Chapter 13

The chapter opens with the "lafz", the giving word ceremony. There are a lot of family members there, with shows the Afghan culture again, and they are very close. There are pictures of the family on the wall which Amir notices, and it shows that the family are quite well travelled. Soraya is not present yet as to in keep with "afghan traditions". Baba starts talking, but struggles to complete a sentences without gasping for breath, which shows how desperate he is becoming in his sickness.

When Soraya appears, more colour imagery is used to describe her outfit, "a stunning wine coloured dress", which is showing the deep red imagery, reminding us of Hassan's rape scene. Even the "new chance" for Amir does not let him forget his past. This is also shown on page 49, when their wedding song is being played. Amir says that it is "the same song the Russian soldier at Mahipar checkpoint had sung the night Baba and I left Kabul." This again shows that he cannot let go of his past, and the guilt will always remain, even if he believes he has a new beginning. Later on during the wedding ceremony and party, Amir mind is drawn to Rahim Khan, longing for him to be there. This then draws his mind to Hassan, wondering whether he is married, and if so, who to?

There is another tradition where Amir and Soraya are left to gaze at each other's reflection in mirrors, as they have to be kept pure until they are officially married. But we know this is just an act, as Soraya ran away with an older Afghan man some years before, and her purity has probably already been lost. Her family still abide by the traditions though, as Soraya may be looked down on. Later on, Amir and Soraya get to lay together for the first time, and in privacy. "All my life, I'd been around men. That night I discovered the tenderness of a woman.". This really highlights the time of Afghanistan that Amir was in, due to the Taliban regime being in place and women not having a place in society, they were kept at home and completely covered. Soraya later however, suggests that she moves in with Baba and Amir. Even though Soraya suggests the right thing to do, Amir still questions it, at the time that his father is very sick too. Soraya seems to take dominance over this decision, and she moves in with them. Soraya takes care of Baba, and asks very maternally towards him. This could be showing the mother figure that Amir never had.

Baba dies on page 151, and his death is immediately followed by his funeral, where Amir states that there were so many people at the mosque, people struggled to find a parking spot. People at the funeral speak very highly of him, saying "found me a job" "like a brother to me" "always there". Baba has made the ultimate sacrifice for Amir moving to America. It's what Amir wanted, not what Baba needed, as he had a name in Kabul. As they have started up a new life in America, Amir does not have to live up to this name as much, and can continue living life his own way, not in Baba's shadow.

Amir now learns more about Soraya's family, as he spends more time with them now that he can't with Baba. General Taheri suffers from migraines once a month, and he is not to be disturbed during these. He did not hold down a job, so he would just sit in the afternoons, believing that one day, Afghanistan would be freed.

Soraya over hears something that upsets her, and breaks down to Amir. This is the first time we really see her emotions come flooding out with the tears. Amir comforts her, and she is glad that what she has done in her past hasn't changed Amir's view of her. They move in together, and Amir says that they soon fall into a routine. He sells Baba's VW bus and never goes back to the flea market, as this part of his life is over, he is moving onto another part.

Amir writes his first novel, and Soraya says that if it gets accepted, she will do nazr, having a sheep slaughtered to give to the poor. Amir disagrees, and this could have been because of the memory from when he was younger, seeing a lamb get killed, which he remembers after he sees Hassan get raped. He tells her just to do zakat, giving money to the poor. Sure enough, Amir's novel is published, and Soraya is immeditaley overjoyed. Amir seems happy, but he says he thinks of Baba, wishing he could have been there. He never seems content, as nothing is ever quite perfect. He thinks of Rahim and Hassan again, making him feel the guilt, and says "I wondered whether I deserved any of this". This proves that having the "new beginning" did not remove any of his guilt, and even though he is trying to convince himself, it doesn't seem like this is the right way to forget it.

Soraya and Amir also try for children, but struggle to conceive. They go to the doctors, and there is some important symbolism here of the "trains". The doctor has lots of train books and paintings in his office, and the trains symbolise perseverance, as it is always steadily going along, and this greatly applies to Amir and Soraya with their trouble in conceiving. It can also symbolise the loneliness of the lack of children, as a train is a single object with an echoing sound.

Amir and Soraya under go a series of tests, and in the end the result is an "unexplained fertility". This leaves Amir feeling guilty, as if his past has some how affected his ability to have children. The word "adoption" is mentioned, and Soraya loses hope, as in her culture, it is not customary to do this.

At the end of the chapter, the narrator personifies Soraya's womb, saying it was like a "living, breathing thing." "I'd feel it rising and settling between us. Sleeping between us. Like a newborn child."