The Kite Runner Chapter 13 Quotes
The Kite Runner Chapter 13 Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote 4
Earlier, at the gravesite in the small Muslim section of the cemetery, I had watched them lower Baba into the hole. The mullah and another man got into an argument over which was the correct ayat of the Koran to recite at the gravesite. It might have turned ugly had General Taheri not intervened. The mullah chose an ayat and recited it, casting the other fellow nasty glances. I watched them toss the first shovelful of dirt into the grave. Then I left. Walked to the other side of the cemetery. Sat in the shade of a red maple. (13.60)
On an emotional level, this event must pain Amir quite a bit. Here he is trying to mourn his father – to say goodbye to his father – and the mullah and some dude are arguing about the prayer. We at Shmoop want to say to the mullah and this other guy: "Forget about the prayers – you two are the improper ones!" In the larger context of religion in the novel, though, Hosseini comments on the occasional divisiveness of religion. In the cemetery scene, both the mullah and the man miss their more important religious obligation, which is not the correct prayer, but compassion for Amir and respect for his deceased father.
Quote 5
As words from the Koran reverberated through the room, I thought of the old story of Baba wrestling a black bear in Baluchistan. Baba had wrestled bears his whole life. Losing his young wife. Raising a son by himself. Leaving his beloved homeland, his watan. Poverty. Indignity. In the end, a bear had come that he couldn't best. But even then, he had lost on his own terms. (13.51)
Somehow, during Amir's childhood, and while they lived in Afghanistan, death and illness never seemed like threats to someone like Baba. The wild forces of nature (a.k.a. a bear) couldn't contend with Baba – so why should a disease pose any threat? But once these things do happen to Baba, he starts to seem very human. It's possible, though, that because Baba ages and has trouble adapting to life in America, Amir is able to reconcile with his past. This man who towered over Amir reveals a more human side, which might help Amir accept his own failings.