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Definition of Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved directly or indirectly, by making... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the... read full definition
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Never Mind :
As an adult, Amir thinks back to the many limiting external factors that surrounded his relationship with Hassan. He uses foreshadowing and repetition to show that he felt their bond was doomed to fail from the beginning:
Never mind any of those things. Because history isn’t easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi’a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing.
Even though Amir and Hassan grew up as close as brothers, Amir believes that the social and religious factors which differentiated them were unavoidable. Amir worries that no matter what he did, nothing could have prevented himself and Hassan from eventually being permanently divided. Even before Amir’s betrayals happen, the history of conflict and prejudice between Sunni and Shi’a stands in between the boys. Amir’s tone, which is filled with adult regret as he narrates from the future, shows that he feels their friendship could not have survived the built-in barriers between them. He feels powerless to fight these larger forces.
The repetition of the word “nothing” stresses the finality of this divide. By repeating it in this way, Amir underlines how absolute and unchangeable these barriers seemed to him. This sense of inevitability foreshadows his failure to stand by Hassan when it matters most.
Related Themes:
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Assef Khan:
As Amir describes his schoolmate Assef, he uses a simile and an allusion comparing the other boy to a Khan to highlight his dominance and sense of self-importance:
Born to a German mother and Afghan father, the blond, blue-eyed Assef towered over the other kids. His well-earned reputation for savagery preceded him on the streets. Flanked by his obeying friends, he walked the neighborhood like a Khan strolling through his land with his eager-to-please entourage.
An Afghan Khan was a tribal or military leader who held absolute power and authority in the area they ruled. Khans, who ruled from ancient times in Afghanistan to the beginnings of the 20th century, were the final arbiters of the law. They acted as both judges and rulers within their territories. By comparing Assef to a Khan surrounded by “obeying friends,” Amir shows the way Assef dominates his peers. The boys who Assef spends time with are more like an “eager-to-please” entourage than a group of friends. The allusion to Afghanistan’s history of rule by Khans shows Assef’s unchecked power over Amir, Hassan, and his other classmates. Amir presents this boy, with his “well-earned reputation for savagery,” not as an ordinary bully but as a tyrant within their small world. This comparison makes Assef's childish dominance feel larger and more dangerous than it truly is. It also foreshadows Assef’s extreme cruelty as an adult, which Amir encounters again when he returns to Afghanistan to rescue Sohrab from him.
Related Themes:
Chapter 20
Explanation and Analysis—Profoundly Happy:
When Amir speaks with an old beggar who once knew his mother, he learns about Sofia's somewhat fatalistic approach to things. As the old man tells a story about her to Amir, he uses situational irony and foreshadowing to illustrate her mixed feelings about happiness. As he recounts it, Amir’s mother once said:
I'm so afraid. Because I'm so profoundly happy. Happiness like this is frightening [...] They only let you be this happy if they're preparing to take something from you.
The situational irony in this quote by Amir’s mother comes from the reversal of expectations it contains. Amir’s mother ironically feels fear because she is deeply happy. Instead of feeling secure or content, her happiness triggers dread because she’s afraid it could be taken from her. This emotional reaction runs opposite to what the reader might expect. Sofia is anxious that her happiness is a warning sign rather than a permanent state. Her total joy feels dangerous when she’s sure it will be followed by sorrow.
The foreshadowing in her statement is uncanny; especially as the old man is telling Amir this story when his mother is already dead. Within the story’s larger arc, this moment also hints at the many losses Amir will face. Her words plant the idea that any fulfillment in this world comes with hidden costs. Being “profoundly happy” should also make one profoundly afraid.
Related Themes:
