The Kite Runner – Chapter 6

It is winter in Afghanistan and it is also the kite flying season. Baba buys Amir and Hassan the best kites at a specialist kite maker. Amir is a skilled kite flyer but wealth and privilege are also significent factors in his success.
As the boys prepare for the tournament Amir half-playfully tests Hassan’s loyalty by asking him if he would “Eat dirt if I told you to”. This test is another sign of Amir’s arrogance as a ruling Pashtun as well as an indication of his insecurity. The reader wonders why he has the constant need to exert power over the obviously powerless Hassan.
The tournament draws near and Baba takes a real interest in Amir and he confidently predicts he will win. Amir is worried that he won’t measure up but also hopes to bask in the glow of victory. He thinks taht if he wins the tournament that “maybe I would be finally be pardoned for killing my mother.”