Chapter 9 and 10

Chapter 9

1. What does Amir mean when he says that all of his gifts or are "blood money"?

As Amir is opening gifts he "[gives] them a joyless glance and pitched them to the corner of the room" (Hosseini 101). He doesn't want any of the gifts he even says "Baba would never thrown me a party like that if I hadn't won the tournament" (Hosseini 101).

2. What does Amir mean when he says that he "was the monster in the lake"? Where have we seen this phrase before? What is the significance of Amir's use of this phrase in terms of understanding his character and how he feels about himself?

Amir is realizing that he is the thing that is hurting everyone and that he is the one destroying everyone and their relationships with each other. His guilt is tuning him into something he does not want to be, a monster he says "I was the snake in the grass, the monster in the lake. I wasn't worthy of the sacrifice; I was a liar, a cheat, a thief" (Hosseini 105). We have seen this phrase before in the dream Hassan shares where the people on the beach were to afraid to swim in the lake, afraid of the supposed monster at the bottom of the lake and Hassan and Amir decide to go ahead and swim proving that there is no monster and there is nothing to be afraid of. The significance  of Amir using this phrase in terms of understanding his character and how he feels about himself is that he is realizing that he is the monster that is shying everyone away from each other and hurting the ones he loves. 

3. Why did Ali and Hassan leave Babas house even though Baba forgives Hassan and begs Ali to stay? What does this scene tell the reader about Hassan? 

After all Amir has done to Hassan Ali says, "Life here is impossible for us now" (Hosseini 106). This scene tells a 

lot about Hassan, even after what happened in the ally he is still loyal to Amir and admitting to stealing when he is innocent. Ali realizes this is hard for Hassan and he tells Baba, "Don't make this even more difficult then it already is, Agha sahib" (Hosseini 106) which goes to show that Ali knows everything and Baba doesn't and he doesn't understand why they are leaving.

4. Why is it important that it rains the day that Ali and Hassan leave Babas house? How is this technique related to romanticism in literature?

Amir first notes that it rarely rains in Kabul during the summer. Also the rain can symbolize the feelings of pain and hurt pounding down on everyone also setting a dark, depressing atmosphere. As Amir describes, "Thunderheads rolled in, painted the sky iron gray" (Hosseini 108).

Chapter 10

1. How does Hosseini highlight Amir's cowardice in the scene with the Russian solider?

Hosseini adds a moment to the scene where Amir thinks to himself, "Do you always have to be the hero, can't you let it go for once" (Hosseini 115). This shows that Amir is not only a coward but selfish. His father is standing up for a women that he does not even know and yet Amir would not stand up for Hassan, his best friend, brother. 

2. How do Hosseini's word choice and sentence structure convey Amir's fear as he climbs into the fuel tank?

Hosseini uses short sentence fragments to add a dramatic feeling to the scene such as, "Panic" (Hosseini 121). He also uses much imagery to show the setting in the fuel tank, "They collapse, tighten, squeeze, and suddenly you're breathing through a drinking straw" (Hosseini 121). 

3. Explain the tragic irony of Kamal's death. What qualities to Amir and Kamal have in common?

He died because he was trying to get to America were he would be safe, they both have witnessed rape and have grown up without a mother.