Soraya's Morning Sun To Amir's Yelda

The tiny weed represents Amir, who is out of focus and small in comparison to the sun. The blur shows how Amir is lost in life and confused. He grows from a crack in the ground and struggles to live. When Amir meets Soraya, she literally becomes "the morning sun to [Amir's] yelda" (144). Soraya supports Amir, and becomes the reason for Amir's determination to be happy and stable in America. Amir strives to be with Soraya, much like the weed looks up towards the sun. However, the large space between the weed and the sun only shows how much of a distance there is between Soraya and Amir. This is shown when Soraya reveals her secret to Amir over the phone about her past relationship, while Amir does not admit to his past mistakes with Hassan.

Amir and Baba's Relationship

When Amir visits Rahim Khan in Pakistan, he is told that Hassan is actually his half-brother, making Baba Hassan's real father.  This image relates to Amir's changing feelings about his father.  Amir has looked up to Baba throughout his life as a full-grown, leafy tree, yet after learning about the sins Baba committed, Amir sees Baba as more of a sparse, hollow tree.  The shadow covering most of the tree illustrates the overwhelming guilt that both Amir and Baba have experienced throughout their lives.  The sunlit top of the tree represents the light that Amir sees when he realizes that his father, in the end, remained a good person as he constantly attempted to redeem himself for his sins by performing acts of good such as the building of the orphanage.  The tree itself represents the phases of Amir's life and his transition from shadow to sunlight as he gains understanding.  

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.

Heavy Weight of Guilt

In this image, the leaf is being "weighed down by guilt [water]" which represents the guilt Amir feels for betraying Hassan years ago. Amir has lived with guilt for many years of his life after making a mistake that alters his friendship with Hassan. The leaf represents how guilt [water] will always be there and bring you down. The leaf is Amir, and Hassan is the water weighing him down. In a way guilt is weight on one's conscience, which leads to a longer lasting feeling because it's hard to get rid of the feeling. It is scientifically that when someone experiences emotional guilt, it can be felt through your body. So, guilt can physically weigh you down. Amir is longs to be freed of his guilt and take the weight of guilt off his back. 

Farid: the Dark World

When Amir first returns to Afghanistan, he is not respected by Farid. Farid is resentful towards all of the Afghans who left their country in a time of need. This is result of Farid's intense pride for his nation, a pride that often leads him to have prejudice towards others. In the video, the first image we see is of the one wilted flower. This represents Farid's outlook on Amir, and on Afghan Americans in general. However, just behind this flower, there is one in full bloom, representing Amir and his good intensions. This is out of focus - Farid only focuses on what he expects, and not on Amir's better characteristics. When the camera pans over to the plant, we see Amir's blurred and outdated view of Afghanistan. As Farid says, "You've always been a tourist here, you just didn't know it" (232). Once the video focuses, a gaping hole is revealed in the plant, signifying the destruction of Afghanistan by the Taliban. Farid is consumed by this destruction, leading him to assume the worst of Amir. However, the flowers on the outskirts of the image show that despite the devastation, the common people can still find a way to live.

Forging New Paths

After the death of Baba, Amir is left to embark on a new journey of independence.  The road represents the journey Amir will undertake without Baba at his side to guide him through life. Just like the path, life is full of twists and turns, and nothing is straightforward. The tree’s vibrant green color represents the joys of life that may not seem evident at first, but will motivate Amir to continue on in search of more happiness. His marriage to Soraya and the lessons he learns by interacting with Sohrab are joys that come from the depths of darkness, and that give Amir hope for a better future. The shadows that cover up much of the road show that Baba’s death will darken Amir’s life in the near future, but the light that illuminates the horizon show hope for a better future and one free of guilt and anguish. When says, "I'm going to miss him," (176) it shows how the shadows and the darkness of Baba's death will leave a lasting impact on Amir, but throughout the rest of the novel, Amir uses Baba's advice to better himself and redeem himself for his past actions.

Soraya's Fight for Equality

This image illustrates Soraya's journey throughout the book and her struggle to overcome social boundaries. Soraya is represented by the blossoming flower, showing how she stands out amongst her oppressive culture. She is breaking the lock of social repression, by standing up to her father and speaking out about what she believes in. Throughout the novel, Soraya stood up for her freedoms to both her family and Amir. She explains how she ran away with an Afghan man, which goes against societal norms for women. The rusty chain and pole show the perpetuation of antiquated values that still persist within society.