Baba- Baba is a large man with a thick beard and wild, curly hair. According to one story, he even wrestled a bear once. Baba did all the things people said he could not do. He is a strong, independent man, one of the most successful businessmen in the city. Baba also has his own strong moral sense. While Baba pours himself a glass of whiskey, Amir tells him that a religious teacher at his school said that it is sinful for Muslims to drink alcohol. Baba tells him that there is only one sin: theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. Murdering a man, for instance, is stealing his life. He calls Mullah Fatiullah Khan and men like him idiots.
Section 2: Chapters 6-8
1. Vocabulary
Sheath- any similar close-fitting covering or case.
: The disease is caused by damage to the myelin sheath, the protective
covering that surrounds nerve cells.
Ripple- to flow with a light rise and fall or ruffling of the surface; to undulate or rise and fall in tone, inflection, or magnitude.
: For such a tidal wave of a disease, it is astonishing how subtle the first ripple of trouble can be.
Salvation-the act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss, destruction, etc;the state of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc.
: Investors battered by scandals over stock options sometimes look to family-run companies for salvation.
Haggle- to bargain in a petty, quibbling, and often contentious manner: They spent hours haggling over the price of fish; to wrangle, dispute, or cavil:
The senators haggled interminably over the proposed bill.
Mill- to move around aimlessly, slowly, or confusedly; to fight or box.
: I milled around her for no reason- she eventually got annoyed.
2. Quiz section
1. What does the kite tournament show about the relationship between Hassan and Amir?
After the rape, Amir and Hassan spend less time together. Amir cannot sleep, as he became an insomniac, haunted by the memories of watching Hassan getting raped. Hassan asks Amir if he wants to walk up the hill with him. They walk in silence, and when Hassan asks if Amir will read to him, Amir changes his mind and wants to go home.
Amir continues not to play with Hassan. When Hassan asks Amir what he did wrong, Amir tells Hassan to stop harassing him. After that, the boys avoid each other.
2. What further examples can be seen as the examples of discrimination against Hazaras?
There are also more examples in this section of the injustices against Hazaras. When Rahim Khan’s father becomes angry because Rahim Khan wants to marry a Hazara woman, he resolves the problem not by moving his own family, but by sending away the Hazara woman and her family. Similarly, to resolve the tension between Hassan and Amir, Ali decides that they will leave. Both the Hazara family from Rahim Khan’s story and Ali and Hassan go to Hazarajat, an isolated, mountainous region in central Afghanistan that is principally inhabited by Hazaras.
3. How does the relationship between Amir and other main characters change after the tournament?
Amir does not know how to deal with his feelings of guilt and unhappiness after Hassan’s rape, thus grows detached to his father and best friend, Hassan. At first he tries to keep away from Hassan, who becomes a constant reminder to Amir of his own cowardice and selfishness. He seems to think avoiding Hassan means he won’t feel these things any longer. When the two are face-to-face, Amir wishes Hassan would punish him. He pelts Hassan with the pomegranates, for instance, because he wants Hassan to hit him back. Although Amir becomes grateful about Baba’s increased love and care for him, he keeps on feeling guilty and fails to wholeheartedly accept Baba’s generosity and love.
3. Character log
Amir- The tournament lasts all day, and Amir wins. Hassan vows to bring the kite back for Amir and sets off. Amir reels in his kite and accepts everyone’s congratulations, then goes looking for Hassan. Hassan had the blue kite, and was surrounded by Assef and the two other boys. Amir watches from around the corner. Assef tells Hassan they will let him go only if he hands over the kite. Hassan refuses. He ran the kite fairly, and it belongs to Amir. Assef says Amir would not be as loyal to him, a Hazara. Hassan is not shaken. He says he and Amir are friends. Assef and the other boys charge Hassan. Amir almost says something, but ultimately he only watches, and later gets plagued by guilt.
Hassan- Hassan, the best kite runner in the town, promises to bring the last fallen kite in the tournament. After fetching the kite he faces Assef and his friends, and gets physically and mentally harassed as Hassan refused to give up his kite or defend himself for Amir. After the rape, Amir and Hassan spend less time together, which saddens Hassan.
Baba-Baba takes Amir and Hassan to buy kites from an old blind man who makes the best kites in the city. A few days before the tournament, Baba casually tells Amir he may win. An overwhelming desire to win seizes Amir as Amir thinks this will earn him Baba’s approval. After Amir wins, Baba becomes extremely pleased and treats his son with generosity and love.
Section 3: Chapters 9-11
1. Vocabulary
Embankment- a bank, mound, dike, or the like, raised to hold back water, carry a roadway, etc.
: The consultant found that the embankment stability was adequate, provided seepage remains at low levels within the embankment.
Gravel- to cover with gravel, to bring to a standstill from perplexity; puzzle.
: The complicated math problems graveled me- I was not able to solve any of them
Hover- to float over; keep lingering about; wait near at hand;to remain in an uncertain or irresolute state; waver
: In calm conditions, the toy airplane can hover six inches from the ground.
Summation- an aggregate or total; a review or recapitulation of previously stated facts or statements, often with a final conclusion or conclusions drawn from them.
: My comments only apply to this brief summation, which may conflict with the full article.
Scuffle- to struggle or fight in a rough, confused manner; to go or move in hurried confusion.
: Students should not fight, scuffle, or throw objects inside the bus.
2. Quiz section
1. How do we know that Amir still feels guilty and that he fails to escape from his guilt?
It is evident in this section that Amir does not know how to deal with his feelings of guilt and unhappiness after Hassan’s rape. He tries to keep away from Hassan, who becomes a constant reminder to Amir of his own cowardice and selfishness. But Hassan is a part of the household, so Amir can never escape him completely. When the two are face-to-face, Amir wishes Hassan would punish him. He pelts Hassan with the pomegranates, for instance, because he wants Hassan to hit him back. Punishment, Amir feels, would at least begin to make up for the way he wronged Hassan. Hassan, however, will not retaliate, and this becomes the greatest torment for Amir. Hassan proves his love and loyalty to Amir are unshakable, whereas Amir proves that his love and loyalty are weak. One of Amir’s constant fears is realized: Hassan emerges as the stronger, better person. Amir cannot tolerate this truth and comes with a plan to make Ali and Hassan leave. Yet his guilt is increases when Hassan admits to stealing the money and watch. Amir recognizes that Hassan is sacrificing himself again, despite knowing that Amir did not do the same for him when he was raped.
2. What further examples of injustice against the Hazaras can be seen in this section?
There are also more examples in this section of the injustices against Hazaras. When Rahim Khan’s father becomes angry because Rahim Khan wants to marry a Hazara woman, he resolves the problem not by moving his own family, but by sending away the Hazara woman and her family. Similarly, to resolve the tension between Hassan and Amir, Ali decides that they will leave. Both the Hazara family from Rahim Khan’s story and Ali and Hassan go to Hazarajat, an isolated, mountainous region in central Afghanistan that is principally inhabited by Hazaras. But perhaps the most poignant image of the injustice toward Hazaras is the moment Amir witnesses Hassan serving drinks to Assef and Wali from a silver platter. Hassan cannot do anything about the rape because of his inferior status as a poor Hazara, and Assef, whose family is rich and powerful, knows it. Hassan dutifully serves Assef, the boy who raped him, and Assef expresses no remorse or shame during the encounter. Instead, he grins at Hassan and kneads him in the chest tauntingly with his knuckle.
3. What is the meaning of moving to America to Baba and Amir? How is it different?
In California, Baba feels disconnected from everything he knows. In Kabul, he would send Amir and Hassan to the baker with a stick. So when the manager at the convenience store asks Baba for ID, Baba feels insulted because he takes it as a sign of distrust. He doesn’t recognize that it is a normal question in the U.S. Baba has also lost social status. In Kabul, he was wealthy and respected. In California, he earns low wages working at a gas station. Amir makes a particularly ironic comment, remarking that some of the homes he sees make Baba’s house in Kabul look like a servant’s hut. On the other hand, for Amir, moving to America means that he would get a chance to escape his past, leaving his memories with Hassan and the rape behind.
3. Character log
Amir- Amir takes his birthday money and a watch that Baba gave him and puts them under Hassan’s mattress. He tells Baba that Hassan stole them to kick them out of his household, and escape his guilt and horrid memories of Hassan getting raped. Later Amir moves to America to face a new phase in his life. He and Baba settles down in California, and Amir attends a high school and then goes onto College to study creative writing. Amir tries to lead a new life although he fails to fully eliminate his feelings of guilt, but aspires to become a successful writer and strives to achieve his goals.
Hassan- Baba asks Hassan if he stole the money and the watch. To defend Amir, Hassan says he did. Amir realizes Hassan saw him in the alley, and he knew also that Amir was setting him up now. Baba forgives Hassan, but Ali says they must leave. Baba pleads with him to stay, but Ali refuses and Hassan thus moves away from Amir’s household.
Baba- After letting Ali and Hassan go, Baba resolves to move to America. Baba, now working for a gas station in California, feels detached and uncomfortable. In the past, Ali and Hassan were the servants, and Baba was the master. Now Baba is more like a servant himself. These differences leave Baba perpetually frustrated. In small ways, he continues trying to reclaim his life in Kabul.
Section 4: Chapters 12-13
1. Vocabulary
Aspiring-
1. To yearn (for) or have a powerful or ambitious plan, desire, or hope (to do or be something): to aspire to be a great leader
2. To rise to a great height.
: The sewing shop is also used as a training center for aspiring tailors.
Froth- foam of saliva or fluid resulting from disease; something unsubstantial, trivial, or evanescent: The play was a charming bit of froth.
: Some of this froth is so light--because of the many gas bubbles that float on water.
Mosque-a Muslim temple or place of public worship.
: A Mosque is often decorated with elaborate tracery and texts from the Koran
Rampage- violent or excited behavior that is reckless, uncontrolled, or destructive.
: The university has taken many steps to prepare for emergencies since a student there went on a shooting rampage last year.
Notch: an angular or V -shaped cut, indentation, or slit in an object, surface, or edge; step, degree, or grade: This camera is a notch better than the other.
2. Quiz section
How do we know that Amir is still reminded of his guilt and cannot escape from his childhood?
Despite Amir’s growth into an adult, one part of his childhood he does not let go of. He still feels guilty about Hassan. This guilt, though it is not prominent as it once was, still rises to the surface on occasion. Sometimes Amir simply wonders about him, as when he wonders if Hassan has married. Other times his guilt is more pronounced. When Soraya tells Amir about the time she ran away with another man, Amir actually feels jealous that she is able to speak about the incident. For Soraya, her secret is an event in the past that is done and over with. For Amir, however, his secret is very much still present, and he still cannot talk about it. Amir feels that, until he is able to atone for his treatment of Hassan, it will continue to haunt him.
2. How do the Afghan refugees preserve their culture in California?
In the U.S., no controversy results from a young man and woman speaking in public without adults present. For Afghans, however, such encounters are not appropriate. Certain customs must be followed. General Taheri feels the need to remind Amir of this fact when he sees Amir speaking with Soraya. He tells Amir he is among Afghan peers. The message is clear: they may be in California, but Afghanistan is still present, and Amir should act accordingly. From that point forward Amir’s courtship of Soraya proceeds in a more traditional fashion. Amir does not propose to Soraya, for instance. Baba is the one who proposes the marriage to General Taheri. The wedding takes place in an Afghan banquet hall, and the ceremony follows Afghan customs, such as Amir and Soraya gazing at each other’s reflection in a mirror while they are covered with a veil.
3. What negative aspects do we learn about the Afghan culture?
Traditional Afghan culture is not always positive,and the section gives some comments on the way it treats women. For instance, General Taheri, who is portrayed as the paradigm of Afghan manhood, does not allow Jamila to sing in public, despite the fact that she was once famous in Kabul. Even Jamila, who knows firsthand the limits the culture places on women, exhibits this way of thinking. She dotes on Amir compulsively just because he married Soraya. Amir says he could have gone on a killing spree and she would still approve of him, because without Amir, Soraya might have aged alone, and every woman needs a husband. Implicit here is a belief that a woman needs a man to lead a meaningful life. A double standard exists in the way Afghan society treats men and women regarding sex.
3. Character log
Amir: After nearly a year of longing for Soraya, Amir finally gets the nerve to speak to her. Although General Teheri once discouraged him from courting Soraya, Amir eventually succeeds in marrying her. In the summer of 1988, Amir finishes his first novel. He gets it published, and then he and Soraya start trying to have a baby. They are unable to conceive, however, and after numerous tests doctors cannot explain why they can’t have a child.
Baba: Baba weakens as the months pass until one day he collapses. The cancer has spread to his brain. Afghans arrive in droves to see Baba in the hospital. At Baba’s bedside, Amir asks if he will go to General Taheri to ask Soraya’s hand in marriage for Amir. Baba goes happily the next day. General Taheri accepts, and after Baba tells Amir over the phone he puts Soraya on the line. The following night, Amir and Baba go to the Taheris’ home for the traditional ceremony of “giving word.” Shortly after the wedding ceremony, Baba dies. Many Afghans whom Baba helped come to the funeral. As he listens to them pay their respects, Amir realizes how Baba defined who he is.
