It is now 1981 and the action focuses on Amir and Baba’s escape from Soviet occupied Kabal. They secretly leave and hurriedly leave with other refugees in a truck. Amir again embarrasses Baba by being carsick. In this part of the novel the horrors of the Soviet occupation are suggested. We note that Amir still thinks of Hassan and the thought that the friend he betrayed is still in the Soviet controlled country makes him physically ill.
The scene where Baba intervenes when a Russian soldier threatens to rape one of the refugees is a direct contrast to Amir and Hassan. Baba’s action is a testament to courage and principles as he is willing to stand up and defend a woman he doesn’t even know while Amir couldn’t defend the friend that he had grown up with.
The reappearance of Kamal is a variation on the same theme. The reader notes that it is ironic that Kamal, who participated in Hassan’s rape, has gone silent, because he, too, was raped. Kamal’s did not rape Hassan but he allowed it to happen. His rape appears to be a chilling example of natural justice. Kamal’s reaction to the trauma he suffered is also significant as he has basically had a breakdown. It makes the reader reflect on how Hassan must have felt after his rape. The act of rape is about brutal domination and in this chapter it can be seen as symbolic of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.
After Kamal dies in the petrol tanker his father kills himself in despair. He is symbolic of the despair of many people in Afghanistan. Kamal’s father’s suicide is also symbolic in that it represents the dying of the old life they all are leaving behind. This can be seen when Baba gathers up the dirt of his homeland to hold next to his heart. It foreshadows to the reader that Baba will never come back to Afghanistan.
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