The Kite Runner and the persistance of the past

In the first chapter of the book, we see that the narrator takes us to a flashback of the days of his youth. In the first page Amir says that the past can never be buried. “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.” Almost all the characters in the novel feel the influence of the past somehow intertwined in their lives. Sohrab for example, has been so traumatized so much by his past experiences that it affects all his behavior. The prolonged physical and sexual abuse he endured makes him flinch anytime Amir touches him or makes a motion towards him. Amir also does not let go of the past because he constantly is reminding the reader of it. He acknowledges that the myriad of experiences that most of the characters have had, shaped who they became.