, only for a brief moment to those who were looking.

Character analysis

Character Analysis - Assef, Wali and Kamal

Assef - The first time we see Assef in The Kite Runner is on page 33, and when Amir sees who it is, he says "my heart dropped". This shows the sense of fear when anyone is in his presence, even if he may not have said or done anything. He also tries to stand up to Assef, when he is bothering him and Hassan in chapter 3, saying "'Let us go Assef' I said, hating the way my voice trembled.". The trembling of his voice, immediately shows us that he is fearful of Assef, and hating the trembling also shows us that he wants to stand up to him. He enjoys beating up other children with his "brass knuckles", the rings he wears on his fingers. He is very racist towards towards Hassan, and never refers to him by his name, only by "Hazara". This shows that he thinks Hassan is not worthy of being called by his real name, and should be labelled because of his religion. He is also very racist towards Ali, Hassan's father, calling him a "slant eyed donkey", because of his mongolian background. He worships Hitler and he says to Amir "About Hitler. Now, there was a leader. A great leader. A man with a vision.". He has a german background from his mother, and has blonde hair and blue eyes, as well as "towering over the other kids". This imagery of his height shows how intimidating he is, and how vulnerable the other children must feel, as he "towers" over them. He enjoys exerting his power over those who are less powerful, and we find this out in chapter 7, when he sexually abuses Hassan. Hassan can not stop the attack, as he has less physical power due to his size, and is also looked down on for being a Hazara.

In chapter 7, he heavily taunts Hassan before the assault. He says that he is willing to forgive Hassan, and gets his friends to back him up, saying that although he is willing, "nothing in life comes for free". Assef compares Hassan to a dog, which shows what he thinks of him, much much lower down than him and not valued as a human being, just an animal, without the same rights. He is also very easy at getting to people with his words. He calls Hassan a "pathetic fool" for thinking that Amir is his friend, and tries to persuade him that Amir would never do the same for Hassan, by not giving up the kite.

Wali - Wali is a follower of Assif, and along with Kamal, back up what Assef says. We do not get as much detail about Wali as we do Assef, and this immediately shows us that Assef is the dominant figure, someone everyone knows about. There is not any speech from him in chapter 3, but he comes more into a speaking part in chapter 7. He is not independent though, and only backs up what Assef has to say, thinking nothing for himself, for example repeating the "nothing is free". He never speaks when he wants to, he has to wait for Assef to finish speaking, or make his point before he just backs him up. Although just before the assault, Wali does not want to partake, saying "My father says it is sinful.". This is quite ironic, that they will pick on someone for their faith, but never break their own faith, which is exactly what they are taunting Hassan for, and trying to make him do. He does not want to upset Assef, and does not stand up for his own opinion, and instead lets him go on with the rape, without stopping him.

Kamal - Kamal is another one of Assef's followers, and he helps him rape Hassan, by holding him down, even though he doesn't really want to be involved. When Kamal backs Assef up, he says "That's generous, especially after the rude manners he showed us last time". He is trying to be like Assef, and the narrator puts this in, saying "He was trying to sound like Assef, except there was a tremor in his voice". This shows that he doesn't have the confidence of Assef, and instead takes a sideline role. Then Amir goes on to say "Then I understood. He wasn't afraid of Hassan, not really. He was afraid because he had no idea what Assef had on his mind.". This shows that even though he is meant to be "friends" with Assef, there is still no trust or certainty around each other. He feels like Assef has control over him

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The chapter is opened with Hassan's dream, in which Hassan, Amir, Ali and Rahim went to a lake. Hassan states that the water was clear, like a mirror, and featuring the mirror may mean that there is something to reflect upon, or in one of their cases, that they must reflect on themselves. The lake is a vast expanse of water, which makes you think of the unknown, not having any idea of what is in there. There is a rumour that the lake has a monster lurking in the bottom of the lake, but Amir and Hassan go in anyway. After proving that there is no monster, the fellow people around the lake call Amir and Hassan "The sultans of Kabul", which is an important quote, because they are put together, and are equal, even though they may be Pashtuns and Hazaras. At the end of the passage, the narrator says that "Upstairs, I could hear the water running in Baba's bathroom.". I think the author has bothered to put this in, as it links in with the water from the lake, and this could be sign that something is going to happen in the future, involving Hassan and Amir. We already know that something is going to happen between the two friends, and this may be symbolic, as the water is already running, no one can stop it, like the future is, and no one can stop that either. The dream must be on Amir's mind, as later he says that the sky is a "blameless blue" colour, and the blue links in with the colour of the water.

the dream is also playing on Amir's mind when they go to fly kites, as even though he has been very excited about it, he turns to Hassan and says he doesn't want to. Hassan doesn't take no for an answer, insisting that there are no monsters, referring back to his dream. Since there is trust between the two boys, Amir believes Hassan, and they go on to fly the kites. Amir does question Hassan though, in his mind, as he says "Hassan wasn't that smart.". He is again referring to Hassan's lack of education, due to being a Hazara, thinking that Hassan shouldn't have been able to think up something clever, if he himself could not. There are many signs leading up to the event in chapter 7, this conversation, and also the dream, are just some.

Then the kite tournament begins. Amir is flying, and Hassan is the runner. The kite is symobised as something of great importance, first when Hassan holds it above his head like "an athlete with an olympic gold medal", and secondly when the kites fall down, Amir describes then as "showering the neighbourhood below with prizes". Later on in the chapter, it becomes evident how important the kite is for some people, including Amir. This is mostly to please Baba, and Amir does keep on getting distracted when he remembers Baba's eyes are on him whilst he is flying, describing his mind "drifting like the kite". When it is finally Amir and a blue kite left, the idea of battling and war comes in again, when he says "The chorus of 'Cut him! Cut him!' grew louder, like Romans chanting for the gladiators to kill, kill!" When Amir cuts the blue kite, he shows the importance of Hassan to him, by correcting him when he says "you won" to "WE won". Even though Amir was desperate to claim the title for himself to impress Baba, he is still willing to share it with Hassan, as they are like brothers.

There is another example of western culture used, from fairytales, as after being congratulated, Amir goes to find Hassan. He had a plan to find Hassan, go home, be congratulated, and then "live happily ever after". This is a famous line from fairytales, and gives another example of different cultures used.

Hassan runs off to find the kite, and before he does so, Amir shouts to him to make sure he does come back with the kite. "for you a thousand times over." he replies, which is a quote mentioned in the opening chapter, signalling that something is about to happen, as he has already had an analepsis of this important quote in the beginning. Amir says that he also smiled that "Hassan" smile, and this was the last time he saw this. This was the same for the kite running, as on this day, he also mentions that this was the last time Hassan ever did kite running.

We also get some more exposition on a few other characters, for example Omar, who is the son of an engineering friend of Baba's, and was classmates with Amir in fourth grade. Obviously they are not as good friends as himself and Hassan, so Omar may be put here to show the closeness of the two boys. We also learn about a market stall holder, who is surprised to find a Pashtun boy looking for an Hazara boy, because of their social status. He points Amir in the right direction and also informs him of some boys that were after him, which makes Amir worried, an he immediately dashes off to find him.

The narrator mentions about peeking into a deserted alleyway in the first chapter, where his life changed, and when Amir mentions that he found a "secluded, muddy road", we know this is the setting for the shocking event to happen. He also uses the word "peeked" again, this time as he looks round the corner. This gives us the indication that he should not be looking here, like it's something he shouldn't be watching, and his mind is telling him that he shouldn't look any further.

As i mentioned earlier, the kite symoblises great importance, and Amir says here "Hassan was standing at the blind end of the alley in a defiant stance; fists curled, legs slightly apart. Behind him, sitting on piles of scrap was the blue kite. My key to Baba's heart." This kite is very important to Amir as he believes it will make Baba truly proud of him, no matter what.

Assef appears though, and this is the second encounter after the slingshot incident. Assef wants the blue kite, and in return, he will gives Hassan forgiveness.
"It's only going to cost you the blue kite. A fair deal, isn't it?"
"Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly. This is his kite."
"A loyal Hazara. As loyal as a dog."
Using the dog to compare Hassan to lessens him, makes him seem like he is owned by Amir, and is below him in social status and order. Assef then pins Hassan to the ground after he has been hit by a rock, and the chapter is interupted by Amir's memories.

The first memory is Ali's words about kinship with Hassan because they had the same nursemaid, where he talks about "brotherhood". The second is of Amir and Hassan visiting a fortune teller who gets a look of doom on his face while reading Hassan's fortune. Next is a dream. Amir is lost in a snowstorm until he takes Hassan's outstretched hand in his. Suddenly the boys are in a bright, grassy field, looking up at colorful kites. The way the author uses descriptive lexical choices means that you can feel how Amir is feeling right at that moment, and see how much Hassan means to Amir, without him saying it directly. After Assef has pinned Hassan down, another memory flashes before Amir's eyes, a third analepsis. This time of sacrificing a lamb. He sees the look on Hassans face whilst Assef is pinning him down, and it reminds him of the lamb's look, imagining that the lamb understands why it is being sacrificed. This is what he sees in Hassan's eyes, like he realises that he is going through this for a friend, as he is loyal, and also, he is below him in social order, as he "Just a Hazara.".

Assef's friends do not want to help him, they say it is "sinful", but Assef argues that their father's will never find out, so is nothing to be ashamed of. He calls them "weaklings", and makes sure they pin Hassan down to the ground, whilst he unzips his jeans, takes off his underwear, and then positions himself behind Hassan. Amir can't watch. He knows he should have spoken out sooner, and even though he still could, he doesn't. He decides to run, run away from the ordeal, and as he does, he hears Assef's "rhythmic grunts" coming from down the alley way. He believes that Hassan was just a sacrifice, like the lamb, to make Baba be proud of him.

He describes the snow at the beginning of the chapter, being white, which makes us think of purity and cleanness. But as he finds Hassan after being raped, he says that there were tiny droplets coming from in between his legs, that stained the snow black. This colour contrast's the whiteness earlier, the pureness, making it not pure. This is the kind of darkness that Amir feels now, like he is regretful of letting that happen to Hassan, feeling guilty.

In chapter 7, Amir shows that he is not as loyal of a friend as Hassan believes, as even though Hassan has been there multiple times to take that blame for Amir's deeds (for example, hitting the animals with the stones from his slingshot), he would not return the favour. We don't get the full details of how Hassan coped with the rape, as it is from a first person point of view, that person being Amir, so we can only try an empathise with Hassan through Amir's description.