The Kite Runner Chapter 5

     July 17, 1973, Afganistan changed forever. Earth shook a little with roaring like thunder, and sound of gunfire. Hassan and Amir raced to Ali who was hobbling frantically around the house, panicking. When Ali saw two terrified boys, he hugged them and tried to ease their minds by saying people are hunting ducks. Amir felt a little envious of Hassan whose father was on his side in the worst situation. In fact, monarchy ended that night, and the king, Zahir Shah ran away to Italy. People in Kabul was crying and yelling as the generation of Afghan children whose ears would know nothing but the sounds of bombs and gunfire was not yet born. Before the sunrise, Baba came home from the party last night. He had fear on his face and hugged Amir and Hassan as soon as he saw them which made Amir glad about whatever happened that night. Chapter five was full of reality as the story goes along a real historical timeline and this part is an underplot for the following chapter depicting desperate war in Afghanistan.

     In the morning that the republic started, Hassan asked Amir if new people would send him and his father away. As a child, Hassan felt society atmosphere oppressing Hazaras. In fact, Hassan's concern turn out to be right after a few years. Afghan society was facing a huge turning point. 

     Meanwhile, Amir and Hassan bumped with Assef and his friends, Wali and Khamal in the street. Assef is an antagonist and Amir referred him as a ''sociopath''. Assef's word was law and he ruled Wazir Akbar Khan section of Kabul by his famous stainless steel brass knuckles. I personally felt Assef is very crafty because he refrained from harassing Amir who has a powerful father while he insulted Hassan by originating the word, ''Babalu'' and made fun of him with other kids.

    That day, Assef boasted Amir and Hassan about his plan of talking his vision to the new president, Daoud Khan who is the friend of his father. The vision was "Afghanistan for Pashtuns'' because he believed Pashtuns are true pure Afghans and Hazaras like Hassan pollute land and dirty blood. This radical thinking is similar to Hitler who ordered a lot of innocent people killed. In fact, Assef admired Hitler as a great leader with vision and said if they had let Hitler finish what he had started, the world be a better place now. He said Amir is a disgrace to Afghanistan and bothered him more than Hassan because Amir who let Hassan play together or touch was ununderstandable for him. When Assef raised his fist to hit Amir. Hassan suddenly stood in front of Amir with his slingshot pointing to Assef's left eye. Of course, he was scared plenty but courageous. Assef, Wali, and Khamal who were humiliated swore vengeance and walked away. From this part, we can see Hassan tends to protect Amir from bullies and is braver and more valiant than Amir.

     For the next couple of years from 1973, the Afghan economy developed quickly and the sense of rejuvenation swept across the land by the new republic system. One winter day in 1974, Hassan got plastic surgery of fixing harelip as a birthday present from Baba. I wondered why Baba spent expensive money and did that to Hassan, the servants' son. Of course, Baba is affluent but isn't it quite unnatural? I assume there is some secret in the relationship between Baba and Hassan.