In chapter thirteen more about the Afghan culture is revealed; that is due to the fact that this is the chapter in which Amir marries Soraya. The chapter starts off with Amir and his Baba arriving at the Taheris' house for the lafz, which is the ceremony of "giving word." Amir's father comments that "It's the happiest day of my life, Amir," page 166. This is the type of praise that Amir has been waiting his entire life to hear. However, considering the circumstances it is still somewhat bitter sweet. Amir and Soraya decided to forgo the Shirini-khori ceremony and the engagement period which would usually last several months. They do this because they know Amir's Baba is not going to last for much longer. It is somewhat ironic that during the wedding Amir relates relates the singing of the wedding song with the Russian soldier singing it all those years ago when he and his Baba had left Kabul. Also the fact that he thinks of Hassan at this moment is extremely revealing as well. He begins to speculate about Hassan's life and states "And I remember wondering if Hassan too had married. And if so, whose face he had seen in the mirror under the veil? Whose henna-painted hands had he held?" page 171. It appears as if Amir is unable to allow himself a moment of pure happiness. Whenever he is close his mind will drift to Hassan or all of the bad things he has done.
During the first month of marriage Amir and Soraya live together with Amir's Baba. Soraya dedicates all of her time to taking care of Amir's Baba. About a month after the wedding some of Soraya's family came to have dinner with her, Amir, and his Baba. Amir states that on that night "I could see his internal smile, as wide as the skies of Kabul on nights when the poplars shivered and the sound of crickets swelled in the gardens." page 173. It is on this night that Amir's father passes away. From that last statement it can be inferred that Amir's Baba died content, that he was in fact proud of his son and had finally accepted him. During the funeral Amir reflects on his father's life and states that "Baba had wrestled bears his whole life...In the end, a bear had come that he couldn't best." page 174. This relates back to the story told previously in the novel about how it was thought that Amir's Baba had wrestled a bear. From these statements it is even clear just how much Amir respected an looked up to his father, but in his death Amir realized that his father was still in fact human.
In this chapter Amir publishes his first novel and becomes earns some celebrity within the Afghan community. On the night that Amir learns of this good news his thoughts drift to Hassan. Particularly to when he said "Some day, Inshallah, you will be a great writer, he had said once, and people all over the world will read your stories." page 183. This is another example of how whenever Amir is happy his thoughts will turn to Hassan. Even he speculates on the fact of whether or not he actually deserves to be happy. It is also during this time that Amir and Soraya begin to try and have children. However they are unable to, so they seek medical help. After a plethora of tests it is discovered that they are unable to conceive children due to "Unexplained Infertility." The doctor suggests adoption as an alternative for them. After some discussion they decline this as an option. Amir states that they both had their reasons for being against adoption and he felt as if his was that "...perhaps something, someone, somewhere, had decided to deny me fatherhood for the things I had done. Maybe this was my punishment , and perhaps justly so." page 188. Chapter fourteen is relatively short however it reveals the fact that Rahim Khan is severely ill and Amir must travel to Pakistan to visit him. Also it is revealed from the following statement that Rahim Khan always had known about what Amir had done "Come. There is a way to be good again." page 192. This shows that Rahim Khan still represents the voice of reason and is extremely insightful.
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