Baba & Rahim Kahn

Amir jan,

I enjoyed your story very much. Mashallah, God has granted you a special talent. It is now your duty to home that talent, because a person who wastes his God-given talents is a donkey. ... My door is and always will be open to you, Amir jan. I shall hear any story you have to tell. Bravo.

Your friend,
Rahim

(pg. 32-33)

This note given to Amir was heart-felt and serious. Rahim Khan cares about Amir and everything he does, unlike Baba. Rahim Khan and Baba are business partners, but they are complete foils in this book. Rahim's nice and loving actions emphasize the selfish actions of Baba. Then, on the other hand, Baba's being an unsupportive father shows how great of a friend Rahim is to Amir. Baba pays no attention to Amir because Amir is nothing like Baba. He doesn't like to play or watch soccer and he would rather read poems or write stories instead of being a "normal boy" and striving to be a winner, not a coward. Rahim understands that Amir is not going to be exactly like his father and he accepts the way he is. In the note above, he shows how he is proud of Amir and encourages him to develop his talents and do what he loves. Baba is ashamned that Amir isn't like himself when he was a boy and barely talks to him.