The kite runner Chapter 22-23

Important Points (continued) The ‘tall talib’ turns out to be Assef. Assef did not identify himself at first, but he says he “does not forget a face.” The reappearance of Assef in Amir’s life reveals to the reader that is you do not confront your fears, they will revisit you in the future. Just as Assef was Amir’s fear as a child, now he has to finally face that fear.

Important Points (continued) Assef carelessly uses a metaphor – taking out the garbage – which suggests "cleaning" or "cleansing." Amir takes advantage of the implicit metaphor and tells it like it is: Assef committed the crime of genocide. From context, the meaning of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in this scene is the killing of certain ethnicities to remove them from society.

Important Points (continued) Amir and Assef have a physical fight over Sohrab. Hosseini foreshadows this climactic showdown by placing smaller-scale events in their childhood. In the hospital, after the fight, Hosseini uses choppy paragraphs to better communicate how disjointed and foggy Amir’s consciousness is. Amir learns that Rahim Kahn is gone and he wants to die alone. In a letter, Rahim reveals that Baba treated Amir the way that he did because the guilt he felt for his sins was transferred to Amir

Physical and Emotional Scars Which has been more difficult for Amir to overcome, his physical or emotional scars? How has Amir’s identity changed? What predictions can be made for the conclusion of the novel?