Narrative Voice

Narrative Voice

1. Letters, gives us views of different characters without showing Amir's unreliability as a narrator

   • Rahim Khan confesses he knew about the rape, makes Amir feel more guilty and therefore wants to get Sohrab for him too.
   • Amir
   • Hassan's letters are very warm and show no grudges being held against Amir

2. Unreliable narrator

   • Amir has a guilty conscience throughout the novel due to witnessing Hassan's rape
   • Child like view makes Amir seem guilty, helps enforce didactic purpose of the book as the reader can see more clearly the mistakes being made

3. Reliable narrator?

   • This happens nearer the end when Amir seeks redemption more than ever
   • Amir seeks Sohrab's happiness after he tried to commit suicide, when he smiles the regret is taken off Amir's shoulders. It is here he is most likely to be most reliable.

4. Time is slowed down during the rape of Hassan by Assef

   • This makes the reader endure reading about the rape for longer- can feel the emotions and disturbance that Amir is feeling at the time

5. Following Sohrab's suicide attempt the narration becomes present tense giving a more urgent tone

6. Before the rape the vocabulary and sentence structure is more childlike to reflect the childish thoughts and feelings