![]() ![]() Yet when Amir wrote his first short story and read it to Hassan, it was the latter who found the plot hole in the story. Amir was proud of his literacy and lorded it over the unsuspecting, illiterate Hassan. In each generation, the boys could never truly consider themselves friends because of their class differences. Ali and Baba grew up together just like Hassan and Amir. Baba's father took Ali into his house after Ali's parents were killed in an accident. Baba wished Amir was athletic and brave like him instead of cowardly and bookish.Īmir explains how Ali and Baba knew each other. Baba did not subscribe to popular belief, preferring to cast his own opinions about issues. ![]() He was a huge and imposing man who was rumored to have wrestled a bear. Hassan would have done anything for Amir his first word was even "Amir." Baba was aloof and did not pay Amir much attention. He was very close to his father, Ali, who was Baba's servant.ĭespite their differences, Amir and Hassan were inseparable. Amir's closest friend, the harelipped Hassan, was also his servant and a Hazara. His father, Baba, was one of the wealthiest and most charitable Pashtun men in Kabul, where they lived in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood. We do not know anything about this event except that it still haunts him and that it involves something he did to Hassan, whom he calls "the harelipped kite runner." Amir takes us back to his childhood, in the final decades of the monarchy in Afghanistan. Amir, who is thus far a nameless protagonist, tells us that an event in the winter of 1975 changed his life forever. Amir appears to be pretty accepting of their infertility primarily because he has a sense of order in the universe that almost makes this slight suffering transferable.The story is narrated from the year 2002. And Amir's response to his childlessness addresses a sense of punishment and/or fairness (depending on your perspective) while simultaneously developing the ideas of karma, the wheel of fortune, and divine justice. ![]() The General's words about blood, family, and adoption not only foreshadow future events in the novel but also address the thematic topic of familial obligation and responsibility. This reveals her character's desire to respect her old-world traditions and new-world sensibilities. Soraya says "I won't bruise his precious ego," indicating that although she disagrees with her father and wants to distance herself from his hopes and dreams, she will still maintain a level of respect that her father should be afforded. Amir also shows a new sense of maturity at Baba's funeral, when he realizes that he no longer has his father to lead him. Amir personifies the emptiness of Soraya's womb and it becomes a part of their relationship, a part of their family.ĭuring his wedding celebration, Amir remembers thinking of Hassan and Hassan's wedding day - if he even had one - which indicates his compassion and interest and demonstrates his growth as a character. Soraya wants a child of her own the General is wary of not knowing the bloodline of the infant and Amir views being childless as a form of divine justice.Īfter the Russian withdrawal from Afghanistan, the world pretty much forgets what is going on inside this country. Khala Jamila is the only one who thinks adoption might be a good thing. At this time, Soraya and Amir share with her parents what they have been going through while attempting to reproduce. No biological reason is found to explain their inability to get pregnant, a situation referred to as "unexplained infertility." After attempting a variety of methods, including in vitro fertilization, the doctor eventually mentions adoption. After three years of marriage, Amir and Soraya start to try and have a child, and after a year of not being able to get pregnant, they decide they should consult a doctor. Eventually he finds an agent, and then a publisher. The General also suffers from migraines.ĭuring their life together, Amir and Soraya are enrolled in school, and Amir writes his first novel. The General, he finds out, is waiting for the monarchy to return to rule Afghanistan and thinks his services will be needed. Soraya moves in with Amir and Baba, and within one month of the wedding, Baba dies.Īfter burying his father, Amir begins to learn about the quirks and traits of his new family. ![]() Realizing that Baba does not have long to live, the traditional engagement period is minimized, and Baba spends nearly all of his life's savings on the wedding. As per Afghani custom, Amir and Baba return to the Taheri house the next day for lafz, the "ceremony of 'giving word.'" Baba had instructed Amir to kiss Khanum Taheri's hand, which he does, and, according to tradition, Soraya is not initially present. ![]()
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