Chapter 23-25

Chapter 23

• Amir is in hospital, but cannot do, see or remember much.
• He sees a blur of images as he slips in and out of conciousness; A lady called Aisha, a man with a moustache and someone he recognizes.
• He has strange dreams, he imagines Baba wrestling a bear, then looks up to see that it is actually himself wrestling the bear. 
• When he wakes up he realises that the people he saw blurs of are doctors, and that he is in a hospital in Peshawar. The man that he recognized was actually Farid.
• His mouth is wired shut, the doctors tell him that he has split his top lip, broken the bone in his left eye socket, cracked several ribs and ruptured his spleen. 
• Farid lets Amir know that Rahim Khan has gone and left a note behind
• In the note Rahim Khan says that he knew about what had happened to Hassan, and thought what Amir did was wrong but Amir had been too hard on himself. He said he knew Amir suffered because of the way Baba treated him, but there was a reason; Baba could not love Hassan openly and so felt guilty, taking it out on Amir who Baba felt was socially legitimate. However, Rahim Khan says that good came out of Baba's remorse, the orphanage that he built and the poor he fed were his way of redeeming himself and making up for his sin. It also says that Rahim Khan has left some money in a safe to cover Amir's expenses. He says he has very little time left and that he does not want Amir to look for him.
• The next morning Amir tells Farid the names of the people who run the orphanage, and spends the day with Sohrab playing cards, althoug Sohrab hardly speaks.
• Farid tells Amir that there is not such couple or orphanage, and Amir decided Peshawar is not safe. He leaves with Sohrab to Islamabad.

Chapter 24

• Amir and Sohrab arrive at a hotel in Islamabad.
• Amir takes a nap and waked up to find that he is gone. He remembers Sohrabs fascination with the  mosque they had passed on the way, and finds him there. 
• The two talk about their parents, and Sohrab asks Amir if God will send him to hell for hurting Assef, to which Amir replies that Assef deserved more than he got and Hassan would have been proud of Sohrab for saving Amir's life.
• Sohrab admits to Amir that what Assef did to him makes him feel dirty and sinful, and Amir reassures him that he is not, and it was not his fault at all.
• Amir asks Sohrab to come with him to America to live with him and Soraya. Sohrab does not answer.
• One afternoon a week later Sohrab asks Amir what San Francisco is like. Amir tells him all about it, then Sohrab admits to him that he is worried Amir and Soraya will get bored of him. He says he never wants to go back to an orphanage, and Amir promises he won't let him go back.
• Sohrab says yes to going back to America, and Amir calls to tell Soraya to explain the whole story. She is happy for him to bring back Sohrab.
• The next day they go to the American embassy, where Amir is told the adoption is almost impossible. He is told that without the death certificates there is not proof that Sohrab is an orphan. The man tells him to speak to an immigration attorney, Omar Faisal.
• They talk to Faisal the next day, who says it will be difficult and that they should consider other options; Amir could put Sohrab into an orphanage for 2 years until the government approve the adoption.
• That night Amir breaks the news to Sohrab, who screams and cries until he falls asleep in Amir's arms. 
• While Sohrab sleeps Amir tells Soraya the bad news. She tells him that Sharif, a family member who works for the INS, says that once they have gotten Sohrab into the country there are ways to keep him in.
• Amir goes to Sohrab to tell him the good news, but finds that he is bleeding in the bathtub. He had run a bath and cut his wrists in an attempt to kill himself.

Chapter 25

• Sohrab is rushed to the emergency room.
• In the waiting room Amir uses a sheet as a prayer rug and prays for Sohrab to survive. It is the first time he has prayed for over 15 years.
• Eventually he falls asleep on a chair, dreaming of Sohrab in the bloody bath.
• When he wakes up a doctor comes to tell him that Sohrab has lost a lot of blood, but he will live.
• For several days Sohrab sleeps and Amir waits in the hospital for him. When he finally wakes up Amir asks how he is feeling, but he doesn't reply. Amir reads to him, but he does not pay attention. When he finally speaks he tells Amir he is tired of everything and wanted to be left in the water. Amir tells Sohrab why he came to find him, to tell him that he can go to America, but Sohrab stops speaking entirely.
• The story skips forward to when Amir and Sohrab arrive in San Francisco, in August 2001. 
• General Taheri and Jamila come round for dinner. They discuss the Taliban and what Kabul has become.
• When General Taheri finally asks about Sohrab in a derogatory way Amir calmly explains the story to him, telling him never to call Sohrab 'Hazara boy' again. 
• After September 11th, and the bombing of Afghanistan after that, there is a lot of talk about the places Amir group up all over America. 
• Amir and Soraya take it upon themselves to run and raise money for a hospital on the Afghan-Pakistan border. 
• General Taheri is called to Afghanistan for a ministry position, which Jamila worries about.
• Sohrab still doesn't speak. 
• In March 2002 Amir, Soraya, Sohrab and Jamila go to an Afghan gathering at the park. There is a tent full of people cooking traditional Afghan food.
• Sohrab still doesn't speak, and stands out in the rain away from everyone. Eventually the weather clears up.
• Soraya points out lots of kites in the sky. Amir goes to find a kite seller, buying one and taking to Sohrab. Amir offers him the string but he does not accept. When Amir runs with the kite flying up into the air Sohrab follows him and takes the string. 
• Amir and Sohrab battle with another kite, which is green. They use Hassan's old trick and manage to beat the other kite. People cheer for them.
• Sohrab smiles a little, and Amir asks is he should run the kite Sohrab nods. Amir tells Sohrab "For you, a thousand times over", and begins running after the kite with all the other kids.

Chapter 20-22

Chapter 20

• Amir does not recognise Kabul when he and Farid arrive, the war changed it completely. There are beggars everywhere, the buildings are all piles of rubble and all the trees are gone.
• When the Taliban pass by Amir stares at them in shock, Farid tells him not to, that they will use any excuse for some violence.]
• Near by a beggar agrees with Farid, saying that the Taliban look for a fight wherever they can. The beggar turns out to be an old literature professor who used to work with Amir's mother, Sofia Akram. Amir asks a few questions about his mother, but soon has to leave.
• Amir and Farid find the orphanage where Sohrab is meant to be. They try to get the director of the orphanage, Zaman, to tell them where Sohrab is but he won't until Amir tells him that he is Sohrab's half uncle. 
• The orphanage is full of children and does not have enough beds, mattresses or blankets for all of them. They are told that last year a child froze to death because of this.
• Zaman says that although Sohrab is no longer at the orphanage he knows where he might be. He also tells them it might be 'too late' and when they ask what he means he tells Amir and Farid that every month or two a Taliban officer comes with money and often leaves with a child.
• When Farid realises what this means he attacks Zaman for letting it happen. He notices that children are watching him and stops as he doesn't want to upset them.
• Zaman says there is nothing he can do as the Taliban are so strong, and this is the only way he can get enough money to feed the children. He tells Amir and Farid that Sohrab was only taken a month ago, and that the official who took him will be at the Ghazi stadium the next day.

Chapter 21

• Farid and Amir go to Baba's old house. It is still there however it is falling apart. 
• Amir goes up to the hill with pomegranate tree where he and Hassan would sit when they were little. 
• Farid tells Amir that they need to leave. They go back to a dilapidated hotel and stay there the night.
• The next day they go to the Ghazi stadium to find the official. It is very different to what Amir thought, the crowd is just dirt and the audience have to be careful not to cheer too loud.
• At half time a men in trucks drive into the stadium onto the pitch. Two men get out, bringing out a blindfolded man and woman. The woman is screaming as the men bury her and the blindfolded man in a hole in the pitch. A man recites a prayer from the Koran to the audience then says that they are going to carry out 'Gods law'. The official that Amir and Farid are looking for comes onto the pitch, stones the man and woman to a pulp then leaves, letting the match continue.
• Farid tells one of the nearby Taliban that he needs to meet with the official to discuss some personal business, and the Taliban agrees to let them see him that afternoon.

Chapter 22

• Amir and Farid arrive at the house where the official is meeting Amir. Farid waits in the car.
• Amir is led to a room by 2 guards where he is to wait for the meeting. He thinks that it may have been a bad idea to stop being a coward.
• The Taliban official comes in with 2 guards, Amir stands up to greet the official and one of the guards tears off his fake beard.
• The official asks Amir if he enjoyed the show at the stadium, saying it wasn't as good as when they went door to door shooting families in their own homes (the massacre of the Hazarara's in Mazar-i-Sharif which Amir had heard about).
• Amir tells the official that he is only there to find Sohrab, so two guards bring him in. He is in a blue silk outfit with bells around his ankles and mascara on his eyes. The guards make him dance, then the official tells them to leave.
• When the official asks what happened to 'Babalu' Amir realises that it is Assef, as that is what he used to call Ali.
• Amir says to Assef that he will pay money for the boy, but Assef says it is not about money, that is not why he joined the Taliban. He says to Amir that a while ago he was imprisoned, and in this prison the guard kicked him, and somehow it dislodged a kidney stone that had been incredibly painful. The relief was so great he started laughing, and realised God was on his side. He then says that he is on a mission to rid Afghanistan of 'garbage'
• Amir tells him that all he wants is the boy, and Assef replies by shoving Sohrab and saying that he and Amir have 'unfinished business'. He then tells the guards outside that if Amir gets out alive then he earned the right to live. He puts on his brass knuckles.
• Amir does not remember very of the fight, just little sections of being hit, but also relief, so much so that he remembers laughing becuase he looked forward to the relief so much. He felt he was mended for the first time. 
• Assef is close to killing Amir when Sohrab tells him to stop and aims his slingshot at him, Assef lunges at him but Sohrab releases his slingshot, hitting Assef in the eye. 
• Sohrab and Amir escape, shocking the gaurds because they survived. They get into the car where farid is shocked at Amir's appearance, then Amir passes out as they drive away.

Chapter 17-19

Chapter 17

• When Amir asks Rahim Khan if Hassan is still living in Baba's house he is given a letter.
• The letter is from Hassan and tell Amir all about how the Kabul they knew has gone, and about how Rahim Khan is very ill.
• Rahim Khan tells Amir that a month after the letter had been written the Taliban went to Baba's house to find Hassana and his family living there. They told Hassan he must leave with his family before the morning, even though the neighbours supported him when he told the Taliban he was just looking after the house for someone else. They called him a liar, like all Hazaras. They made him kneel in the street, and shot him in the head. Farzana came out, and they shot her too, claiming it was 'self defence
• Sohrab was sent to an orphanage, and the Taliban moved into the house.
• Rahim Khan tells Amir that he knows a couple in Pakistan that care for orphans, and asks him to find Sohrab and take him to them.
• Amir refuses, saying that he cannot go to Kabul, that Rahim Khan should pay someone else to go.
• Rahim Khan tries to persuade Amir, saying it is not about money and Amir knows why he must go. He says that Baba was worried about him because a boy cannot stand up for himself grows up to be a man who can't stand up to aanything.
• He then tells Amir that Ali was unable to have children, that Baba is Hassan's real father. They weren't allowed to tell anyone as it would bring shame upon Ali. 
• Amir storms out.

Chapter 18

• Amir goes to a teahouse and thinks about all he has learnt, realising that both him and Baba have betrayed their truest friends, and they Rahim Khan wants Amir to atone for both his and Baba's sins.
• He goes back to Rahim Khans house, realising that he needs to stand up for himself, and tells him that he will find Sohrab. 

Chapter 19

• The two arrange some transport for Amir, a man named Farid who will take Amir to Kabul. Farid and his father fought against the soviets, losing 2 daughters and 3 fingers.
• Amir wears an Afghan hat and a fake beard to blend in. He is very carsick.
• When Amir says he feels like a tourist in his own country Farid laughs and says that he should not see this as his country, he assumes that Amir has come to sell land, take the money and go back to America. He also assumes that Amir grew up in a big house in America with his father, with Hazara servants and an American car.He says Amir has always been a tourist here, pointing at an old man with ragged clothes and saying that is the real Afghanistan.
• They stay the night at Wahid's house, Farid's brother. When Wahid asks why Amir has come Farid goes on another rant, but Wahid stops him. 
• Amir tell Wahid why he has come, and about Baba's secret. Wahid apologises for prying, and calls Amir a true Afghan. Farid looks ashamed.
• Amir and Farid eat dinner. Amir notices that Wahid's children are staring at them and thinks they want his watch, so hands it to them. Later he finds out that they were staring at his food as they do not have enough money to eat.
• Farid apologises to Amir, saying that Amir should have told him. He says that he will help Amir to find Sohrab.
• Just before they leave Amir places a wad of money under they mattress he stayed on.

Important quotes from chapters 14-16

Chapter 14

• "Come. There is a way to be good again"
  In a way this quote is quote foreshadowing. We know now that Rahim Khan knows what happened with Assef and Hassan, that he know Amir did not step into protect Hassan but instead tried to get rid of him so he didn't have to live with the guilt. The quote makes the reader suspect that Amir is going to have to do something in Afghanistan which makes him 'good again'.
• "He's sit in the back of the room, dressed in his shiny old gray suit, wooden cane across his lap, smiling. Sometimes he even took notes."
  This quote is about the General's relationship with Soraya. It has improved as he is older, and since he has been on a journey of various ailments, things have softened between them. This renewed relationship may be symbolic of how Amir needs to go through some sort of painful process to fix guilt and the hatred he feels towards himself.

Chapter 15

• "I told him I had written stories in the leather bound notebook he had given me, but he didn't remember the notebook."
  This quite is very melancholic as throughout the novel so far it has been made clear how much the leather bound notebook meant to Amir, and now we see how Rahim Khan has even forgotten something as important as that.
• "And now it was just another pile of rubble"
  Amir is talking about Baba's orphanage. Amir talks about how hard Baba had worked on it, and now it had been blown up.
• "Peace at last. But at what price?"
  Rahim Khan is talking about how the Taliban were seen when they first took control. Everyone had seen them as heroes, when in fact they were strict and brutal, mistreating people severely. This quote links back to Hassan's rape, when Assef said that nothing is free in the world. This is sort of ironic now as he is part of the Taliban. 

Chapter 16

• "Hassan had so many questions about you"
  Shows that he is still loyal and caring, even after all the years that Amir had been away, and whathe did.
• "Saunbar cried that coming back had been a mistake, maybe even a worse one than leaving"
  Foreshadowing, Amir may find that it was a mistake for him to come back as well.#
• "I guess some stories do not need telling"
• "They named him Sohrab, after Hassan's favourite hero from the Shahanah..."

Chapters 14-16 summary

Chapter 14

• Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan, asking him to come to Pakistan to see him.
• He goes for a walk to think about the call, and sees a man playing catch with his son and some people  flying kites.
• Amir thinks of his and Soraya's relationship, how it has changed because of them not being able to have a child.
• A week after the phone call Amir leaves for Pakistan, telling Soraya that he should only be a week or two.

Chapter 15

• Amir lands in Peshawar where Rahim Khan now lives. He gets a taxi to the house and the driver tells him all about how bad Afghanistan has become.
• As they drive through 'Afghan town' Amir remembers the last time he saw Rahim Khan, on the night that he and Baba left for America and they had visited Rahim Khan, promising to stay in touch.
• Rahim Khan looks very skinny and ill when Amir arrives at his home. Amir tells him all about his new life, talking about Soraya and his career as a writer. However, the conversation inevitably turns to the Taliban's rule over Afghanistan, and how Rahim Khan got the scar on his face.
• Amit finds out that Rahim Khan lived in the old house when he and Baba had left, looking after it for Baba's return. He also learns that Kabul became a dangerous fighting space for Afghan factions.
• Rahim Khan tells Amir that he is dying, and that he will probably not live through the summer.He says that he needs a favour from Amir, that when he was living in Baba's old house Hassan lived with him.
• He tells Amir that before he asks the favour he must tell him about Hassan.

Chapter 16 (Rahim Khan is narrative voice)

• After a while of looking after the house Rahim Khan became lonely and it was difficult to do it alone. He went to Hazarajat and found Hassan and his wife, Farzana.
• He asked the two to come back to Kabul to look after Baba's house with him, but they declined.
• Hassan asked many questions about Amir, and when he found out that Baba had died he became very upset. The morning after he said that they would like to come to Kabul with Rahim Khan.
• Rahim Khan asked them to stay in one of the guest rooms in the house as they were not in use, however out of respect they declined, they stayed in the hut where Hassan and Ali used to live.
• Farzana gives birth to a stillborn girl in the fall of 1986, who they bury in the garden. Farzana is very upset, but becomes pregnant again in 1990.
• In that same year Hassan's mother, Saunbar, appears at Baba's house. She is severely injured, and Hassan and Farzana have to nurse her back to health. They become very close.
• When the baby arrives in winter Saunbar delivers it. It is a boy, and they name him Sohrab, after the character from Amir and Hassan's favourite book as children.
•  He and Saunbar become close, she cares for him very much. When he is 4 she passes away.
• In 1995 Hassan teaches Sohrab to read and to fly kites, while there is fighting between rival Afghan groups after the Soviets are pushed out.
• In 1996 the Taliban take over Kabul, and just 2 weeks after they have taken control they ban kite fighting, and 2 years later they massacre Hazaras. 

Soraya in The Kite Runner

Soraya's role

• Soraya is General and Jamila Taheri's daughter. She is from Afghanistan and a Pashtun, like Amir. She does not get on well with her father until later in the book, and gets on with her mother but finds her a little over the top in her care.
• Amir meets Soraya at the flea market which he visits every Saturday with Baba. He thinks she is beautiful, liking her instantly. For a while he sits with her and Jamila, getting to know the two.
  Amir and Soraya get married in chapter 13, however they cannot conceive a child as Soraya's parents would have liked.
• Soraya is Baba's main carer towards the end of his life. When she moves in with Amir she looks after him, mothering him completely.
• Sohrab and Soraya have a strained relationship when Amir brings him back from Afghanistan, as she had many plans for him however he is so scarred from what happened he does not speak or anything at all.

Soraya's appearance 

• "A slim-hipped beauty with velvety coal black hair..."
  A slim hipped beauty is what men typically like in a woman, so from the start Soraya is presented as a desirable character.Velvet is a very luxurious and rich fabric, whereas coal is more dirty and unappealing, so there is a lot of contrast between the two. Black is often symbolistic of darkness and can be quite sinister, possibly showing that she has a dark past (Running away with a man, dishonouring her family).
• "She had a thick black eyebrows that touched in the middle like the arched wings of a flying bird, and the hooked nose of a princess from Persia..."
  The part about a flying bird could symbolise freedom, as he sees Soraya as a way to be free of his guilt and sins. It is also a very graceful simile, again making her seem desirable. The simile comparing her to a princess infers she is of royalty, or seems that way compared to him.
• "Her eyes, walnut brown and shaded by fanned lashes..."
  The fanned lashes again makes me think of royalty, when princesses have people to fan them. It also makes her seem quite mysterious as the eyes are supposedly the 'window to the soul' however hers are shaded by the lashes, not allowing Amir to see into them clearly.
• "Hair pulled back and crowned with a tulip shaped bun"
  Again, the use of the word crowned implies royalty, and the tulip is the flower that young Persian men give to their beloved as an offering.

Key Quotes

• When Soraya tells Amir the story of why she wants to be a teacher he says:
  "I thought of how I had used my literacy to ridicule Hassan. How I had teased him about the big words he didn't know."
  This quote shows how contrasting Soraya and Amir are. Amir sees her as a good person, maybe even wants to be like her. She was to her servant what he should have been to Hassan, and he knows this. He feels regret, but also as though she could help him to change and take back what he used to be, by helping him become good now. 
• When we [the Taheris] lived in Virginia, I ran away with an Afghan man. I was eighteen at the time...rebellious...stupid, and...he was into drugs...We lived together for almost a month. [...]. Pader eventually found us. He showed up at the door and...made me come home. I was hysterical. Screaming. Saying I hated him..."
  This quote shows that Soraya is not as innocent as the reader and Amir first thought, she has made mistakes in the past and they still haunt her. I think this makes him feel better and more relateable as they have both done bad things. However, it also makes him jealous, as she has now got her secret off her chest, whereas he is still bottling his sins up.
• "It was Soraya who suggested she move in with Baba and me."
  This shows it is Soraya making the moral decision as Baba is very ill. It also shows that she does have some power in the relationship to make decisions. She comes across as very kind hearted, choosing to care for Baba rather than live with Amir and finally have a bit of freedom.
• "Their sons go out to nightclubs looking for meat and getting their girlfriends [...] I make one mistake and suddenly everyone is talking about nangs and namoos..."
  This shows that Soraya regrets what she has done but cannot seem to escape it. She knows it is unfair, that women experience double standards, and wants people to stop talking about it.
• "The General did not approve of women drinking alcohol and Soraya did not drink it in his presence"
  Soraya obviously has respect for her father, however she does disobey him in things such as drinking and in her career choice.
  
  How typical is Soraya of an Afghan woman and of an American woman?
  Soraya is not particularly a strict Afghan woman as she does do things which would be forbidden in their culture. 
• She ran away with a man when she was young, dishonouring her family by not keeping her virginity until marriage.
• She speaks to Amir a lot without permission from her father, this would be frowned upon and when the General finds out he tells Amir to stop seeing Soraya.
• She swears.
• She does not wear appropriate Afghan women's clothing, so she is not fully covered.
• She wants to get a career in teaching.
• She doesn't let her father boss her around and make all the decisions for her. She also stands up to him when he is being unfair to her.
• She makes a lot of her own decisions in her relationship with Amir.
  
  She seems a lot more typical of an American woman in these ways as she has more freedom to make her own choices than a Afghan woman would have. However, although she has a lot more freedom than most she still is not allowed to be alone with Amir during their engagement, she had no choice in marrying him and she has to go through the traditional marriage process.

Women's role in Afghan culture - The 80's and present day

Women in Afghan culture live by very strict rules, which restrict their actions and every day decisions. Here are just a few simple things which, even now, Afghan women are expected to do.

• Women and men  have different roles in the family, men are the bread winners whereas women should be doing housework and looking after the children.
• Women and men are not meant to mix too much, and free mixing between genders only takes place in families, and women must avoid eye contact with men to maintain their reputation as a 'proper woman'.
• Women are expected to dress appropriately, making sure none of their body shape can be distinguished. They are also advised to wear a headscarf.

Even just looking at these 3 things we can see how different it is to be a woman in Afghan culture compared to us, we are allowed to wear almost anything we like and can go on to work at a job we like. 

Things were improving, more girls are allowed to go to school, resulting in more women getting jobs. When the however when the Taliban took over this was no longer the case, women were sent back home to do domestic work as before, and once again became controlled by the male figures in their lives, even though they had had a good education and job. Some women did not want to stop working, and even tried to continue their job secretly, women who used to be teachers would educate girls privately without anyone knowing. If it had been found out they were still working they would have been arrested and even tortured. 

The segregation between female and non-relative males was reinforced. Men and women could not ride on the same bus, and from the age of eight they were allowed no contact with men who were not blood relatives.

Women were no longer allowed to be independent at all, the Taliban even made a law as soon as they took over, that women were not to leave the house without the company of a male relative. This meant that if a woman had no male relatives or a husband she would be under permanent house arrest. They also were not allowed out without a Burqa to cover their whole body and hide any signs of their body shape. If they did not own one then, again, they would be under house arrest.

These extreme rules and punishments have not improved much. Women are still under harsh rules and are oppressed by men. Many of the practices in Afghan culture deny women simple rights, such as stoning and baad. There are organizations working to help women who are oppressed in Afghan culture, however it is very difficult as a culture is part of life and it may be viewed as inappropriate to interfere. Women may also feel that they should not accept the help as they are meant to live the way they do because of their culture, and they would not want to dishonour it.

Over all women in Afghan culture were and still are oppressed, both by their culture, the Taliban and male figures. It is still very difficult for them to be independent because of the way they think they should be living.