PLOT EVENTS
What childhood event becomes the center of Amir’s lifelong guilt?
Hassan’s assault in the alley.
What is the name of Amir’s loyal childhood friend and servant?
Hassan
The pomegranate tree that Amir and Hassan play under symbolizes what?
Their childhood friendship and innocence.
In what city does Amir grow up?
Kabul
Who says “For you, a thousand times over”?
Hassan
What major competition does Amir win that becomes a turning point in his relationship with Baba?
The winter kite-fighting tournament.
What physical characteristic makes Hassan instantly recognizable?
His cleft lip
What does Amir’s scar on his lip symbolize later in the story?
His connection to Hassan and his attempt at redemption.
Where do Amir and Baba immigrate to after fleeing Afghanistan?
Fremont, California
When Baba tells the Russian soldier he will not let the woman be taken, what does this reveal about his character?
His bravery and strong moral code.
What does Baba do when he sees a Russian soldier harassing a woman at the checkpoint?
He stands up to the soldier and demands he let the woman go.
What role does Ali play in Amir’s childhood home?
He is Baba’s longtime servant and Hassan’s father.
What does kites “running” symbolize throughout the book?
Victory, loss, loyalty, and later, redemption.
What setting symbolizes Amir’s transition into adulthood and independence?
His life in America: school, writing, and marrying Soraya.
When Amir thinks “I had one last chance to make a decision,” what decision is he referring to?
Whether to intervene during Hassan’s assault.
What happens during the fuel truck escape from Afghanistan that traumatizes Amir?
He and other refugees are trapped in the dark, suffocating tank for hours.
Which character becomes an example of true courage and moral conviction for Amir?
Baba
What theme is reinforced when Amir allows Hassan to take the blame for the stolen money and watch?
Cowardice and betrayal.
What setting represents both decay and Amir’s need to confront the past when he returns years later?
War-torn Kabul under the Taliban.
What painful truth does Rahim Khan reveal that connects Amir and Hassan more deeply than Amir ever knew?
Hassan is actually Amir’s half brother.
What news does Rahim Khan deliver to Amir that changes the purpose of Amir’s trip to Pakistan?
That Hassan is dead and Amir must rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab.
Which character acts as a second father figure to Amir by encouraging his writing and moral growth?
Rahim khan
What major theme is highlighted by the revelation of Baba’s secret about Hassan?
The complexity of guilt, atonement and the invisible lines of class and ethnicity.
What is the significance of the orphanage Rahim Khan mentions to Amir?
t’s where Sohrab is supposed to be, revealing the danger and urgency of Amir’s mission.
What quote becomes the driving force of Amir’s redemption arc, spoken by Rahim Khan?
“There is a way to be good again.”