A review of irony and foreshadowing in chapter three The Kite Runner Louis C & Dannielle Deans

“But I hadn’t turned out like him. Not at all.”-pg 17 In chapter three we learn through Amir’s recollection about his father and the relationship Amir and Baba had. The desperation for affection from Baba that Amir has is explained in this chapter; Amir is the “glaring exception” to the otherwise perfect life Baba could have had. Because of this Amir feels inadequate for not turning out like Baba. He recalls how he resorted to lying (or stealing the right of truth) to get closer to his father (“I lied and told him [Baba] Hassan had the runs”), foreshadowing the most significant deceit in the book when Amir holds the truth to gain his father pride. The quote above encompasses the irony of Amir’s situation, in his pursuit of acceptance from his father he becomes a person Baba would despise. However the one trait he does inherit from Baba is that of betrayal, Baba betrayed Ali, just as Amir betrays Hassan. Louis C & Dannielle Deans

“My father was a force of Nature”-pg 11 Baba’s cold attitude towards Amir is a major factor that contributes towards the tragedy of the novel. However he too has his flaws. In chapter three a deeper insight into the character of Baba is given, throughout it Amir likens Baba to nature; “attention shifted to him [Baba] like sunflowers turning to the sun”. Baba is constantly likened to a nurturer, he opens an orphanage and opens “wildly successful” businesses. Ironically, Baba neglects the one person he should be caring for; Amir. It can easily be observed that Baba is caring from these actions, so the logical path Amir takes is to blame himself for the coldness in the relationship. Baba is also the one to point out “there’s something missing in that boy [Amir]”, without even realising that it’s the affection and approval from Baba that is missing from Amir. Louis C & Dannielle Deans

“…a truck lumbered around a corner on the hill “…a truck lumbered around a corner on the hill. Sunlight twinkled in its side-view mirror”- pg 13 Cleverly Hosseini uses this small observation on page thirteen to foreshadow the path Amir takes in life. Baba neglects Amir of attention when they’re supposed to be spending time together, because of this Amir notices the truck Amir here acts as the truck driver, Hosseini uses clumsy semantics such as “blundering”, “shambled” and “squalled” when Amir is describing himself, linking him to the lumbering truck. Baba , who Amir parallels with the sun, is the sunlight. His past mistake of betrayal reflecting into Amir’s view of the world. Louis C & Dannielle Deans

“There is no act more wretched than stealing, Amir”- pg 16 The weight of Baba’s words here appear to go over Amir’s head. Amir is so thrilled to have had the talk with his father that the lesson that should have been learnt and may have prevented the tragic events with Hassan aren’t appreciated until it is too late. Ultimately, Amir steals Hassan’s livelihood for more moments with his father. It is also worth noting that Baba, who would “spit on such a man” who steals, himself is guilty of the crimes he is so against. The fact that Amir has to learn the lesson Baba tries to teach on his own can be linked to the fact that Baba himself hasn’t followed the standards he set. Louis C & Dannielle Deans

“God help us all if Afghanistan ever falls into their hands”-pg 15 Reading from a position in the future the reader and adult Amir already know the fate of Afghanistan It is ironic that Baba, whose belief in a God can be put into question, is the one to say that it is Gods help Afghanistan would need, despite the position of power and authority that Baba has in Amir’s eyes and in the eyes of the people of Kabul. Louis C & Dannielle Deans