Opening Up the Past

This picture symbolizes Amir's interaction with the homeless man on the street in Kabul.  The locker represents the memories of Amir's mother, whose life had been locked away from Amir due to Baba's guilt. Baba was unable to reveal who exactly Amir's mother was since it reminded him of his sins.  After Baba's death Amir loses his only chance to know the locker combination and open the locker of his mother's character. The locker was lost forever, until Amir meets the homeless man. The homeless man unlocks the locker with his own memories, allowing Amir his first exposure to his mother's personality. However, the half open locker shows that the homeless man can only reveal so much. His memory is blurry, and the inside of the locker is cast in dark shadow and mystique. The objects inside the locker that can be seen representing the little details that the old man possessed, which Amir craved for. It is not good enough for Amir to fully understand his mother, as he tells the old man they will meet again, but it gives him a glimpse of his mother's character and the woman whose blood he carries on.