Repression of Guilt and Memories

Repression of Guilt and Memory

The image of a rusted chain lock on a fence represents Amir’s emotional and psychological state. The chain link fence represents his old memories and experiences in Afghanistan and how he really only remembers the framework of his less important memories from his childhood. The spaces between the links, where the sky is exposed, represent the details he’s forgotten. The rusted chain represents the guilt from the incident with Hassan’s rape, and the ugly memories that resulted from that incident. It is more tightly made and has less spaces within its links, which implies that he has a more vivid memory of this event. The rust symbolizes how time has worn the memories down, but the chain itself will never quite disappear. However, the lock on the chain is unlocked, which symbolizes how the open-endedness of how he deals with guilt. He could either deal with the guilt like Baba, who acted with honor and nobility to try and redeem himself, or he could act in a cowardly fashion let his emotions leak out and wound his relationships with his close friends and family.