Quote Importance

1. "I was learning that Baba had been a thief. And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he'd stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honour." (237)

It's ironic that Baba told Amir that theft was the only sin, and how awful it was for people to steal things, when Baba stole such important pieces of everyone's life. Baba isn't the bad guy, no one really is, but his decisions made such huge impacts on everyone's lives and couldn't have changed the outcomes to some of them. In a way, Baba was selfish. He could have chose to tell Hassan and Amir about their brotherhood, but he did not want to ruin the family's reputation or his own. I wish Amir and Hassan had grown up so differently. Amir would have treated Hassan so much better if they were brothers.

2. "My body was broken - just how badly I wouldn't find out until later - but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed." (303)

This quote occurs when Amir is being beaten by Assef when going to see the Taliban. After Amir abandons Hassan, he struggled with getting over his actions for the rest of his life. He tried ignoring him, running away, forgetting about it, but nothing ever worked. He still had nightmares, and he still had a guilty conscience. But once Assef starts beating Amir, he feels healed, like he's finally gotten rid of the skeletons he hid in the closet for so many years. He is finally getting what he ultimately deserved. He had even gone looking for punishment in the past, when he told Hassan to hit him with the pomegranates, because he felt there would be at leats some justice for what he did to Hassan. Only did Assef's beating begin to relieve Amir's mind though, and psychologically healed him, despite the pain.

3. "What if you get tired of me? What if your wife doesn't like me?" (340)

Sohrab says this to Amir, when Amir asks him to come live in America with him and his wife. It's extremely sad that a child worries about these types of things. Kids are supposed to be care free, and to run around and have fun before they are forced to grow up and start a life. Sohrab's childhood was taken from him. His parents are gone, he lived in an orphanage, he was raped by Assef, and is now trying to be adopted by Amir. Sohrab had experienced more trauma before he was a teenager, then some people do in an entire life time. No child should have to go through any of that, and no child should have to ask any guardian if they will get "tired" of them. It's sad that that's what's going through Sohrab's head.