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.