Chapter 3

Chapter three focuses mainly on the character of Baba, and Amir and Hassan's relationship with Baba. It opens with, 'Lore has it my father once wrestled a black bear [...] with his bare hands.' This tells the reader that Baba is a very strong man, and even though it's a very extravagant claim to make, people believe him which shows us he is a well respected man. Amir goes on to describe how he has dreams about this, stating 'I can never tells Baba from the bear.' This indicates that Amir is fearful of his fathers power, but looks up to him and sees him as being as powerful as a bear. The fact that bears are one of the only animals humans are advised to run from tells us that Baba is courageous and physically powerful.
Baba is also described using pathetic fallacy, for example his nickname is 'Mr. Hurricane' and he is described as a 'force of nature' which suggests that he cannot be stopped. The quote 'hands that looked capable of uprooting a willow tree' provides the reader with a very forceful image and supports the nickname Baba has been given. Amir uses the word 'thundered' to describe how Baba enters a room, which indicates that he catches attention and this is further shown by the quote 'Attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun.' As Baba is the sun in this image, it suggests that he is 'the centre of the universe' and everything revolves around him.
Amir says 'Baba was impossible to ignore, even in his sleep.' This tells the reader that even at the most vulnerable time when Baba was unaware of his actions, he cannot be ignored. His snoring is described as 'a growling truck engine.' which highlights the fact that he is like a machine with his engine always running and the use of 'truck' as opposed to 'car' supports the fact that he is forceful and unstoppable.
Amir tells the story of how 'Baba decided to build an orphanage.' The use of the word 'decided' in this sentence suggests to the reader that this wasn't a premeditated decision but was a spur of the moment idea. Amir tells us how 'Baba had drawn the blueprints himself despite the fact he had no architectural experience at all.' This shows the reader that Baba is a very proud man who is strong-willed and is full of self belief. Amir also boasts that he 'personally funded the entire project' including 'city officials who's mustaches needed oiling.' This tells the reader that he is a very independent man and probably would be too proud to accept help from anyone. It's also obvious that he has connections and power in the higher society, as he was able to convince or bribe them into agreeing with him.
When Baba asks Amir to fetch Hassan to go to Ghargha Lake, Amir admits 'I lied and told him Hassan had the runs. I wanted Baba all to myself.' This shows us that Amir is a selfish child, however he also feels like he's missing out on quality father-son time due to Hassan's presence. Amir recalls that Baba 'patted Hassan on the back' for skipping his stone eight times. This reveals to the reader that Amir is jealous of Hassan because he feels Baba is proud of Hassan but not of him. When Amir attempts to talk to Baba, the words 'Baba grunted' are repeated. This could be due to the fact that Baba is annoyed with Amir for interrupting his work, or it could be that Baba is too busy to listen to what Amir has to say. Baba does not give Amir the attention that he craves which leads to Amir saying '"I think I have saratan," I said. Cancer.' Baba dismisses this because he is annoyed at Amir for bringing something like this up without reason. Amir has said this as a shock-tactic, to try and gain Baba's attention, but it only leads to disapproval from Baba.
When it comes to the orphanage opening, Amir states 'they ran out of chairs.' This is another indicator of his popularity. At this point, Amir is very proud of and we can see this from the line 'He motioned to me to hold his hat for him and I was glad to because everyone would see that he was my father, my Baba.' After Baba's hat flies he says that 'he hoped the building was sturdier than his hat.' This tells the reader that he has a sense of humor and allows us to see Baba in a more human light.
We are told that 'people were always doubting him (Baba)' and they said he couldn't run a business. 'Baba proved them all wrong.' This indicates that he is a very strong-willed man, and it then goes on to say he had a 'successful carpet-exporting business, two pharmacies and a restaurant.' showing that he didn't stop after proving them wrong, but made a point of his independence and determination.
When Amir says 'With me as the glaring exception, my father moulded the world around him to his liking [...] Baba saw the world in black and white. And he got to decide what was black and what was white.' It gives a clearer view of how he thinks his father sees him, which from the first line, shows he thinks he is not to his father's liking and he feels inadequate to his father's expectations. 'Baba saw the world in black and white' tells us that he is a man to be feared as there is no in between for him, and he has a clear outline of what he thinks is good or bad. Where Amir talks about his father being able to decide what was black and what was white, it again indicates that he is to be feared. It shows us that he is a powerful man and people look up to and respect his opinion because he is a dominant man.
Amir begins to talk about what he learns in class such as 'the virtues of zakat'; 'the duty of hadj' and 'the five daily namaz prayers.' He also states how his teacher mad him 'memorize verses from the Koran' making them pronounce the words properly 'with the help of a stripped willow branch.' This gives the reader an insight to the everyday life of a Shi'a Muslim and shows us how strict their culture was and that corporal punishment was a standard procedure if they did not pronounce the Arabic words correctly. He is also taught that 'drinking is a terrible sin' and it is against their religion, indicating how strict the Muslim culture is.
Later on, Amir talks to Baba about what his school teacher has said, just as Baba is pouring himself a drink. It says 'He listened, nodded, took a sip from his drink.' From this sentence we can see that Baba has no high regard for that particular religious code however he doesn't seem disappointed that Amir has enquired about this, but more like he was expecting Amir to say something. The fact that he 'propped' Amir onto his lap also tells us that this is a discussion Baba is willing and almost happy to have with Amir.
Amir describes 'the air hissing through his mustache' which shows a slow build up with he use of 'hissing' - a sibilant consonant. Later on it also says that 'Baba crushed an ice cube between his teeth.' indicating how forceful and intimidating Baba is through the use of a plosive consonant.
When Amir says 'the ice clincked.' the use of a simple short sentence is very dramatic and tension building up to when he says 'Piss on the beard of those self-righteous monkeys.' which shows his complete disrespect and disregard for Amir's teachers. This also links to the fact that Baba sees the world in black and white, because he thinks that his opinion is the only one worth learning.
When Amir is giggling about what Baba has said, he describes how 'Baba's stony eyes bore into mine' which is a very intimidating image and completely emotionless and cold like a statue.
Baba says to Amir, 'I need to speak to you man to man. Do you think you can handle that for once?' This is degrading and shows us that Amir is a lesser man than Baba, causing him to feel he constantly disappoints Baba.
Baba talks to Amir about his beliefs about sin. He says 'there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft.' He explains this by using the examples of murder being theft of life and lying being theft of truth. When Amir understands this, it makes him believe that he stole the life of his mother by killing her during childbirth, which is why Baba hates Amir.
Amir also describes how Baba designed and built his own orphanage, despite the fact that he had no prior experience. This tells us that Baba is stubborn and doesn't listen to discouraging advice, carrying on regardless. This is significant in terms of Baba and Amir's relationship as Amir identifies himself as the one thing Baba had not 'molded... to his liking.'
When Baba and Amir visit a Buzkashi tournament, it highlights the differences between Amir and Baba, and the person Baba wants Amir to be and who Amir really is. Baba says he can't believe Amir is his son, it forms the foundation of the relationship between Amir and Baba, and makes Amir constantly urge for his father's approval. In the last small section of the chapter, we see how Amir's desire to please Baba turns into a cruelty towards Hassan, that Amir identifies as the 'mean streak' that Rahim Kahn had said Amir didn't possess.
In chapter 3, we are shown clearly the dynamic and  layout of the characters relationships with each other. The relationships that are outlined here define how the characters interact for the rest of the novel.