Flashbacks

" Hearing Rahim Khan speak Ali's name was like finding an old dusty music box that hadn't been opened in years; the melody began to play immediately: Who did you eat today, Babalu? Who did you eat, you slant-eyed Babalu?" (pg. 214) Flashbacks are what drive this book. Chapters 2-13 are essentially flashbacks of Amir's life. These are the chapters where the reader learns about everything that has happened up until the scene in chapter one. When Hosseini brings the reader back to the present in chapter fourteen, he also uses flashbacks to Amir's childhood. These flashbacks help the reader relate to Amir more because the reader has read of these occurances before in the previous chapters. Personally, these flashbacks helped me connect to Amir when he returned to Afganistan because I knew his background. I also believe that the flashbacks Amir has in chapters 14 - 25 push Amir to do the right thing. Flashbacks like the quote above help Amir to remember what he allowed to occur when he was young. Remembering these instances reminds Amir why he is ultimately searching for Sohrab. Amir owes it to his past to make the future better and these flashbacks push him to do so.