At the beginning of chapter twenty-one Amir and Farid are traveling to the Wazir Akbar Khan district in order to reach the Ghazi Stadium where they can meet with the Taliban officer that has Sohrab. While driving through Pashtunistan Square, Amir and Farid see two men. One man is cradling an artificial leg and is haggling over the price with another man. This man is having to sale his artificial leg in order to get money to feed his family. This is yet another example of how much things have changed in Kabul since Amir has last been there. Amir remarks that he is surprised that the Wazir Akbar Khan district does not look as bad as he thought it would. Farid tells him that this is because followers of the Taliban and some Taliban officers live there. They end up passing by Amir's childhood home and they stop so that he can look at it. The author goes into extensive detail in describing the state of the house. These details show just how different the house is than it was before. Amir states that "Like so much else in Kabul, my father's house was the picture of fallen splendor." page 262. This statement sums up Amir's emotions about returning to his home. Farid tries to get Amir to hurry up but Amir tells him that he just wants to see one more thing. Farid tries to help him by telling him that it is easier to simply forget everything. Amir's response is that "I don't want to forget anymore," page 263. Amir's statement has a double meaning, in that not only does he not want to forget what he's seeing, but also that he does not want to suppress the memories of what happened with Hassan any longer either.
The next day Amir and Farid go to the Ghazi Stadium so that they can arrange a meeting with the Talib officer that has Sohrab. Amir once again reminisces about how the stadium use to look and when his father use to take him there to see soccer games. The field does not even begin to resemble its former glory, it is covered in holes and craters. The purpose for two of the holes becomes clear during half-time. A man and women are brought onto the field and are accused of adultery. they are placed into two of the holes which are deeper than the others. A cleric starts reading a prayer from the Koran and then goes on to condemn the man and woman to death by stoning. A man dressed in all white administers the stoning; this is the man Amir must meet with in order to get Sohrab. After the brutality of the stoning the game resumes. This situation shows that acts of violence have become a commonplace in these peoples lives and does not affect them in the same way that it would others. Farid is able to arrange a meeting surprisingly easily. The meeting was set for three o'clock that same evening. When Amir and Farid arrive at the home where the meeting is to take place Amir tells Farid that he does not have to come in with him and Farid is relieved.
Amir is understandably horrified at having to face a man that has just stoned two people to death. The Talib officer starts the meeting off by ripping off Amir's fake beard stating that "One of the better ones I've seen in a while. But it really is so much better this way. I think. Don't you?" page 276. This first incident sets the whole town for the rest of the meeting, a tone that shows that things are not going to go well. The Talib officers retells some of accounts of massacring Hazaras. He retells these event with a disturbing sense of enjoyment. Finally he brings Sohrab out and then makes him do a dance in front of the other Taliban officers. Eventually the truth comes out that the Talib officer is in fact Assef. Amir is shocked and appalled by this realization. He remarks that "What was the old saying about the bad penny? My past was like that, always turning up." page 281. This statement shows just how disorienting this revelation has made Amir. Assef goes on to tell Amir how he came to be a Talib officer. Finally Assef agrees to give Amir Sohrab, however there is a condition. Assef and Amir have to fight and if Amir wins then he can have Sohrab. Assef makes everyone but Sohrab leave and the fight begins. Amir is losing badly but there is a moment during the beating when he starts laughing hysterically. This angers Assef and he asks Amir why is he laughing. Amir's answers was "What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace." page 289. From this statement it can be seen that Amir feels as if he is finally being punished for what he let happen to Hassan all those years ago and then the events after the fact. Sohrab ends up saving Amir's life by using his sling shot to put out Assef's eye. This action is extremely ironic since Hassan threatened to put Assef's eye out years ago and that is the action that started this whole chain of events. It is ironic since it is Hassan's son who finally ends it all by actually carrying out Hassan's long ago threat.
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