THE KITE RUNNER

BOOK REVIEW: CHAPTERS 18-22

CHAPTER 18

Amir stormed away from Rahim's house to a small teahouse. He thought through what happened and what he knew. Ami started clearing his mind to make a decision. Amir was responsible for Hassan's death. Baba was also Hassan's father; the reason why Baba cried when Ali and Hassan left and paid for the surgery of Hassan's lip. Then, Amir realized that Baba and he was quite alike. Baba said that theft was the only sin and Amir thinks how Baba hid the fact that he was Hassan's father and Ali from his honor. Baba and the narrator both betrayed their truest friends. At last, Amir told Rahim Khan that he would find Sohrab, just what Rahim wanted; for Amir to atone Baba's sins as well as the narrator's own sins.

CHAPTER 19

Rahim arranged an acquaintance called Farid to take Amir to Kabul. Farid and his father fought against the Soviets. Farid lost his two daughters and three fingers from a land mine. Amir said that he felt like a tourist in Afghanistan. Farid sarcastically asked him if he even thought of Afghanistan as his own country after living in America for over 20 years. They stopped at Farid's brother, Wahid's home at night. The house was small, with bare dirt walls and two lamps for light. They have a talk while drinking tea. Wahid asked Amir why he was back in Afghanistan. Farid made fun saying that the narrator was going to sell his land and run away back to America with that money. Wahid, differently, snapped at his brother for insulting a guest. Amir replied that he was looking for a Hazara, his illegitimate half-brother's son. Wahid called Amir a true Afghan.

That night, while Amir was having dinner, Wahid's family said they already had dinner. Amir noticed Wahid's sons staring at his watch. As a gift, Amir presented the watch to the boys although they lost interest soon. As Farid and Amir lied down to sleep, Farid promised to help find Sohrab, apologizing for his careless predictions. Amir dreamt of Hassan being shot by a man, realizing that the man was the narrator, himself. He woke up and heard two shoutings. He overheard Wahid and his wife were quarreling because the boys didn't have dinner as they served the food to Amir. The next morning, Amir stuffed loads of money under one of their mattresses before he left with Farid.

CHAPTER 20

On the way to Kabul, Amir couldn't recognize Kabul. The buildings and trees were all gone, instead a piles of dusty rubbles and beggars roamed around the place. Then, a Taliban patrol of bearded men with guns in the back of a red pickup passed by. Amir stared at them. Farid rebuked Amir, saying that the Taliban would use any excuse for violence and and old beggar agreed. The beggar turned out to be a literature professor and once knew Sofia Akram. Amir asked questions about his mother but they left soon. Amir and Farid found the orphanage where they predicted Sohrab would be. The director, Zaman was cautious until Amir said he is Sohrab's half-uncle. the orphanage was once a storage warehouse for carpet manufacturer. The past winter, a child even froze to death, for there weren't enough beds, mattresses and blankets for hundreds of children.

Zaman told Amir that Sohrab is not at the orphange. Zaman confessed that a Taliban Official took Sohrab with him a month ago. Farid attacked Zaman for letting this happen. It turned out that the Taliban Official paid cash for every child he took once or twice a month. It way the only way to feed children. If they wanted to find Hassan's beloved son, he would be at the Ghazi Stadium the next day.

CHAPTER 21

Farid drove Amir to Baba's house. If was falling apart, but still recognizable. Amir remembered watching Ali and Hassan leave in the rain. He went to the pomegranate tree where he and Hassan used to read stories and play. Farid warned Amir that they had to leave. That night, they stayed at a shabby hospital. The following day, they went to the soccer game at the Ghazi Stadium. The field was just dirt and the crowd was careful not to cheer too loudly. 

Soon, the Taliban unloaded a blindfolded man from one truck and blindfolded woman from the other truck. They buried them into a hole on the field up to their chest. The woman was screaming uncontrollably. A cleric on the field announced that they were going to carry out God's law. He recited a prayer from the Koran. A man stepped out from a pickup, and Farid and amir saw it was the official they were looking for, as Zaman said, he wore sunglasses. The official threw stones at the head of the man until his head was bloody and his chin reached his chest. He did the same to the woman. They piled the bloody bodies back into the truck. While the second half of the soccer game began, Farid told a Taliban that he had personal business with the official and the official agreed to meet them in the afternoon.

CHAPTER 22

Farid waited in the car while two guards lead Amir to the room where the Taliban Official was waiting. Amir and the Official greeted each other, then one the guards tore Amir's fake beard off. The official asked whether Amir enjoyed the show at the stadium. He said it wasn't as fun as when they went door-to-door shooting families in their homes. Amir realized the official was talking about the massacre of Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif which the narrator read about in newspapers.

Assef as a Taliban Officer

The official asked what Amir was doing in America. Amir instead only answered that he was looking for Sohrab. The official motioned the guards and Sohrab entered in a blue silk outfit, bells strapped around his ankles and mascara lining eyes. The guards made Sohrab dance. Then, the official asked Amir what happened to Babalu, a name Assef used to call Ali. That was when Amir realized that the official was Assef! Astonished, Amir said he would pay for the boy but Assef replied that money is irrelevant. Assef began talking about why he joined the Taliban. He was once imprisoned. One evening, a guard kicked him until the violence dislodged a kidney stone that caused him severe pain. But he felt relief and began laughing. At that moment he realized God was on his side. 

Assef said he was on a mission to rid Afghanistans of garbage. Amir replied wanting Sohrab. Assef shoved Sohrab forwards, saying they have unfinished work. Assef told the guards if Amir got out of the room alive, he had the right to leave. Subsequently, Assef put on a pair of brass knuckles. Amir recognized it. When he saw the weapon, flashes of Assef hitting him and swallowing teeth and blood passed his mind. Amir remembered laughing when Assef beat him up, and felt relief. It felt healed for the first time as he looked forward to it. Suddenly, Sohrab bravely told Assef to stop and held up his slingshot. When Assef dived at him, Amir's half-nephew fired the slingshot, which hit the Official's left eye. They quickly ran away to the car where Farid was waiting, as they drove away, Amir passed out.

Sohrab holding up his slingshot at Assef