The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini
Contributed by Youlanda Mill
Chapter 21
Summary

As Farid drives Amir away from the orphanage, the two see a corpse and a man trying to sell an artificial leg that belonged to it. When they come to Baba’s house, however, Amir is surprised to see that his neighborhood has been left relatively intact. Farid explains that this is because it has been populated by the Taliban and their supporters.

On the following day, the two go to the stadium where the Taliban official is said to be. The seats are patrolled by the Taliban enforcers who hit those who cheer too loudly during the game. At halftime, two red pickup trucks drive to the field. A man and a woman are put into holes that have previously been dug out near the goalposts. A mullah explains to the crowd that the two have committed adultery and that they should be stoned to death as their punishment. A Taliban official Amir has come to see is in charge of the stoning. He throws rocks at the couple until only mangled corpses remain of them. The game is resumed and Farid arranges for Amir to meet with the official.

Analysis

This chapter makes use of Amir’s childhood memories to contrast Kabul, from a time before the Taliban took power, to the one the narrator is presently visiting. While Farid has neither the volition nor the luxury to linger on the past, Amir wants not only to remember, but also to face his own. Although not destroyed, Baba’s once-splendid mansion is now just a shadow of what it used to be. The pomegranate tree was an important presence both in Amir’s and Hassan’s childhood; now it is barren.

The second part of the chapter is set at the soccer stadium. Its main focus is the execution that occurs at halftime, during which the Taliban turn violence into a spectacle. The mullah that explains the couple’s sin shows how fundamentalists use religion to further their own agendas. This point will be made more clear in the following chapter, where Amir will also get the opportunity to finally face his past.

info_outline
Have study documents to share about The Kite Runner? Upload them to earn free Studypool credits!