MWD

Historical information about the Setting:

Kabul is Afghanistan’s economic and cultural center, and capital. In 1979, Russian troops were stationed in Kabul. Inside the novel, Hosseini noted Russian presence, such as the “big rectangular yellow building” that made bread. From 1992 to 1996, a civil war took place, killing over 50,000 people. In the perspective of Nabi, “Kabul fell prey to men who looked like they had tumbled out of their mothers with Kalashnikov in hand……The street where [Nabi and Mr. Wahdati] lived turned into a war zone. Bullets hit every house. Rockets whistled overhead. RPGs landed up and down the street and blasted craters in the asphalt” (122). After the civil war, the Taliban took over Kabul until 2001. Even now, the unstable situation in Kabul is still in the state of fear.

Plot Summary:

Khaled Hosseini’s novel begins with the story of two motherless siblings, Abdullah and Pari, who have an unbreakable bond. Ten-year-old Abdullah has been taking care of his beloved little sister since their mother died giving birth to Pari. The family is impoverished to the point that one of their stepmother’s, Parwana’s, baby dies from the winter. Since another winter is coming along, and Parwana is pregnant again, Saboor, the father, and his children walk to Kabul. In Kabul, their step-uncle works for a wealthy couple, Suleiman and Nila Wahdati, are waiting to adopt Pari. Although the children have no idea, Saboor is sacrificing Pari but also giving her a chance to live a privileged life.

In 1955, six years have passed in Kabul when Suleiman Wahdati had a stroke. Nila, who is overwhelmed, takes Pari and escapes to Paris. To Nila, Pari was the only one who had potential of being her “seed of hope” (221). However, Nil...

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...rrive at legitimate selfhood… [Nila was] defying the monopoly that men like [her father] had held for ages. [Nila] was conducting a small, one-woman revolution (212). However, she lost the battle. Although she was able to escape to Paris, prejudice against women in Afghanistan was not stopped.

Time and Memory: In this novel, time can be both a blessing and a curse. Since Abdullah was ten years old, he was able to remember his separation with his beloved sister and spent his life agonizing over his loss. Meanwhile, Pari was separated from Abdullah at very young age, so could not remember her past life with Abdullah. By the end of the book, Pari is able to search and find her brother but because of his age, his memory deteriorates and suffers from Alzheimer’s. Forgetting can be a safeguard from pain, but also a struggle when you want to remember what you cannot.