1. Why do you think Amir no longer wants to play with Hassan?
Amir no longer wants to play with Hassan because he feels ashamed of what he did and the scene of Hassan being raped keeps haunting Amir. He doesn’t feel confortable every time facing Hassan and that feelings bother him too much that he doesn’t want to see Hassan anymore.
Evidence: I closed my eyes, turned my face to the sun. Little shapes formed behind my eyelids, like hands playing shadows on the wall. They twisted, merged, formed a single image: Hassan’s brown corduroy pants discarded on a pile of old bricks in the alley.
“I watched Hassan get raped,” I said to no one. A part of me was hoping someone would wake up and hear, so I wouldn’t have to live with this lie anymore. But no one woke up and in the silence that followed, I understood the nature of my new curse: I was going to get away with it.
I made sure our paths crossed as little as possible, planned my day that way. Because when he was around, the oxygen seeped out of the room. My chest tightened and I couldn’t draw enough air…
2. Which character’s character seems to be more emotionally mature?
It would be Hassan the one who was more emotionally mature. Even though Amir is older than Hassan, he was not as mature as Hassan since he decided to hide from the truth as well as Hassan. While so, Hassan, the one who was unfortunately being violated by Assef, held back his personal feelings inside and acted like nothing had happened.
Evidence: The words I’d carved on the tree trunk with Ali’s kitchen knife, Amir and Hassan: The Sultans of Kabul… I couldn’t stand looking at them now.
To my dismay, Hassan kept trying to rekindle things between us.
Something thumped against the door, maybe his forehead. “I don’t know what I’ve done, Amir agha. I wish you’d tell me. I don’t know why we don’t play anymore.”
“I want you to stop harassing me. I want you to go away,” I snapped. I wished he would give it right back to me, break the door open and tell me off–it would have made things easier, better. But he didn’t do anything like that, and when I opened the door minutes later, he wasn’t there. I fell on my bed, buried my head under the pillow, and cried.
3. Why did Amir throw pomegranates at Hassan?
Amir wanted Hassan to hit him back to ease Amir’s sinful feelings towards Hassan.
Evidence: “Hit me back!” I spat. “Hit me back, goddamn you!” I wished he would. I wished he’d give me the punishment I craved, so maybe I’d finally sleep at night. Maybe then things could return to how they used to be between us.
4. What is the significance behind Assef’s birthday present for Amir?
Assef gave Hassan a biography of Hitler to emphasize Assef’s strength as well as advising Amir to abide him.
Evidence: I heard you like to read so I brought you a book. One of my favorites.” He extended a wrapped birthday gift to me. “Happy birthday.”
At the early of the story Assef mentioned about Hitler power: A man with vision. I’ll tell Daoud Khan to remember that if they had let Hitler finish what he had started, the world be a better place now” Assef said.
5. What story did Rahim Khan tell Amir on his birthday? Why?
Rahim Khan told Amir the story of his earlier love affair with a Hazara girl named Homaira. He also told Amir about how they were separated by his father but it turned out to be the best in the end. Rahim’s motive of telling Amir this story was because he wanted Amir to tell him what had happened between Amir and Hassan.
Evidence: “I know,” I said uncertainly. He looked at me for a long time, like he was waiting, his black bottomless eyes hinting at an unspoken secret between us. For a moment, I almost did tell him. Almost told him everything, but then what would he think of me? He’d hate me, and rightfully.
6. What gift did he give him?
Rahim Khan gave Amir a leather-bound notebook because he knew and understood that Amir only and favorite hobby is writing his own stories.
Evidence: Here.” He handed me something. “I almost forgot. Happy birthday.” It was a brown leather-bound notebook. I traced my fingers along the gold-colored stitching on the borders. I smelled the leather. “For your stories,” he said.
The only gift I didn’t toss on that mound was Rahim Khan’s leather-bound notebook. That was the only one that didn’t feel like blood money.
7. Why didn’t anyone tell the truth?
Hassan and Ali didn’t tell the truth because it would be Amir the one who was being thrown out of the house. Also, both Ali and Hassan understood that Amir didn’t want them to be in his house anymore so they chose to leave.
Evidence: Then I understood: This was Hassan’s final sacrifice for me. If he’d said no, Baba would have believed him because we all knew Hassan never lied. And if Baba believed him, then I’d be the accused; I would have to explain and I would be revealed for what I really was. Baba would never, ever forgive me.
He knew I had betrayed him and yet he was rescuing me once again, maybe for the last time. I loved him in that moment, loved him more than I’d ever loved anyone, and I wanted to tell them all that I was the snake in the grass, the monster in the lake. I wasn’t worthy of this sacrifice; I was a liar, a cheat, and a thief.
“Life here is impossible for us now, Agha sahib. We’re leaving.” Ali drew Hassan to him, curled his arm around his son’s shoulder. It was a protective gesture and I knew whom Ali was protecting him from.
8. What did Amir hide under Hassan’s bed? Why?
Amir hid the wristwatch that Baba gave him and some money under Hassan’s bed because he wanted Hassan to move away so he could be able to “breath” again and also to lessen his suffering.
Evidence: Maybe it would be for the best. Lessen his suffering. And mine too. Either way, this much had become clear: One of us had to go.
I went downstairs, crossed the yard, and entered Ali and Hassan’s living quarters by the loquat tree. I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it.
9. What did Hassan lie?
Because he wanted to protect Amir. Hassan knew that if he tell the truth, Baba would never forgive Amir. Besides, Hassan knew that Amir doesn’t want to see him around so he chose to leave.
Evidence: Then I understood: This was Hassan’s final sacrifice for me. If he’d said no, Baba would have believed him because we all knew Hassan never lied. And if Baba believed him, then I’d be the accused; I would have to explain and I would be revealed for what I really was. Baba would never, ever forgive me.
10. Why did Hassan and Ali leave?
Because they knew that Amir doesn’t want them to stay. Also, since Ali knew about what Amir did, Ali doesn’t want to stay in Baba’s house and watch Hassan being harmed by Amir.
Evidence: “Life here is impossible for us now, Agha sahib. We’re leaving.” Ali drew Hassan to him, curled his arm around his son’s shoulder. It was a protective gesture and I knew whom Ali was protecting him from. Ali glanced my way and in his cold, unforgiving look, I saw that Hassan had told him. He had told him everything, about what Assef and his friends had done to him, about the kite, about me. Strangely, I was glad that someone knew me for who I really was; I was tired of pretending.
11. Where did Amir and Baba flee to?
America, with Baba.
Evidence:
12. Why could people no longer be trusted in Afghanistan?
Because of the war, people were spying on each other to gain the new ruler’s trust. They would do anything to survive.
Evidence: You couldn’t trust anyone in Kabul any more–for a fee or under threat, people told on each other, neighbor on neighbor, child on parent, brother on brother, servant on master, friend on friend.
The rafiqs, the comrades, were everywhere and they’d split Kabul into two groups: those who eavesdropped and those who didn’t. The tricky part was that no one knew who belonged to which.
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