THE KITE RUNNER

BOOK REVIEW: CHAPTERS 23~25 {LAST CHAPTERS}

CHAPTER 23

Soraya and Sohrab flying kites

Amir running the kite for Sohrab

When Amir passed out in the car, he saw blurry images. There was a lady called Aisha and a man with a mustache, whom the narrator recognized. As Amir slipped out and in of consciousness, he imagines Baba wrestling the bear. The moment when Amir's eyes met Baba's, he realized that Amir himself was the one wrestling the bear. Then he woke up and sees doctors, Farid as well as Sohrab. He was in a hospital in Peshawar. Amir's mouth was shut because his upper lip was split, his left eye's bone was broken, several of his ribs were cracked and his spleen fissured. Farid told Amir that Rahim Khan was here but left a note.

In the note, Rahim wrote that he knew everything that happened to Hassan. Though what Amir did wasn't correct, he was too hard on himself. The narrator suffered at times because of Baba's behaviour towards him but Baba also felt guilty because he couldn't openly love Hassan. Thus, Baba took out the guilt on Amir, whom Baba thought of his socially legitimate half. But the orphanage which Baba built, the poor that he fed were ways of redeeming himself. Rahim also left Amir a key to a safe-deposit box with money for covering Amir's expenses. At last, he mentioned Amir not to look for him although he didn't have much time left. The next morning, Amir spent the day playing cards with Sohrab, who barely spoke. Farid learnt that there never was an American couple who were to take care of  Sohrab. They felt that Peshawar wasn't safe any longer and left to Islamabad along with Sohrab.

CHAPTER 24

Amir and Sohrab arrived in Islamabad. Sohrab asked Amir if he would go to hell for doing his action to Assef. Amir replied back saying Assef deserved more punishments and that his parents would be proud of Sohrab to save Amir. One day, Amir asked Sohrab if he wanted to go to America with him. Sohrab never gave the answer for a week, eventually they decided to go together also explaining the whole situation to Soraya. 

The next day, Amir went to the American embassy. They said it was almost impossible to adopt Sohrab unless there was a death ceritifcate to prove he was an orphan. So Amir spoke to Omar Faisal, an immigration attorney. Faisal explained that Amir could put Sohrab in an orphanage, file a petition and wait up to two years until the government approved the adoption. That night, Sohrab screamed and cried until he fell asleep because Amir told Sohrab he might have to go back to the orphanage. While he slept, Amir called Soraya, who told him that Sharif, a family member worked for the U.S. immigration department. Sharif could help keep Hassan's son once he was in the country. Amir went to tell Sohrab this good news but found him in the bathtub, bleeding and unconscious. 

CHAPTER 25

Sohrab being rushed to the emergency room

Sohrab was rushed to the emergency room. This was when Amir prayed for the first time in mroe than fifteen years! He prayed until he fell asleep and dreamt of Sohrab in the red water with the razor blade he used to cut himself. The doctor told Amir that Sohrab lost a great deal of blood, but he was able to survive. Amir tried to console him, read to him but Sohrab only replied saying he wanted he old life back. Amir explained that Sohrab was going to America with Amir. In spite of that, Sohrab stopped speaking entirely.

Amir and Sohrab arrived in San Francisco in August 2001. General Taheri and Jamila came over for dinner. Amir told General Taheri everything about Taliban and Kabul. The General eventually asked why Amir brought a Hazara boy with him. Amir explained that it was his nephew as well as all the stories which had been revealed previously. Amir also had the courage to tell Soraya's father not to call Sohrab a "Hazara" ever again in his presence, especially.

After September 11, the American bombing of Afghanistan that followed, the names of places in Amir's country were suddenly all over. Amir and Soraya helped to raise money for a hospital on the Afghan-Pakistani border and the General was summoned to Afghanistan for a ministry position. 

On a rainy day in March 2002, Amir took Sohrab, his wife and Jamila to a gathering of Afghans at a park. There was a tent where people were cooking and Sohrab, quietly, stood out in the rain. When the weather cleared, Soraya pointed to the kites in the sky. Amir bought a new kite and walked over to Sohrab. Amir checked the string and talked about Hassan. When the kite was ready, Amir asked Sohrab if he was willing to fly it, sohrab didn't answer. Nonetheless, Sohrab ran together with Amir as he sent the kite into the air.  The next time, Sohrab took the string. When a green kite showed up for kite-fighting, Amir showed Sohrab his father's favourite trick and they soon severed and cut the opponent's kite's string loose. A small grin appeared on Sohrab's face as people surrounding them cheered. Amir asked if he should run the kite for Sohrab as his father used to. It seemed to him that Sohrab nod as the wind blew his hair. Amir ran through a swarm of happy children after hearing himself say, "FOR YOU, A THOUSAND TIMES OVER."

*Amir finally paid his expiation and found his redemption.