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A pair of steel hands closed around my windpipe at the sound of Hassan’s name. I rolled down the window. Waited for the steel hands to loosen their grip.
[The Kite Runner, Ch.11, pg. 132] Chapter SummaryWith the tough move to America, Baba and Amir have to deal with the adjustment to an American lifestyle. Amir seems to be adjusting a bit easier, but Baba is struggling. He can't find his own place in society and is having trouble providing for himself and Amir. It looks like their move to America may not be successful for Baba or Amir.
Chapter 11 mainly deals with Baba and Amir's adjustment to their new home in America. Baba enlightens Amir about politics, specifically how America, Britain and Israel compete in international politics. Baba also mention to Amir that he loves Ronald Reagan because he referred to the Soviet Union as an “Evil Empire”. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, so Baba does not like them. Baba is not adjusting to America that well. He got into an argument with a convenient store worker, because the worker would not take his check without I.D. Baba practically turns the place upside down, making an embarrassing scene. Amir manages to get Baba out of the store, but damage had been done. Baba is also struggling to get a job in America. He has to work 12 hour shifts at a gas station, six days a week. Baba is not making enough money, so he and Amir have to go on Welfare. The day Baba finally gets a job, he walks into the Welfare office and returned the food stamps. Later, Amir graduates from high school. Baba is very proud of him. It seems he is more affectionate with Amir then he was when Amir won the kite tournament. Baba takes Amir out to dinner to celebrate his graduation. He has a bit too much to drink, causing him to buy drinks for everyone at the restaurant. After Dinner, Baba tells Amir he has a birthday present for him. He has Amir drive them to the end of the block, where a green Ford Grand Torino is waiting for them. This is Amir's birthday present. There is some crying between the two, but in the end both are very happy. Baba mentions to Amir that he wishes that Hassan was with them, making Amir feel guilty. The morning after the graduation, Amir decides he is going to attend junior college. He and Baba discuss what he will major in. Amir decides on creative writing, which does not make Baba happy. Amir mentions to the readers that while driving in his new car, he feels free. He thinks the trip to America can make him forget about his past. Baba sells his car and then buys a '71 Volkswagen bus. In order to make some extra money, Baba and Amir start buying things at the yard sales and then selling them in the San Jose flea market. While at the Flea Market, Baba introduces Amir to general Taheri, who was on the ministry of defense in Kabul. General Taheri asks Amir if he will write about the economics in Kabul, but Amir declines and says he will write fiction. Amir notices a pretty young lady serving the general tea. This is the general's daughter and Amir is love struck. Baba and Amir's trip to America turned from being terrible to pretty successful. Amir has graduated from school and will attend junior college. Baba has found a new job and is now selling things at the flea market. Amir is now love struck for a beautiful young woman. It seems like there life in America is going pretty well and their adjustment is a success. ~ Zeke Golnik Chapter analysisNostalgia
A pair of steel hands closed around my windpipe at the sound of Hassan’s name. I rolled down the window. Waited for the steel hands to loosen their grip. [The Kite Runner, Ch.11, pg. 132] The old definition of nostalgia is the pain from an old wound. In chapter 11, Amir has had plenty of wounds that he has run away from, only to resurface as nostalgia later. The most obvious of these wounds is the betrayal of Hassan after Assef raped him. Amir could not bring himself to tell anyone, which created a scar between the two former friends which may never be healed. Amir has since tried to avoid even thinking of Hassan while he was bouncing around Afghanistan and Pakistan, finally to arrive in America. When Baba even mentions Hassan, Amir is suddenly struck by the pain of his past. America was different. America was a river, roaring along, unmindful of the past. I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far. Someplace with no ghosts, no memories, and no sins. If for nothing else, for that, I embraced America. [The Kite Runner, Ch. 11, pg. 132] Amir has found his salvation from his nostalgia in America, as a student headed to college. He has found distractions that shifted his thoughts from Hassan and his past to his present and future. America is a new beginning for him, and even though he is less wealthy than in Kabul, he embraces a new life in the Bay Area. America is a breath of fresh smoggy air for Amir, one that he adjusts to much better than Peshawar. Thanks to a a change of scenery, Amir's nostalgia scars may finally heal. ~Cole Hatch MetacognitionComment Form is loading comments...
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