Friendship and Betrayal

Discuss the difference between Baba and Ali and between Amir and Hassan. Are Baba's and Amir's betrayals and similarities in their relationships of their servants (if you consider Baba's act a betrayal) similar or different? Do you think that such betrayals are inevitable in the master/servant relationship, or do you feel that they are due to flaws in Baba's and Amir's characters, or are they the outcome of circumstances and characters?

Amir and Hassan's favorite story

Amir and Hassan have a favorite story. Does the story have the same meaning for both men? Why does Hassan name his son after one of the characters in the story?

Amir's Dream

While in the hospital in Peshawar, Amir has a dream in which he sees his father wrestling a bear: "They roll over a patch of grass, man a d beast. . . they fall to the ground with a loud thud and Baba is sitting on the bear's chest, his fingers digging in its snout. He looks up at me, and I see. He's me. I am wrestling the bear." Why is this dream so important at this point in the story? What does this dream finally help Amir realize?

Amir's change

Throughout the story, Baba worries because Amir never stands up for himself. When does this change?

Amir's change

Throughout the story, Baba worries because Amir never stands up for himself. When does this change?

Staying with Farid

On Amir's trip back to Afghanistan, he stays at the home of his driver, Farid. Upon leaving he remarks: "Earlier that morning, when I was certain no one was looking, I did something I had done twenty-six years earlier: I planted a fistful of crumpled money under the mattress." Why is this moment so important in Amir's journey?

Irony and Amir's story

What is the significance of the irony in the first story that Amir writes? After hearing Amir's story, Hassan asks, "Why did the man kill his wife? In fact, why did he ever have to feel sad to shed tears? Couldn't he have just smelled an onion?" How is his reaction to the story a metaphor for Amir's life? How does this story epitomize the difference in character between Hassan and Amir?

Image and Context of Afghan sheep ritual

As Amir remembers an Afghan celebration in which a sheep must be sacrificed, he talks about seeing the sheep's eyes moments before its death. "I don't know why I watch this yearly ritual in our backyard; my nightmares persist long after the bloodstains on the grass have faded. But I always watch, I watch because of that look of acceptance in the animal's eyes. Absurdly, I imagine the animal understands. I imagine the animal sees that its imminent demise is for a higher purpose." Why do you think Amir recalls this memory when he witnesses Hassan's tragedy in the alleyway? Amir recollects the memory again toward the end of the novel when he sees Sohrab in the home of the Taliban. Discuss the image in the context of the novel.

After Reading 2

Were you satisfied with the novel's ending? Does it resolve the conflicts which had developed throughout the entire novel?

Analogies, anyone?

Can you write analogies as fresh as the ones we read in class today? If you think so, post them here!

Other

Here's the spot for other comments or questions from the book not addressed already. Overall opinions, new questions and discussions, or clarification items may go here (for credit).

Soraya and women in general

After Soraya tells Amir about her past, she says, "I'm so lucky to have found you. You're so different from every Afghan guy I've met." (page 157) How do Afghan women fare in America? Are they any better off than they were in Afghanistan before the Taliban seized power? There is a nticeable absence of women in the novel. How is this significant?

Baba and Amir, through p. 226

Baba and Amir know that they are very different people. Often it disappoints both of them that Amir is not the son that Baba has hoped for. When Amir finds out that Baba has lied to him about Hassan, he realizes that "as it turned out, Baba and I were more alike than I'd ever known." (page 226). How does this make Amir feel about his father? How is this both a negative an positive realization?

Last third of the novel

Amir's confrontation with Assef in Wazir Akar Khan marks an important turning point in the novel. Why does the author have Amir, Assef, and Sohrab all come together in this way? What is the significance of the scar that Amir develops as a result of the confrontation? Why is it important in Amir's journey toward forgiveness and acceptance?

Baba and Amir move to the US

When Amir and Baba move to the States their relationship changes, and Air begins to view his father as a more complex man. Discuss the changes in their relationship. Do you see the changes in Baba as tragic or positive?

Baba and Amir in the US

During their argument about his career path, Amir thinks to himself: "I would stand my ground, I decided. I didn't want to sacrifice for Baba anymore. The last time I had done that, I had damned myself." Why is Baba disappointed by Amir's decision to become a writer? What has Amir sacrificed for Baba? How has Amir "damned himself"?

Page 204

On the drive to Kabul Farid says to Amir, "You've always been a tourist here, you just didn't know it." (page 204) What is Farid implying? What do you think of his implication? What gives a person worth in a society? Does this vary between societies?

Images of Afghanistan

Khaled Hosseini vividly describes Afghanistan, both the privileged world of Amir's childhood and the stricken country under the Taliban. How did his descriptions differ from ideas that you may already have had about Afghanistan? What cultural differences become evident in the American passages of the novel? How easy do the Afghans find it to settle in the U.S.? Compare the social structures of Amir's life in Afghanistan vs. those he encounters in America.

Amir's character

The novel begins "I became what I am today at the age of twelve." To what is Amir referring? Is his assertion entirely true? What other factors have helped form his character? How would you describe Amir?

After reading

The author begins and ends the novel with Amir's favorite pastime, kite flying. At the novel's beginning, Amir, while looking for Hassan who is "running" his kite, witnesses a horrible tragedy. At the conclusion of the novel, Amir is once again flying kites, this time with Hassan's son. Why do you think he chooses to bookend the novel with kite flying?

Title significance

What is the significance of the novel's title?

Hodge-Podge

Here's a spot for you to have side conversations not about the book. . .

Welcome!

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