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Chapter 3
At the end of Chapter 3, Amir cries after witnessing a man get trampled to death by horses in a sporting event. This becomes significant as it is the first moment when Amir begins to seek approval from Baba. Baba feels ashamed about Amir crying, and even says that he wouldn't believe Amir was his son if he hadn't seen his wife birth him. This scene helps to show why Amir became so desperate for his fathers approval. -
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Chapter 7
At the end of this chapter, Amir witnesses Hassan get assaulted by Assef when he was trying to bring Amir the kite back. Rather than do something, Amir runs in fear. He justifies this by believing that getting the kite will make Baba proud of him. In actuality, it makes Amir appear to be a bad friend, who only used Hassan to get what he needed. Amir begins to feel guilty about what he did. This event is a turning point as it establishes the long standing guilt experienced throughout the text. -
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Chapter 8
While Baba was gardening, Amir asks him if he would ever consider getting new servants. Amir only asks this as a way to try and relieve his guilt. This causes Baba to become upset at Amir and state how he won't get new servants. This is an important event as it shows how the guilt is truly eating up at Amir, which is causing him to lash out. Rather than try to face what he has done head on, he would rater push the problems away and hope that they disappear. -
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Chapter 8
Amir invites Hassan to walk with him up to the pomegranate tree to talk as they hadn't really hung out since the assault. While they were there, Amir begins to pelt Hassan with pomegranates in hopes of Hassan hitting him back. This is an important event as it shows how bad the guilt begins to eat up Amir. He wants Hassan to hurt him so that he won't feel guilty about what he did. When Hassan doesn't, Amir lashes out and cries, showing how much he is suffering from the guilt he feels. -
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Chapter 9
After his party, Amir plants some money and his new watch under Hassan's mattress to frame him so that he would be forced to leave. Rather than object to stealing, Hassan admits that he did after having figured out Amir's plan. This is an important event as it shows the persistence of Amir to remove Hassan in order to relieve his guilt. Directly after the assault, Amir believes the only way to relieve his guilt is to be disassociated with Hassan, which he is able to do after framing him. -
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Chapter 11
While describing his drives through neighborhoods in the U.S., Amir reveals that he feels the U.S. is an escape for him from his past. This is an important event as it takes the reader further into the mind of Amir. Amir's guilt continues to persist in his head, but he continues to try and ignore it in hopes of it going away. This causes Amir to look selfish. Amir shows that he is unwilling to face guilt as this point, and would rather just forget about what happened. -
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Chapter 12
While Amir and Soraya talk, Soraya reveals a secret about her past and her having been with a man before. However, rather than share about his past, Amir simply nods and remains silence. This is an important event, as it shows how the assault still haunts him in the back of his mind. This event shows how the guilt never went away from Amir, and how he never truly dealt with it. It also reveals that Amir is still uncomfortable sharing this event, even with his future wife. -
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Chapter 18
After talking with Rahim Khan, Amir realizes that he must find Hassan's son Sohrab and take care of him. Amir not only wants to do this to repay Hassan, but also to honor Hassan as Amir found out they were brothers. This is an important event in the development of Amir. It shows Amir's willingness to repay for his actions, as well as showing how Amir is finally able to admit to what he did. In addition, Amir is finally willing to help Hassan, rather than try to beat him down to relieve guilt. -
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Chapter 19
After staying at Wahid's house, Amir realizes that Wahid was unable to feed his children. Feeling guilty, Amir stuffs a wad of cash underneath one of the mattresses for the family. This is a huge turning point in Amir's character, as it finally shows an action Amir does for others rather than himself. Specifically, repeating the action that he did to harm Hassan shows how he is ready to help Hassan, and how he now has found a way to move on from his guilt. -
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Chapter 22
During this chapter, Amir fights Assef so that he is able to take Sohrab with him. Rather than be a coward or beg, he takes the beating, laughing while being hit. This event shows true character development, as Amir is both no longer afraid of what he has done to Hassan, but is also willing to take punishment for him. The beating has shown to be the best way for Amir to relieve his guilt, as he now received punishment for his actions and can still fight to protect and raise Sohrab as his own.