Chapter 7

Question 1

On the morning of the tournament, what is the dream which Hassan shares with Amir?

Answer 1

it is about an alleged monster and how together they demonstrate bravery, friendship and leadership to prove to the people that it is safe to swim in the lake. This reinforces Hassan’s allegiance for and love of Amir. However with the image of the lurking monster “swimming at the bottom, waiting” suggests that Hassan is conscious of Amir’s cruelty behind his friendly surface, believing that he can be good and brave.

Question 2

What does Hassan say when he runs the kite for Amir?

Answer 2

“for you a thousand times over!”

Question 3

Who were the 3 boys which chased Hassan?

Answer 3

Assef, Wali and Kamal

Question 4

Just before the rape scene the narrative breaks, what are the two memories which are inserted and a dream?

Answer 4

1) first memory was Ali telling Amir that he and Hassan fed from the same breast
2) a visit to a fortune teller which foretold Hassan’s horrific future, and did not share it with him.

3)Amir is lost in a snow storm, a hand reaches to guide him and leads Amir to safety

Question 5

What is a word for anal intercourse?

Answer 5

sodomises

Question 6

As Assef sodomises Hassan, Amir compares the look he sees on Hassan’s face to what?

Answer 6

to that of a sacrificial lamb

Question 7

Why does Amir think that Hassan’s face compared to that of a sacrificial lamb?

Answer 7

as he remembers a lamb that was led to the slaughter and had a look of “resignation” on its face

Question 8

What does Amir say about how he ran away from the rape?

Answer 8

“In the end, I ran. I ran because I was a coward”

Question 9

“In the end, _ ___, I ran because _ ____ __ ______”

Answer 9

I ran

I was a coward

Question 10

How does Amir attempt to rationalise his decision after he ran away from the rape?

Answer 10

he attempted to dehumanise Hassan who was “just a Hazara”

Question 11

What were the final lines of this chapter?

Answer 11

“In his arms, I forgot what I’d done. And that was good”

Question 12

The narrative begins with a dream, what does this mirror later in the chapter?

Answer 12

this mirrors the dreamlike state Amir is in in as he watches the nightmare

Question 13

What motif is the juxtaposition of the beautiful day with the ugly incident?

Answer 13

appearance versus reality

Question 14

while Amir corrects Hassan that “we won” what is the truth about this?

Answer 14

this is of an inclusive, private nature, Hassan will not have the glory

Question 15

Amir is not strong ________, ________ and ________

Answer 15

physical
emotionally
spiritually

Question 16

What type of book is the Kite Runner?

Answer 16

a bildungsroman

Question 17

What is a bildungsroman?

Answer 17

a novel dealing with one person’s formative years or spiritual education.

Question 18

What is significant of the fact that the rape scene which is referenced in Chapter 1, is in chapter 7, very early in the novel?

Answer 18

as it is suggested that this is the climax of the novel, yet this event occurs one-third of the way through; it is this which allows the reader to realise that it is the impact of the event itself and its aftermath which plays a much larger role in the novels development, and Amir’s development

Question 19

What is the catalyst that propels the rest of the novel forward?

Answer 19

Hassan’s rape

Question 20

What tension does Chapter 7 sum up?

Answer 20

the treatment of Hazara’s by Pashtuns, Amir’s desperation to please his father, and the question of whether the can stand up for what is right

Question 21

Amir tells us a story both as a confession and penance, what is penance?

Answer 21

punishment inflicted on oneself as an outward expression of repentance for wrongdoing:

Question 22

What is Hassan’s rape, a servant by a powerful figure, Assef, suggest more widely?

Answer 22

that Afghanistan, and the western culture which filtered through, would become suppressed by the Talbian

Question 23

Why is it ironic that Amir allows his friend to be raped in exchange for a prize that he believes will earn him Baba’s love?

Answer 23

as Baba’s greatest concern regarding Amir is that he will grow up to be a “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything” He inadvertently does what Baba would not have wanted.

Question 24

What makes admitting watching Hassan’s rape even harder for Amir and why?

Answer 24

as viewing this illicit act is akin to sexual voyeurism due to the connotations of seeing something he shouldn’t have.

Question 25

Amir describes the clear winter’s day as a “blameless blue” what is this effect after the rape?

Answer 25

this makes winning the tournament all the more glorious and the rape even more dark and disturbing

Question 26

Why are the events in chapter 7 so significant?

Answer 26

as they are frequently referenced in later chapters as sources of Amir’s guilty and the driving force behind his desire to redeem himself

Question 27

What is important about the way that Chapter 7 moves in the way the passage is written?

Answer 27

as although it is clear enough to inform the reader of what is happening, it describes the actual attack obliquely, using the sounds and Amir’s imaginings and emotions, rather than the graphic description of the rape itself. (described as a sacrificial lamb)

Question 28

What quote is an example of how in this chapter although it is clear enough to inform the reader of what is happening, it describes the actual attack obliquely, using the sounds and Amir’s imaginings and emotions, rather than the graphic description of the rape itself. (described as a sacrificial lamb)?

Answer 28

Amir tells us that he was “biting down on my fist, hard enough to draw blood from the knuckles [and] weeping”
Amir’s blood and tears mirror the blood and tears that would be coming from Hassan at the same time, by focusing on Amir, Hosseini provides an impression of the pain and horror of what is occurring without it being too literal

Question 29

What is effective of the way Amir tells us that he was “biting down on my fist, hard enough to draw blood from the knuckles [and] weeping”?

Answer 29

as Amir’s blood and tears mirror the blood and tears that would be coming from Hassan at the same time, by focusing on Amir, Hosseini provides an impression of the pain and horror of what is occurring without it being too literal

Question 30

What can be said about the way that Amir describes choosing to run away from the alley?

Answer 30

as it is implied that he does not stop running until the end of the novel when he finally redeems himself for that crucial moment

Question 31

What is important about the fact the rape occurs in an alley?

Answer 31

it is symbolic of their hidden and dark nature and Amir’s failure to enter the alley shows his inability and unwillingness to deal with the darker side of life and highlights the protected nature of his upbringing up to this point which Farid later points out when he mocks that Amir has “always been a tourist here, you just didn’t know it.” (chapter 19)

Question 32

Where does Amir run to while Hassan is attacked, which represents the safety and shelter which he is used to?

Answer 32

to the bazaar, an open and very public place

Question 33

What is sifngicaint about the fact that Amir runs to the bazaar while Hassan is attacked?

Answer 33

it represents the safety and shelter which he is used to

Question 34

How does Amir attempt to rationalise his decision to run away?

Answer 34

first he explains that “I ran because I was a coward” and then tries to convince himself that it was not cowardice but self-interest which drove him in order to placate Assef through sacrificing Hassan in order to win Baba’s approval. He then dismisses Hassan: ‘He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he”

Question 35

What can be suggested from the fact that first he explains that “I ran because I was a coward” and then tries to convince himself that it was not cowardice but self-interest which drove him in order to placate Assef through sacrificing Hassan in order to win Baba’s approval?

Answer 35

this suggests how Amir’s treatment of Hassan is tied up so closely with his desire to gain his father’s love.

Question 36

How does Amir dismiss his conscious?

Answer 36

by thinking: He was just a Hazara, wasnt he ?!

Question 37

What can be said of the fact that Amir reasoned that “He was just a Hazara, wasnt he?”?

Answer 37

this reflects how ingrained the racism was in culture despite Amir’s own open mind to Hassan’s ethnicity, and demonstrates how much of his personal belief he was willing to surrender for the search of reconciliation with his father

Question 38

What reflects an extension of Amir’s cruelty immediately after the rape?

Answer 38

he questions Hassan rudely “Where were you?I looked for you”

Question 39

What do we know as the reader despite the fact that at the end of chapter 7 he had forgotten his guilty in his fathers embrace?

Answer 39

we know from the proceeding dialogue that this moment of respite will be short and the events in that alley will haunt him for many years