Chapter 25

At the beginning of the final chapter, the doctors are working to save Sohrab's life, and Amir turns to prayer. You can tell Amir is panic stricken by the use of short, blunt sentences. At the beginning of the chapter, he simply states what is going on, there isn't any emotion behind it, which shows that he is feeling numb. This chapter really addresses the new found guilt of what he has done, which contrasts with that of his childhood. However, he is doing something about this guilt, as he is praying to god and trying to push to help Sohrab. When he has to leave Sohrab, Amir is left in a "wide, windowless corridor", which shows how trapped he feels, as there are no escape routes, he just has to carry along down the corridor. He has a brief analepsis that confirms he feels this way, as he thinks back to the time in the back of the fuel truck with Baba.

Amir knows what he needs to do, he needs to pray, even though he said earlier that he does not wear his religious clothes any more. He begs the nurse and the police man to tell him which way is west, and flings down his make shift prayer mat in desperation. He knows he has not been the best muslim, and prays that god will forgive his sins, and turn to him in his hour of need. He uses short sentences to show his desperation.

"A starless black night", Hosseini uses pathetic fallacy to highlight what is going on, it is as i nature has turned bad, hence the "black", and that all hope is lost, due to there being no stars. Amir cannot breath again, which reminds us of the hands that used to clamp his throat when he thought of Hassan and what he had done to him. This again shows the contrast between the guilt now and then, as again, he does something to relieve his breathing, by going and opening a window.

Someone taps on Amir's shoulder, and as they tell him the news, Amir immediately thinks of all the things he can do to pray to god that Sohrab is okay. By doing this between the sentences, Hosseini builds up tension, as we don't know whether Sohrab will be okay.
"He is alive"

Amir goes to see him in the intensive care unit, and the nurses are wearing "green", which indicates the new life that has been given to Sohrab. Amir falls asleep, then when he wakes up, a different nurse takes him outside the ICU, and gives him a blanket to fall asleep on the sofa with. He dreams about the doctor coming to tell him the news, but instead of it being the doctor, it is the man from the embassy.

After three days Sohrab is moved from the ICU to the ground floor. When Amir goes back to the room, he sees that the bathroom had been cleaned, but can't help thinking what was the last thought that went through his mind when he sunk the blade in. Amir asks how Sohrab is feeling, but he gets no reply. This shows the lack of trust in the situation, and how Amir had his chance with him, but blew it. "His eyes were lightless" shows how he is feeling, and later he says to Amir that he wishes he hadn't pulled him out of the bathtub, he wishes he could have died. He wants his mother and father back, his old life back.

Amir tells Sohrab that he can come back to America with him, and everything will get better, now that he has a visa to go to the US. he says two words, "I promise", and regrets it, as this reminds him of the last time he said that, when he promised he would not have to go back to the orphanage. Sohrab never accepts or declines his offer to go back to America, it just happens. They arrive back on a warm, August day in 2001, which could symbolise hope, by the pathetic fallacy. Sohrab does not say anything to Soraya when she asks if he likes his room, he lays his head on his pillow and without minutes is asleep.

Amir stands up to the General Taheri for the first time in this chapter, as he calls Sohrab the "Hazara boy", as if looking down on him. Amir says back to him "You will never refer to him as "Hazara boy" in my presence. He has a name and it's Sohrab".

Sohrab continues to be silent. It takes quite a turn on Soraya, as she had already been planning to take him swimming and help him with homework even before they had got home to America. They decide to go to the park, as a family outing, and to meet a group of other Afghans. Pathetic fallacy is used, as it is raining on the day they go out, which reflects the mood of Sohrab. Amir keeps his promise, by saying morning namaz, like he had told god he would in his hour of need. When they go out, Sohrab still does not speak, even though it is nearly a year on. People used to be empathetic, but now everybody knew about Sohrab, no one asked why he din't speak or play with other children.

Soraya notices the kites in the sky, flying high, and the use of bright colour makes them stand out against the dull sky due to the rainy day. Amir goes over to buy one, and asks Sohrab if he wants to try it out. Sohrab of course, does not say anything, but when Amir offers it to him, he takes his hands out of his pockets. Amir teaches Sohrab one of his and Hassan's tricks from when they were younger. They cut the green kite with one swoop, and Amir has an analepsis to when Baba was stood on the roof, clapping for him. Amir looks down and sees Sohrab almost smiling -
"Lopsided.
Hardly there,
But there."

Amir hears himself say, "for you a thousand times over", and it is as if he is back with Hassan again. He runs, and the repetition of the phrase "I ran", shows that he feels like a child again, with no problems and freedom.

Chapter 24

They arrive in Islamabad, and the mosque really capture Sohrab's attention. It is said to be the biggest mosque in the world. This could show how Sohrab is longing to be pure and without his sins, and sees god as the answer to that. The hotel that Amir and Farid find to stay in is a lot nicer than the previous, the sheets are clean and the bathroom is spotless. Amir describe that it is "spotless" could be used to foreshadow the event at the end of the chapter, as this juxtaposes this. He also says "no blood stains on the wall", which again could be foreshadowing, that there is a contrast to what will happen.

Amir comments on Sohrab's "green eyes", which could symbolise that Hassan had fertility, and Amir does not, and this is the product of it. Farid soon decides that he must leave, he misses his children, and Amir hands him some money in an envelope. He hands him two thousand dollars, and Fahid can not quite believe it, but does not protest. He leaves, and that's the last time that Amir sees him.

Amir is still in a lot of pain after saving Sohrab, and this could be symbolising what Hassan went through for Amir, as he went through a lot of pain to save Amir. Amir eventually gets to sleep, but doesn't keep an eye of Sohrab, and this shows that he may think that he should be able to fend for himself. After all, Amir has always said that "I became what I am today at the age of 12", so maybe he believes that all boys grow up fast. When he awakes, Sohrab is not in the hotel room. Hosseini uses short sentences to capture Amir's panic, and creates tension. He locks the door as he goes out to look for Sohrab, even though he always says that Afghanistan is part of his home, he still doesn't feel as if he can trust anybody. When he goes down to the hotel lobby, he comments on the "pink flamingo wallpaper". Flamingo's symbolise elegance and wealth, and as we already know the hotel room is very clean and tidy, this gives more of an idea to the overall feel of the hotel. Amir asks the man at the hotel lobby if he has seen Sohrab, to which he gives an indirect answer. He presses, but the man doesn't know where he is. He starts talking about how his boys want bicycles, which reminds us of when Amir got a bicycle for his birthday, and was not grateful for it at all. Even though times have changed now, in Afghanistan still the things that seem simple to Amir are greatly appreciated, even right down to food.

Amir's mind then jerks and he remembers the mosque that they had seen when entering. He then asks the man to give him a lift, and he says he will, but denies any money to be given to him, as he says "after all, I am a father like you". This shows Amir's fatherly like instinct, that even though Sohrab isn't his child, could be mistaken for his due to his actions.

Amir has a prolepsis to what he thinks will happen should they not find Sohrab. He says that the police officers voise would be "bored and uninterested." which shows that, even though a child is missing, it isn't anything to worry about and isn't out of the ordinary, due to what is happening in Afghanistan at the time the novel is set.

Amir finds Sohrab at the mosque, which again shows his longing for being pure and with no sins. Amir and Sohrab start to talk, and come onto the subject of Hassan. Amir gives him the polaroid photo of him, ans Sohrab thanks him. He then asks Amir, through tears, if he will go to hell for what he did to that man. "Nay. Of course not." Amir replies. They start to talk about Assef, and Amir says that he hurt Hassan when they were both children. Sohrab starts to cry, as he says he feels "dirty". Amir pulls him close, even though Sohrab doesn't really want to, and tells him that he is in no way full of sin. Amir then asks a very bold question -
"Would you like to come and live in America with me and my wife?"
Sohrab does not answer, and instead continues to sob into Amir's shirt.

In the next week, they both go to the park, like Baba and Amir used to. They talk and play cards, and suddenly Amir lets out that Him and Hassan are half brothers. Sohrab is a little confused to as why his father did not know this, but then realises it's because he was a Hazara. This shows that even children as young as Sohrab know the social standings in Afghanistan.

Later they talk about the prospect of Sohrab going back to America with Amir. He says he is scared that Amir and Soraya will get tired of him and send him back to another orphanage. Amir "promises" he will never do that again.

Amir finally gets to ring Soraya. He feels as though he has to tell her about everything, about the rape, about Hassan, especially about Sohrab. He only has an hour to tell her everything, so this really pushes him for time and to spare emotions. She is crying by the end, but she tells him that he must bring Sohrab home, whatever the cost. This settles it to Amir to find some way of bring Sohrab back. They go to the American embassy, and the man they speak to is very blunt. There is a poster of "les miserables" hanging in his office, which could foreshadow his personality. After telling the man the story, he tells them the short answer is to "give up". Amir is shocked, and the man tells him that it will be difficult as there are no death certificates of his parents, due to how they were murdered by the Taliban. Amir gets very angry, and asks him if he has kids. The man is silent, just blinks. When they walk out of the office, Amir comments to the secratery on how rude he is. "Everybody says that" she replies "he hasn't been the same since his daughter died". She then whispers "suicide", and this confirms why he acted so strangely to the Amirs question.

Sohrab has a lot of baths, which could symbolise how he is trying to make himself pure. Amir calls Soraya again, and then has a beth after Sohrab.

A man called Omar comes to speak to Amir about getting Sohrab into the united states. Amir tells him everything again, and Omar is more friendly, and actually shows some emotion when he talks about what he has seen. He is more sympathetic to why Amir wants to get Sohrab into the united states, but says that he is "preaching to the choir", and he does not mae the laws. The immagration laws are very strict, and as there are no birth certificates it will be hard for Sohrab to get get into the US. He suggests a way that he could get Sohrab in, but it involves putting him into an orphange for a shirt while. "I promised him I wouldn't let him go back there" Amir says, but it seems like the only way.

When Amir tells Sohrab this, in the nicest way possible, calling it a "home for children", Sohrab does not take it well. He panics, and cries "No. Please no". This shows how he trusted in Amir, which took a long time, but it is now broken. He says "Please God", which shows that this is his last resort, all other trust is gone and this is the only way he will get what he needs. He lays Sohrab down, whilst he cries, and then Amir lays in his own bed.

Amir wakes up to the phone ringing, and then is told that Sohrab won't have to be put back into an orphanage. This is great news, and Amir does not hesitate in telling Sohrab. He is in the bathroom, and we can tell something bad is about to happen by the short sentences used, again to create tension. The chapter ends on Amir saying "Later, they said I was still screaming when the ambulance arrived". This creates more tension, as we do not know what Amir is screaming at, and whether Sohrab is going to be okay.

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Amir is in hospital, and Khaled Hosseini creates tension by using short sentences. This also highlights Amir’s memory loss, as he can’t put much detail into what he is saying, just states the facts. It can also make him seem a bit un-human, as there isn’t much detailed emotion; he simply says he is in pain, or who is by his bedside, or at the most detailed point, what they are wearing. His lack of memory is also shown when he starts talking about one of the nurses, called Aisha, after a prophet, and then fades out. He then fades back in again, but this time says-

 “What’s her name? Something to do with a prophet”. His memory is shown to be worse, when he says –

 “I know her from a few years ago. She used to wear her hair in a ponytail. Now it’s tied back in a bun. Soraya wore her hair like that the first time we spoke. When was that? Last week.”

Amir is clearly so confused in his mind that he mistakes the dates that he met the nurse and Soraya. This shows that he could be an unreliable narrator at this point, as it is only from Amir’s point of view, and his memory is not great so we could get incorrect information.

When Amir fully comes around, Doctor Faruqi tells him why he is in the hospital. He tells Amir he is lucky to be alive, which shows that he was brave to go and fight Assef, especially as it was his first fight. The Doctor says that Amir broke seven of his ribs, and one of them caused his lung to be punctured. He has wires in his jaws, to help his eye socket bone, and these come out in six weeks.

When Farid and Sohrab come to visit, Amir notices that Farid and him have suddenly become friends, and Farid is now very respectful of him, saying “Bas, it’s not worthy of your thanks”, and how he blushes a little when he says it. When Farid has to go, Amir asks Sohrab to stay, to which he shrugs, still not saying a word. This continues, Sohrab not speaking, until when he leaves. Amir reads the letter Rahim Khan has given to Farid to give to him, as Farid says that Rahim has “gone”. Rahim has choosen to spend his last few moments of lie alone, and does not want anyone to find him. This could be of the guilt of not telling Amir that Hassan was his half brother, and feels he is not worthy of seeing him, after he has saved Sohrab. There are three other patients in the room Amir is in, and this is very important to mention, as they are all men. At the time, women were not allowed to have access to any healthcare or to be treated by a male doctor, so only men will be treated in hospital.

In Rahim’s letter, he admits he is “ashamed for the lies we told you all those years”. He also uses some colour imagery when writing to Amir about Baba’s passing – “I cannot describe the blackness of my sorrow”, the black connotates sorrow, which ties in with Rahim’s emotion well. He tells Amir that the most important thing is to forgive himself, and that he has left the rest of his savings for Amir, as he is sure he will need them. He ends the letter saying that he does not want anybody to find him, he is spending his last days by himself, which may mean that maybe he is trying to forgive himself.

Amir questions himself, asking, “what had I ever done to right things?”. This shows that he is being quite harsh on himself, and tends to be, as he has already started his good deeds by saving Sohrab.

When Farid comes to visit, he informs Amir that it may not be the best idea to spend too long here. “The Taliban have friends” he says, showing that Amir is not safe, evn in the hospital. We remember earlier that Dr Faruqi said that he would have to spend some time in the hospital before he was suitable to be released. Amir questions Farid as to whether he should be here, considering he has a family to care for. Farid says “for you a thousand times over”, reminding Amir and the reader of what Hassan said, and immediately, Amir begins to weep.

Later, Amir starts to play cards with Sohrab, a game he used to play with Hassan. Sohrab says a few words, but goes over to the window and looks out, the sky is “awash with streaks of red and purple”. The colour imagery here, by using the red, could be foreshadowing the danger of what is about to happen to Sohrab, especially as he is linked in with looking at the red.

Amir takes his first steps after the fight, and later tells Armand that he is leaving, after he has spent a day playing panjpar with Sohrab. He can hardly walk, but it’s better than the Taliban finding him, as they have very close links.

Earlier, Amir has a dream about Baba fighting a bear, and Baba merges with Amir. This shows that finally, Amir is equating himself with Baba, as if he is good enough for Baba.

When Amir leaves, he goes and gets the money from the bank, and admits that going through Peshawar with a paper bag of money was a very frightening experience. Amir sleeps through nearly the whole journey to Islamabad, most probably to regain some strength. Amir has various analepsises whilst asleep, a lot featuring Baba and Hassan, as if he is doing these good deeds for their sake, for their forgiveness. The imagery of the blood comes in again, show the strong family link.

Chapter 21

Amir and Farid cross the river, and Amir is surprised to see that most of the houses in the Wazir Akbar Khan district still have roofs and standing walls, as well as trees. Amir spots his house, remembering the directions Baba gave him as a child. Amir has an analepsis about him and Hassan as children, when they were great explorers. Amir goes up to the house, seeing how it had decayed, how the weeds had grown through. This could highlight the cracks in Amir, how he used to be pure and sinless until he was 12, and then things started going down hill, especially after he left Kabul. Amir asks Farid for 10 minutes, so he can go and explore the hill him and Hassan used to conquer.

He goes up the hill to the cemetery, where Hassan had buried his mother. Kabul is really what links Amir to everyone in his family, he may not really feel like them, but Kabul is what keeps them together, linked in. The pomegranate tree hadn’t bourne fruit in years, and looked lifeless now. Amir searches for the carving in the tree, and sure enough it’s still there, but a little dulled. It still clearly read “Amir and Hassan. The sultans of Kabul.” Amir has another analepsis to back when he and Hassan were children. Farid breaks this silence with a honk of the car horn, breaking Amir from his trance, and it was time to go.

Amir and Farid find a hotel to stay in, but pass several more red pick up trucks before they find it. Amir thinks it is very expensive, being $75, but then again, the money is not going to someone who doesn’t need it, it will probably be spent on food to feed their children. There is a dried bloodstain on the wall, again foreshadowing the danger that Amir is about to come into. Farid goes out with Amir’s money to buy food, and Amir says the only thing that hadn’t changed about Kabul was how tasty and succulent the kabobs were.

They begin to tell jokes at each other, about women, and Amir laughs, mostly at how Afghan humour has not changed. The jokes were called “Mullah Nasruddin” jokes, and Amir knows countless ones. This shows a lot about the Afghan culture, and how it differs from western culture.

 The next day they go to the Ghazi stadium. He goes past a child selling “sexy pictures”, which really shows how desperate the times were, as a child would sell inappropriate material just for some money for food. Amir and Farid find a seat, and just after the half time whistle blew, a pair of red pick up trucks came in. The Talib’s got a man and a woman out of the trucks, and the woman kicked and screamed. Amir says the sound of that scream will never be forgotten, which shows how desperate she was to be set free. Anamorphism is used to describe the sound – “the cry of a wild animal”. They said a prayer, and the cleric yelled out “Brothers and sisters. We are here today to carry out Shari’a”. They begin to throw rocks at the people who are blindfolded and tied up. Amir closed his eyes, trying to block out what was going on around him, just like he did with Hassan, as he tried to pretend it was not happening. After it was over, the corpses were tossed on the back of the red trucks and left, and the second half got underway.

Chapter 20

The chapter begins when Farid and Amir enter Kabul, and Amir cannot believe what he sees. This could make us believe that he is an unreliable narrator, as from what we’ve heard about Kabul, Amir seemed to think it was a lovely place. But now, we hear the total opposite. Amir says that Fahid gave him a look that said, “Hearing is not the same as seeing.”. This really sums up Amir’s pain, as he hasn’t actually experienced it, for example he heard Hassan getting raped, he didn’t see it. He heard Baba’s cancer take over him, he didn’t actually experience it. It says that Amir has a “stupefied” expression, which shows how much Kabul must have changed, if all power was lost from Amir. As he is describing what he sees, he notices that the father’s are lacking because of the war, which is the opposite way round to when he was younger, as mothers were more rare than fathers. The repetition of the word “mud” really shows how dirty the place is, as the children had “mud caked faces”.

As they drive on, Amir notices a sign saying, “Drink coca co-“. This shows the merge of cultures, as this is American, and can symbolise the dream, but it is broken here, as the sign is also broken. He also mentions the kite shop to Fahid, who responds saying, “those days are over”. This could be symbolic of the beginning of Amir’s guilt free life, as when the kite running days are over, so are the days of Hassan’s rape.

Pathetic fallacy is used when describing the area, as it says “a haze of dust hovered over the city”. This could be symbolic of the sadness hanging over the area, and how much it has changed, compared to Amir’s memories, as they are also hazy.

When Fahid pulls over, Amir sees the Taliban for the first time. When they gaze at him, he says “I’ve never felt more naked in my entire life”. This shows that Kabul makes all of his flaws come out, and it seems as if he thinks the Taliban can see straight through him, and all of his flaws and sins. The truck that the Taliban were travelling in was “red”, which again reminds of danger, and the rape of Hassan with the colour of his blood. They are also wearing black, which connotates power and evil.

Amir hears a beggar, and gives him some money out of his good will, which could remind us a bit of Baba’s personality. He starts to speak to the beggar, about the Taliban, the orphanage and eventually come onto the subject of Amir’s mother, Sofia. The beggar knows him, and Amir tries to get as much information out of him as possible, which isn’t much. He learnt more about his mother from a stranger than he ever did from Baba.

They find an orphanage, and show the guard the picture of Sohrab. The guard barely looks at the photo before he says he does not know the child. Amir gives up, but Farid pressures, and eventually says that they are not the Taliban, they are here to rescue the little boy. They are let in, and learn that the orphanages are very poor and do not have enough supplies. This shows the time of Afghanistan, and how they are struggling with basic supplies like blankets and food due to the political status. Zaman, the director, says that Sohrab has already been taken, and Farid does not react well to this. He flings Zaman to the floor in anger that he gives the children away for money. Amir breaks them up and some of the children are crying at the action. Zaman tells them to go to Ghazi Stadium the next day, and they immediately do. When they are on the truck, Amir looks back and sees Fahid “put on his broken glasses”. This could be showing that he wants to see everything correctly, as if everything is all right, but he cannot, everything around him is wrong and broken.

Chapter 15

Amir arrives in Peshawar in Pakistan. He gets in a taxi, and the driver, called Gholam, tells him about the brutality of the Taliban. He begins to describe the area, and we see the contrast between the two cultures, this and the American culture. He also has another the analepsis to the time that him and Baba left Kabul, the last time he saw Rahim Khan. He says that Baba cried softly, which really juxtaposes against the imagery of him being a bear, as he seems a lot weaker here.

When he arrives to the area that Rahim is living in now, it is described as "creaky" and "dim". This could be seen as foreshadowing the meeting of Rahim Khan, and how is now presented. When they first meet, Amir describes it as "Then, a thing made of skin and bones pretending to be Rahim Khan opened the door.". This shows how ill Rahim is, and how much has changed in the past years that they haven't seen each other. It makes him appear weaker, even though Amir always thought of him as being strong as he was older and a close friend of Baba's. They start talking, and Rahim tells Amir how the Taliban is "much worse" than it has been told to be. They continue talking and Amir tells him about life in America, how he has a wife, how he is writing, and how they can unfortunately not have children, to which Rahim Khan does not pester for more details.

There is a lot of political details in this chapter, about how the Northern Alliance took over Kabul between 1992 and 1996, and how you could risk walking from place to place for the risk of getting shot or blown up was high. Amir questions Rahim to why he did not leave. "Kabul is my home. It still is" he replies. Rahim goes onto describe the street from Amir's old house to the Qishla, and Amir remembers the time that him and Hassan had crossed it, and Hassan had got teased about his mother. Amir had comforted him, saying he put his arm around him. This shows the brotherly love, and could be foreshadowing what Amir finds out in a few chapters time.

The Taliban came into Kabul in 1996 and "kicked out the Alliance". Rahim says how people celebrated, and how they thought the constant fighting would be over and done with. Amir also finds out that the Alliance had destroyed the Orphanage that Baba had built, which shows the power of them, as Baba seems to be the most powerful force so far in the novel.

Rahim is dyeing, and it is very obvious, as Amir picks up on the coughing and blood on his handkerchief, with the colour imagery of the red coming in again, and this time possibly foreshadowing the danger. Amir tries to persuade Rahim to come home to America with him, to find new treatments, but Rahim declines, saying he doesn't have long left to live anyway, and it cannot be cured.

Rahim then comes onto the subject of why he brought Amir here, he wants him to do something for him, but first must tell him about Hassan. Amir agrees to listen, and Rahim gets ready to start the story.

Chapter 14

Chapter 14 is set in 2001, and starts of with Amir cradling the phone, staring at it. We learn almost immediately that the couple now have a dog, to possibly compensate for their lack of children. Soraya seems very motherly with the dog, as Amir states it had been lying with it's head on "her chest", as if supporting it. The phone had rung to inform Amir that Rahim Khan was very sick, and this deeply shocked Amir, and he says that he has to go and visit him in Pakistan. The use of the word "twin" to describe Baba and Rahim's relationship also lets us see how close they were.

You can tell that Amir still feels guilt, as when he goes to Golden Gate park to get some head space, he thinks about what Rahim Khan said to him, "there is a way to be good again". His guilt is even shown in his subconscious self, as he states that he dreams about Rahim Khan, and then again Hassan. He says that Hassan is running in the snow. Snow is white, which could symbolise Hassan's purity and innocence from when they were younger, from the time before Hassan's assault. The famous words from Hassan - "for you a thousand times over" are playing in Amir's mind, and it shows that Hassan is brave enough to stand up for Amir, where as Amir has not done the same for Hassan, up until this point at least. He says that Hassan is wearing "black rubber boots", which contrast heavily against the white, which may be put there to bring out the contrast in Amir and Hassan.

The chapter then ends with Amir, one week later, on a flight to Pakistan to meet Rahim Khan.