The Kite Runner...Chapter 4

I took a break from writing my paper to relax with some reading. Chapter 4 starts off with Amir describing Baba's childhood. When Baba was about 5, his father adopted a recently orphaned boy into the family and named him Ali. Ali had polio, and his and Baba's relationship closely resembles Amir and Hassan's. Amir then describes his typically day with Hassan. Hassan would not go to school, but when Amir did get home, they would go on adventures, climbing trees and stealing fruit. It is the typically surrealistic boyhood memory, where there isn't a care in the world. Amir reads to Hassan everyday. One day Amir pretends he is reading from the book, but is actually making up a story as he pretends to read. When he is finished, Hassan is amazed and says it is the best story hes ever heard. Amir can't believe it and it is a great moment in their friendship. That night, Amir wrote his own short story. He describes Rahim Khan's reaction, "He flashed a smile and winked. 'For you. Read it later.' Then he paused and added a single word that did more to encourage me to pursue writing more than any compliment any editor has ever paid me. That word was Bravo. This chapter's foreshadowing is shown by Amir getting positive comments for his writing, propelling him to write more and more. At the end of the chapter, "a voice, cold and dark,"(34) creeps into Amir's head and makes a remark about his and Hassan's differing religions. I think more tension is right around the corner.