Role of the Narrator

The narrative point of view in this book is first person, and we get to see everything through Amir's eyes. We get to know his thoughts, his past and his fears. At the same time we get to know how things looks, we get to see what Amir can see. All through the book he has been speaking about his past, and things that has happened to him earlier in his life. Now it's changed to present tense, and he doesn't talk or speak so much of the past anymore. But suddenly he gets contacted by Rahim Kahn, and there is a whole chapter, chapter 16, where the whole narrative point of view still is first person, but this time it's seen from Rahim Kahn's side of the case.

The role of the first person is written different when Rahim is the first person. The whole chapter is one long monologue by Rahim, and already in his second sentence he says "Allah forgive me...", which is something Amir would never almost start a sentence with, as he doesn't believe very much in God. There isn't any descriptions of what Rahim can see or what he does, all through the chapter. It's only one long "speech". If Amir where the first person in this chapter, we would probably get to know more about what he felt when Rahim told him everything, but we don't get any reactions from him before the next chapter.

As I've written in earlier texts, I feel like I am Amir sometimes. This is because of the first person narrative where we get to know and see everything he does. When I got to chapter 16 where Rahim tells this long story to Amir, I think it was very clever of the author to change the narrative from Amir as first person, and rather have Rahim as the first person while telling. In this way, I still have the feeling of being Amir because it feels like everything Rahim says, he says to me. It's written in a way that makes the reader feel he or she is the one Rahim is telling the story to, and in this way we know Amir's feelings. It's not written. It's not written how he feels, what he says or if i moves. But so far in the book, I know Amir. I know how he looks when Rahim tells this to him, I know what he thinks and I know how he feels.

Amir doesn't give any response to Rahim about what he has said until chapter 17 where Amir is first person again, and everything is back to "normal". Instead of putting Rahim as the first person and give the information to us as a monologue, he could go back in time again, which is done many times before in the book, and show us what has happened. This would make the chapter longer, and more similar to the rest of the book. But i like the way it stands out, and how this makes me feel as I'm the one getting the story.