Roger's Five Quotes

1. “People say that eyes are windows to the soul. Never was that more true than with Ah, who could only reveal himself through his eyes(Chapter1, Page 8)
1. This quote portrays symbolism. Eyes symbolizes emotions. Amir was describing how he sees the real Ali and with part of Ali's face paralyzed, it prevents him from showing emotions. Amir uses Ali's eyes to see what he feels or thinks. Often times, people will use their eyes to express emotions they are afraid to say out loud. It is also important because the eyes is one of the reoccurring symbols throughout the book.
2. "What does that word mean?? "Which one?? "Imbecile.? "You don't know what it means?? I said, grinning. "Nay, Amir agha.? "But it's such a common word!? "Still, I don't know it.?If he felt the sting of my tease, his smiling face didn't show it. "Well, everyone in my school knows what it means,? I said. "Let's see. ‘Imbecile.?It means smart, intelligent. I'll use it in a sentence for you. ‘When it comes to words, Hassan is an imbecile(Chapter 4)."
1. This quote shows you the difference in education between Amir and Hassan. It also lets the reader know that in the setting that Amir and Hassan was raised in, only certain people can actually get have privilege of attending a school and obtain proper education. It shows the reader that life during this time wasn't that great, and that there's an obvious social class boundary between Amir and Hassan.
3. "The shootings and explosions had lasted less than an hour, but they had frightened us badly, because none of us had ever heard gunshots in the streets. They were foreign sounds to us then. The generation of Afghan children whose ears would know nothing but the sounds of bombs and gunfire was not yet born(5.5)."
1. Relating to real life, shootings and explosions shouldn't be part of anyone's daily life. This quote implicates that life wasn’t easy here. There was war going on and kids and citizens are exposed to constant danger and violence.
4. "I thought about Hassan's dream, the one about us swimming in the lake. There is no monster, he'd said, just water. Except he'd been wrong about that. There was a monster in the lake. It had grabbed Hassan by the ankles, dragged him to the murky bottom. I was that monster. That was the night I became an insomniac(Chapter 8)."
1. The things he saw in the ally has impacted his life in way he has not predicted. Amir feels immense guilt that hassan has been raped and that he couldn’t do anything but run away.  Amir and Hssan never really connected after that. It also broke the inner bond between the two. This is a very traumatic experience for Amir. In chapter 10, he recalls to this moment when his Baba steps up to the Russian Soldier. "Tell him I 'll take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place," Baba said. My mind flashed to that winter day six years ago. Me, peering around the corner in the alley. Kamal and Wali holding Hassan down. Assef's buttock muscles clenching and unclenching, his hips thrusting back and forth. Some hero I had been, fretting about the kite. Sometimes, I too wondered if I was really Baba's son(Chapter 10)." It's as if he had developed a PTSD ever since the alley incident.
5. "Told him I just wanted to go back to my room. He looked away and shrugged. We walked back down the way we'd gone up in silence. And for the first time in my life, I couldn't wait for spring(Chapter 8)."
1. Spring is an archetype of renewal, rebirth. Winter is an archetype of death. And he’s in winter right now so he feels that sense of nothingness after not being able to do anything during the alley incident. So Amir seeks for spring, for a sense of renewal.
6. "He was telling me how most people thought it was better to plant tulips in the fall and how that wasn't true, when I came right out and said it. "Baba, have you ever thought about getting new servants?" He dropped the tulip bulb and buried the trowel in the dirt. Took off his gardening gloves. I'd startled him. "Chi? What did you say?" "I was just wondering, that's all." "Why would I ever want to do that?" Baba said curtly(Chapter 8 part 1)."
1. This is significant because it ties into why Baba and Amir first broke that inner closeness they had with each other. "Amir regrets his decision but thinks that even if he hadn’t asked that question, I regretted saying it--I really did--but I think even if I hadn't, our happy little interlude would have come to an end.(Chapter 8 part 1)."
7. "Oh," he said. "Wah wah! So, if I understand, you'll study several years to earn a degree, then you'll get a chatti job like mine, one you could just as easily land today, on the small chance that your degree might someday help you get- discovered." He took a deep breath and sipped his tea. Grunted something about medical school, law school, and "real work(Chapter 11, Page 142)."
1. This quote relates back to our very first chapter early in the semester. In this quote Amir's father asks Amir to find "real work" instead of chasing his passion. Amir developes a passion for creative writing during this time.


  - Roger Xu