The Childhood
- In terms of intelligence and presence of mind, do you think Amir was jealous of Hassan?
- Do you think Amir ever reciprocated the genuine love that Hassan gave him? If not, what do you think was stopping him?
- Do you think Amir taught Hassan and read him stories because he was genuinely inclined towards educating him? Or did he just want a sense of validation for his superiority?
- Amir didn’t like to play outdoors. Hassan had moulded himself as per Amir’s interests. Can you recall anything that Amir did which was as per Hassan’s interests?
- What was the cultural and symbolic importance of the kite flying festival in Afghanistan?
- Why do you think winning the kite competition was so important for Amir?
- Baba considered Amir a bit feeble. So would you blame Baba for trying to mould Amir in a certain way?
- How do you think Ali might have shaped up as a person if his mom was still alive?
The Incident that changed everything
- What stopped Amir from saving Hassan?
- Hassan’s character seems too pure to be true yet we tend to have a strong liking for him, why is it so?
- After the incident, did you observe signs of passive aggression from Hassan? Do you think he felt betrayed?
- Why do you think Amir plotted the theft? What irritated him now?
- Do you think Ali knew about the incident?
Moving to America
- How did moving to America change Baba and Amir’s relationship? Did they grow closer?
- Do you think America made Baba more humble and accepting?
- Do you think Amir ever missed Hassan? And if he did, was it out of a figment of guilt or merely as a long-lost friendship?
- Do you think it was a deliberate attempt to not mention Hassan at all for a prolonged part of Amir’s time in America?
- What was the role of Soraya in making Amir feel loved and important?
Back in Peshawar, and then Kabul
- What role did Rahim Khan play in Amir growing up and becoming a writer?
- Why do you think he never told Baba what had happened to Hassan?
- What do you think was the motivation behind calling Amir to Peshawar again?
- Try and articulate Amir’s thoughts after the revelation about Hassan being his half-brother.
- Do you think Ali knew about Hassan not being his son?
- We are shown constant comparisons between Amir’s and Baba’s contrasting ways of life. But does the guilt in the veins of Baba and Amir make them similar in ways they both could never fathom?
- Was Amir being selfish in his pursuit of Sohrab? Was he attempting to find him to sort the past mistakes?
- What would the future of Amir and Sohrab’s relationship look like?
- Why do you think the ending of the story is so liberating?
Other things to ponder over
- Between the movie and the book, which would you rate better?
- Afghanistan as a character in itself. And the role it plays in the story.
- What makes Khaled Hosseini such an impactful writer?
