Outside Reading, Week 6, Post A

Vocab
crux (272) - a vital, basic, decisive, or pivotal point

tangential (288) - merely touching; slightly connected

Figurative Language
"His patience with Zalami was a well that ran deep and never dried." (264)

In this passage, the author uses a metaphor to compare Rasheed's patience with Zalami to a deep well. Because Zalami is a boy and his biological son, Rasheed has much more patience with him than he has with Aziza, who he scorns and kicks aside with little thought. The well analogy is significant because at this time in the book, there is a severe drought in Afghanistan, so the author could be using the metaphor to reference the current situation.

"Laila watched the arch of her closed fist, slicing through the air, felt the crinkle of Rasheed's stubbly, coarse skin under her knuckles. It made a sound like dropping a rice bag on the floor." (266)

In this excerpt, Hosseini uses a simile to describe the way Laila punches Rasheed after he suggests that Aziza become a street beggar. The object that Hosseini uses in his comparison, a rice bag on the floor, could, again, be a reference to the setting. Rasheed's shop as burned down and that family is very low on money and as a result, even a bowl of rice is extremely rare in the house. So, the author could be saying that this kind of rebellion is extremely rare, as is a bag of rice.

"And there was the battered tennis court, the ragged net lying limply in the middle of it like dead skin shed by a snake." (277)

When Rasheed takes Mariam and Laial to the hotel to call Jalil, Mariam decides to wander around and see how badly the hotel has worn. In this line, she sees that the famous pool and tennis courts are now downtrodden. The author uses a simile to compare the "ragged net" to a "dead skin shed by a snake" to show that the hotel and city, like the tennis court, are worn down.

Quote
"She watched him walk away, shivering where she stood. She thought, Volumes, and another shudder passed through her, a current of something sad and forlorn, but also something eager and recklessly hopeful." (306)

One day, Tariq, much to Laila's surprise, arrives at her door. Laila had been told that Tariq is dead due to Rasheed's fear that Tariq may steal her away from him. However, now that Tariq is alive and still unmarried, Laila is starting to fall for him, which could mean freedom for her, but most likely confrontation between Tariq and Rasheed.

Theme
Overall, the theme seems to be improving, especially in the last few pages. Although things seemed to be getting really bad at first (Rasheed losing his store, Aziza being put into an orphanage, drought), Tariq coming back puts a positive spin on Laila's entire outlook on life. Now, she actually has something to shoot for, something to hope for, instead of just Rasheed.