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."

Character Analysis: Soraya

We meet Soraya in chapter 11, and she is presented by Amir, which could lead to a partial view of events, as obviously he likes her a lot, and can only see her good qualities at first sight. He describes her as a "beauty" and describes her eyebrows to be like the "arched wings of a flying bird". This could highlight the freedom that Amir thinks he will find in her, as he seems to think that by being with her, all of his past guilt will be forgotten.

She seems quite typical of an Afghan wife in the way which she dresses, as Amir always comments on her "ankle length dresses" or the "veil" that covers her face, which abide by the Afghanistan dress codes for women, as they should always be covered. When they are in the process of marriage, they are also not allowed to go out alone together, due to traditions and it would be considered improper. They both adhere to these rules, but we know from some chapters ago that Soraya has not always been this good at sticking to the rules. She ran away with an older man, which by Afghan traditions is very disrespectful, as the father ultimately has the decision of who the daughter is to be partnered with, and Soraya ignored this by making her own choice. She feels very guilty of this however, and when she admits the event to Amir, she starts crying. She is so conscious of Amir judging her for this, and is really worried that he thinks of her differently and asks, "Does what i told you bother you?".

She does seem quite motherly though, as for one, she looks after Baba when he is very sick, turning him onto his side so he does not get bed sores and making him food, even though he can barely eat more than a spoonful. But she also tells Amir a story in chapter 12 that she taught her housekeeper Ziba to read and write and says that she felt "proud" when Ziba wrote her first letter. "It made me feel like I had done something worth while, you know?". She seemed to care an awful lot about Ziba even though she wasn't related to her.

At the giving word ceremony, Soraya was not present to in keep with tradition. In the "nika", Amir gets to see Soraya, and she is wearing green, which highlights the new beginnings that both of them will have. She also wears a veil, and the dress has long sleeves, so in keeps with the traditional dressing in Afghanistan, as she is not to wear anything too sexually appealing. The green can also tie in with a connotation of fertility, which we find out in a few chapters time that Amir and Soraya are not able to conceive, so could be shown as foreshadowing this event.She also wears white, which shows her purity and innocence, but as we know from the story she told Amir, she is not completely pure, so this could be worn as if she was pretending to be pure and untouched, just so nobody will judge her.

You can tell that she worries quietly, and does not really like to bother anyone with her problems until she absolutely has to. This shown on page 156, where she breaks down after over hearing two women's conversation, and she can't stop crying. Amir is very sympathetic and understanding towards her, and she feels as if she can trust him with her problems.

When both her and Amir are told that they cannot have children, she gets very upset at the word "adoption" being mentioned, as it is not what happens in their culture. As she has shown to be very motherly before, she gets quite emotional and says that "I'd always imagined I'd hold it in my arms and know my blood had fed it for nine months".

Chapter 12

Amir remembers the times when he used to stay up late with Hassan on the first night of winter, and compares it to now, where he stays up late thinking of Soraya. There is some use of pathetic fallacy here, as he is comparing his feelings to nature, but also to time spent with is childhood best friend Hassan. Amir finds excuses to steal a glance at Soraya at the market, and puts up with small talk from Taheri just to see Soraya's face. When Amir asks Baba is he wants a Coke, Baba realises what Amir is up to. He gives Amir a small speech about "nang" and "namoos", which means honour and pride, as Baba's reputation is very high, and does not want any shame brought on his name. This is a cultural thing, as Amir also must not spent too much time talking to Soraya. He does over do it a little by Afghan standards though, but Soraya does not seem to mind. She is wearing a "white ankle length summer dress", which shows that she is being modest, and wearing the correct clothes by Afghan standards. The white also symbolises purity and innocence, which may come into her character. He dares to speak to her, and says it felt like everyone stopped and stared at him, making a bold move on an Afghan girl. She lets him, and soon enough her mother comes along, greets Amir, and seems to think he is very polite, offering for him to come back and speak to them whenever he likes.

Amir takes up this offer, and soon enough the conversations start to flow, and Soraya brings up a story about when she was younger, but needs some coaxing into it by Amir, as she is a little embarrassed. She tells him how she used to teach a woman called Ziba (a woman who used to work around her house) how to read and write. Soraya explains it was such a proud feeling when she had taught her, like she had made a positive difference to Ziba, and this brings back to memories of how Amir had used literature to ridicule Hassan. He completely contrast Soraya's actions, and this story has been used to show how the guilt still is in Amir, and how cruel he had been to him.

Amir notices that Baba has a bit of cold, which turns into a nasty cough that persisted. Amir spots some "bloodstained phlegm" in the toilet. The red again is used as a symbol for the danger, as it was used in Hassan's rape scene. When Amir eventually persuades Baba to go to the hospital, they notice a spot on his right lung. Baba casually questions cancer, and the doctor says this may be possible. This shows Baba's bravery, as he doesn't even flinch, like he suspected it, or is ready for whatever is coming his way. Amir on the other hand, does not understand how he is meant to live with a "suspicious" spot on his father's lung for 2 weeks whilst they get some more results. Even though he isn't the one being affected by it, he is still more panicked than Baba. He uses his religion as a possible source of hope, and it states that Amir "recited half-forgotten verses of the Koran", showing that he hasn't really been paying attention to his religion, and only calls upon it in times of need.

Amir finds it difficult to get a suitable doctor for Baba, as the first doctor he does not approve of, as his name sounds Russian, even though it clearly states that he was American, born in Michigan. The second doctor is approved of though, as he is Iranian. Baba is then diagnosed with lung cancer.

Pathetic fallacy is used when they come out of the hospital, soon after the diagnosis. It is raining, and it seems quite deliberately put at this time, as Amir states that "it was a few weeks late.". This shows the gloomy, melancholic atmosphere, and how Amir is feeling now Baba has been diagnosed, and how he has also said that he does not want any chemotherapy. Amir is horrified that he will no even try the chemo, saying "I wish you'd give the chemo a chance Baba". Baba is disgusted that Amir would test his opinion and choices, and Amir suddenly blurts out "What about me?". Even though Baba has been the one diagnosed, and is the one that would go through with the treatment, Amir still finds a reason for Baba to have to have sympathy for him. This seems very selfish on Amir's behalf, seeing as the chemotherapy is only palliative in Baba's case. Baba is completely the opposite when it comes to sympathy though, and orders Amir not to let anyone find out, as he does not want to be treated any differently now that he has been diagnosed.

Amir explains how worse Baba is getting, again through pathic fallacy, as he is comparing his moods to the different seasons. For autumn, this is the older age stage, where time is moving on, and he compares this to Baba, saying that Baba waited behind the wheel, whilst he got out and bargained for junk. When winter came, Baba stayed in, and winter symbolises the end of life.

After an episode at the flea market, Baba is put into hospital for two days, and thinks that he is being a burden on everyone who is coming to visit him. At home, when Amir hugs him, he said that "his shoulder blade felt like a bird's wing under my fingers", so it's as if Baba is now Amir's responsibility to look after, like he is that vulnerable, being such a small creature even compared to a finger. Baba tells him to ask the General Taheri for his daughters hand in marriage. The general accepts, and Amir is over joyed. Soraya immediately calls him, herself also being extremely happy, but says that there should be no secrets between them, and decides to tell Amir about how she had been a very rebellious young woman, and had not been around when her mother had a stroke, due to being with an Afghan man. She says she feels terrible about it, and expects Amir to too, as running away from her family was a very disrespectful thing to do. Sh feels that this may put Amir off of her, and it may bother him strongly, which it does not. This shows that when Amir leaves her to visit Rahim Khan in a few chapters time, he really has strong trust with her, as she has already left her family once, and may be suspected to do it to Amir.

Amir envies Soraya for having the courage to come out with her story. He then says he opened his mouth and almost came out with the story about Hassan. "Almost", like the time he had almost said something about the rape to Hassan, like he had almost come out about what he had seen to Ali and Baba. But he didn't, he was not brave enough to, and he seems to feel the guilt for not even telling Soraya.

Women in The Kite Runner

In the first 13 chapters of the kite runner, women do not really play a huge role, which ties in with Afghan women at the time, as they were hidden and opinions not heard. They didn't play a huge part in society when the Taliban came into power, as they were not allowed to leave the house without male supervision and had to be covered at all times when they did go out. There is one women in the novel though, that is a contrast to all of these things, Hassan's mother Sanaubar. She is called "beautiful", and we are told that men gravitated toward her. This is going against a rule that the Taliban put in place, as they said that women should be covered at all times, and not be sexually appealing. She also went out without a male in her presence, just 5 days after her son Hassan was born, breaking another rule.

The women on the truck when Baba and Amir are escaping Afghanistan is symbolising the objectification of women. She is used as a trade for getting past the border, it is stated that they will not go any further until a guard has half an hour with her in the truck. She is wearing "an olive green dress and black shawl wrapped tightly around her face", which is abiding by the Taliban dress code, in contrast with Hassan's mother. She also is not given a name, just referred to as "the young woman", which shows that no detail about her is needed, just the use of her. Baba however, stands up for her, which shows that it is only a male which can do this, women are that disrespected in society that they cannot even stand up for themselves. This scene also shows how common it is for sexually acts or rape to be carried out in Afghanistan, as it is only Baba that really stands up for the young woman, nobody else is very shocked or outraged that this is going to happen. I think it's more that Baba feels they are taking advantage of the woman, as they have already paid to be on the truck, and feels it would be unnecessary for the guard to have any time with her.

In chapter 11 we meet Soraya, who is the first female character in the novel that is talked about in detail, and is of great importance to Amir. She is very intelligent and is always there for Amir when he needs her, so this seems quite motherly. She may be acting like the mother figure Amir never had, due to her passing away during childbirth, so Soraya may make up for the fact he did not have a female figure in his childhood. She is also very into Amir's writing, and that's how they really first bond, as she reads one of stories. The two decide to get married, but shortly after this, Baba falls ill with lung cancer. She becomes Baba's carer, and as in Afghan culture women are not allowed to deal with male doctors, she takes on the responsibility. Amir seems very trusting in Soraya, as when he goes to visit Rahim Khan in Pakistan, she is left alone, without a dominant male with her. In Afghanistan culture, the male would have to go out with the woman whenever she left the house, and make sure she was dressed appropriately, so maybe the culture clash of moving to America has brought some western views of female oles into Amir's mind.

Women in Afghanistan

Women have struggled in Afghanistan, as the society is predominantly male. Their education is not as good, for example only around 15% of females can read and write in afghanistan, but this number is increasing due to more girls being allowed to go to school. By 1973 there was an estimated 150,000 girls in school and more women entered professions which used to be seen as only for men. However when the Taliban came into control, women were sent back to stay at home and to be controlled by male figures, the husbands and fathers. During the Taliban regime, some women that had previously been teachers decided to secretly educate girls, teaching them basic literacy and numeracy skills. If they were found by the Taliban to be doing this however, they would be jailed or tortured.

The Taliban came into power in 1996, and immediately after coming into power, it was stated that women were not allowed to leave their house unless accompanied by a male family member meaning that essentially, women were put under house arrest. Women were also refused healthcare, and some could not even go out, due to having no remaining male relatives. If they were to go out, they also were made to wear a burqa which completely covers the woman completely, except for a slight opening in which they can see out of. If women could not afford a burqa, this means that under no circumstances they were allowed to go out.

Afghanistan is a patriarchal society where it is believed that men should make all the decisions for women and arranged marriages are also very common for women, and the girl's father has the ultimate decision to who she marries. Men are allowed to divorce a woman without her consent, however if a woman wants a divorce, she will need her husbands consent.

During the Taliban regime in the 1990's, women were forced to wear burqa's in all public places. A burqa covers the woman completely, except for a slight opening in which they can see out of. It is very hot to wear, and can feel quite enclosed when wearing it.

Chapter 11

Baba and Amir have moved to America, which is an improvement on the war torn Afghanistan, but not plain sailing, as Amir says "Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him the ulcer." Baba seems to complain about a lot of things in America, "the fruit was never sweet enough, where were all the trees and open fields?", which shows that the culture change is a bit of a shock to him, as he has lived in Afghanistan for so long. Another culture clash is when Baba visits his local convenience store, and they ask for ID, Baba states that there's something wrong with the country as "No one trusts anybody!".

Baba works in a gas station, and imagery is used here to highlight how tired he feels from his 12 hour shifts, "Baba's face drawn and pale under the bright fluorescent lights". Showing that he his pale seems to indicate that he is weaker, and not as strong as he may used to have been, or as Amir once saw him.

Amir graduates from High school, and Baba's affection seems longer lasting than it did for the kite running tournament win. Amir says that Baba wore his only suit "the one that he wore to wedding's and funerals". These two events are very contrasting, one is very happy and the other mournful, so wearing the same thing may show that Baba's emotions are not fully on display, or he may not feel them as much. He also wears a red tie, that harsh colour coming into play again, and Amir notices this. After they have had a celebratory dinner, they go to a bar and Baba makes more friends by buying rounds of drinks, and people are very grateful. It shows that he can turn a situation to be about him very quickly, as he is powerful with his money.

Baba brings up Hassan's name later, and even though Amir is in one of his best moods yet (after graduating and receiving a car from Baba), he still clams up and panics, saying that "a pair of steel hands closed around my windpipe". His guilt is eating him, and this is shown especially by the use of the "steel hands", as this is a very strong metal. Amir is also to enrol in college, and decides to tell Baba that he'll major in english, much to Baba's disagreement. He doesn't believe that Amir will get discovered, but he has not read Amir stories however, so does not have anything to go by. He feels that Amir should be doing "real work", something like medicine or law.

Amir used to go for a lot of drives, and mentions the pacific ocean in one of them. The "blue" imagery comes in again, and he says that it was a vast expanse, rather like in Hassan dream with the lake. He also compares it to the movies of his childhood, showing an analepsis, but not as detailed as some of his others as he does not give specific examples of films. He feels that America is very pure and simple for him, where he has "no sins, no memories".

Baba purchases an old VW bus for $550, and then every Saturday, he used to wake up Amir and they would go round garage sales, purchasing things that people no longer wanted. Then on Sundays they would go to San Jose flea market, and sell the items for a small profit. At this flea market, is where Amir meets General Taheri, who is going to play a very important part in Amir's future. He meets his daughter, Soraya. He is instantly struck by her, his "heart quickening", and uses a lot of bird imagery to describe her, which connotates freedom. In bed later, he thinks about Soraya, and the way her eyes had met his.

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.