~Chapter 8~

At the beginning of Chapter 8, Ali mentions to Amir that Hassan has been acting strange lately. He asks Amir if anything happened to Hassan after the kite tournament and Amir says "how should I know." I think that if Amir was a good friend, he would have told Ali about the boys raping Hassan, but obviously Amir only cares about his reputation and does not want to appear to being a wuss. Baba and Amir's relationship has grown since the kite tournament victory. In a way this is a good thing, because Amir can finally experience the father/son relationship he always longed for, but I have a feeling that it could also turn out bad. Baba could use his son and make it appear as a loving relationship. I find it odd that Hassan was the first to confront Amir about playing together. I would have thought that Hassan would feel awkward and would not want to hang out with Amir. Once again Hassan had to be the bigger person. When Amir confronts his father about the idea of new servants, Baba becomes very hostile and tells him absolutely not. He becomes very upset with his son, which shows that Baba does care and love for Ali and Hassan.
The part that took me by surprise was when Amir is mentioning the metal rod between the fingers of the students that talked in class. He says that because his father is "rich and well-known," he will never have to experience that punishment no matter how much he talks. I feel that this is showing the snobby side of Amir. I think when Amir throws the pomegranate at Hassan he is only trying to get Hassan to stand up for himself. He is trying to teach Hassan to not be put down and not take cruelty, but is contradicting the way he, himself acts. Hassan has no problem standing up for him or Amir. Amir is the one who can't fess up for himself and take care of his own problems.
Amir tells that his father and him do not have the relationship that they once did after he won the kite tournament. I knew that the relationship would not last. Amir is dying for normal father/son relations, such as the relationship between Ali and Hassan. Why does Baba throw Amir a birthday party? I find it awkward that Baba becomes so friendly with Assef and feel that Assef has more in common with Baba than anyone else.