One obvious paradox is Rahim Khan's promise to Amir that
"there is a way to be good again." Rahim seems to have known about Amir's transgressions
against Hassan, and he realizes that Amir's guilty conscience can only be eased by
somehow finding Sohrab. However, Amir is forced to risk his life, and even when he
returns home with Sohrab, he realizes his guilty conscience will never be fully
erased.
Another example is Baba's flight to America, the
land that he so admires. He hopes to begin a new life there and, hopefully, resume his
position of power. However, Baba is never able to adjust to life in California, and
loses confidence in his own abilities. The Afghani ex-patriots living in San Jose still
honor him, but to the rest of the population, he is just another face in the
crowd.
Another paradox occurs in Baba's own sense of honor,
which he considers all-important. Yet, Amir eventually finds that Baba has kept several
secrets from him: Baba has seduced Ali's wife and has fathered Hassan--a dishonorable
act that he has never revealed to Amir.
Afghanistan serves
as a paradox as well. The land that Baba and Amir consider so beautiful is constantly at
war--first with the Russians, and then the Taliban and, finally, with Northern Alliance
coalition forces. The nation is never fully united, with different factions controlling
different regions.
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