Chapter 10

Chapter 10

90.   Amir and Baba left Kabul at 2 in the morning heading towards Jalalabad, Pakistan. Eventually hoping to move to America. They brought very few belongings.

91.   Amir and Baba kept the fact that they were leaving a secret because they feel like rafiqs or (the comrades) were always listening. No one could trust anyone anymore.

92.   The comrades or the Russians invaded. This event has lead to a very distrustful community.

93.   While at the border of Pakistan sitting in the back of a truck a young Russian soldier attempts to harass a young afghan married woman. He asks for 30 minutes alone with her but Baba won’t allow it. Baba stands up to defend her honor.

94.   The young Russian soldier threatens to shoot Baba and raises his gun. Another Russian officer stops the soldier from killing Baba. The officer apologizes for the soldiers actions and lets them move past the checkpoint.

95.   Amir is original reaction is that he tries to refrain Baba from standing up. Amir fears he will lose his father. Amir thinks that his father defends his pride and the honor of others too often. “Do you always have to be the hero can’t you just let it go for once.” (pg.115)

96.   Amir again feels guilty about the attack on Hassan. He feels he isn’t worthy to be Baba’s son because he doesn’t portray the same courage and honor that he sees in Baba.

97.   Karim is the truck driver. Karim informs all the passengers that the truck to finish the trip broke last week. This enrages Baba and attacks Karim for not informing them earlier and taking the money anyway.

98.   So the passengers from the truck are hiding out in the basement because they are waiting for the truck to be fixed  to come to take them to Pakistan. The basement is described as smelly, mildewy, dark, and dank.

99.   Kamal looks sickly and depressed because four men caught Kamal. When he came back he was bleeding “down there”. Kamal no longer talks and just stares.

100.                        This event is ironic because Kamal earlier in the story helped hold down Hassan while Assef attacked him. Now that Kamla has been attacked in the same way its ironic.

101.                        Baba grabs a handful of dirt because he knows he will never come back to the place he grew up. He wants to keep a part of home close to him. The dirt symbolizes how he wants to remember his wife, Hassan, Ali, and his home.

102.                        While sitting in the gas truck Baba tells Amir to think of something happy. Immediately Amir thinks of flying Kites with Hassan.

103.                        When the passengers get out of the gas truck Kamal has a hard time breathing. The fumes caused him to suffocate and die. His father overwhelmed with grief take a gun in his mouth and commits suicide. This event causes Amir to get sick literally and mentally/emotionally.