ago and he is unable to deal with the abuse the perpetrators Assef and the others inflicted upon them. This inner turmoil leaves Sohrab in an understandable state of anxiety and helplessness. He is so overwhelmed by the trauma and melancholy that the abuse causes that he tries to end his life:

Suddenly I was on my knees, screaming. Screaming through my clenched teeth. Screaming until I thought my throat would rip and my chest explode. Later, they said I was still screaming when the ambulance arrived (Hosseini, 2009, p. 361−2).

Amir is understandably horrified that Sohrab could not cope with the injustice and abuse he had suffered and is traumatised further by the abuse Sohrab inflicts upon his own body in order to escape the hauntings of his child abuse. Amir is able to express this pain and anguish by