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Chapter 8
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in And the Mountains Echoed, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Interconnectedness
Time, Memory, Forgetting, and Art
Compassion and Selfishness
Family
Power and Wealth
Summary
Analysis
The chapter begins with an unnamed narrator discussing the nightly ritual she had with her father, whom she called Baba. He would tell her about a memory he had of his little sister—a memory which took place decades ago. The narrator grew up an only child, and was often lonely as a result. She always wanted to have a sibling, but never got one. Because her father spoke about his own little sister, Pari, so often, the narrator—whose name is also Pari—began to think of Pari as her own companion and imaginary friend. The narrator knows that her father (who we know is Abdullah) lost his sister when he was a child—his own father (Saboor) sold Pari to a wealthy family. From a young age, the narrator can tell that her father is still deeply sad about losing his sister. [NOTE: For the purposes of this summary, we’ll refer to the narrator of this chapter, whose name is Pari, as Pari II.]
For the final chapter of And the Mountains Echoed, Hosseini gets to the point right away, rather than drawing out our introductions to the characters. We recognize almost right away that we’re dealing with Abdullah and his daughter—precisely the people it seemed the novel ought to finish with (as long as the original Pari shows up too). It’s instructive to compare the “two Paris”—Pari and her niece. Pari II seems utterly devoted to Abdullah, much as Pari herself was as a child. Pari II is also intelligent and perceptive enough to recognize that her father still misses his sister enormously, despite having been separated from her for decades.
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Themes
The chapter cuts ahead several years. Pari II, now a young woman, is driving on the freeway. Her mother has passed away recently, causing Abdullah to grieve. Pari II drives to Abdullah’s house—the house where she still lives. There, she finds Abdullah talking on the phone with her friend, Hector Juarez, a soldier who’s recently come home from the Middle East, and is now confined to a wheelchair. Hector is cheerful, despite his condition, and often drops by Abdullah’s house to say hello and make sure he’s in good health.
Pari II’s mother, like many of the characters in the novel, is “dead on arrival”—the second that we learn of the character’s existence, we also learn that the character has died (this was the case with Eric, and also Nila, for the most part). We also see Hosseini echoing his motif of someone in a wheelchair needing assistance and care from others.
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The chapter cuts ahead several days. Pari II is reuniting with Pari, who has traveled to the United States. Pari II explains that she’s always pictured Pari, her aunt, as a young girl—the girl Abdullah talked about in his bedtime stories. Instead, Pari is gray-haired, well-dressed, and elegant in a European way. Pari II can barely believe that she’s meeting Pari after so many years. She explains to Pari that she hasn’t told Abdullah that Pari is coming. Pari II drives Pari to Abdullah’s house, and as she does so, Pari tells Pari II about her three children. Pari II tells Pari that Abdullah used to own a restaurant, but that she had to sell it several years ago, when Abdullah became sickly. Pari II explains that she works as an artist, but makes money working as a transcriptionist: she writes up receipts, emails, and other documents for a large company. She does this to make money to support Abdullah.
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Themes
As Pari II approaches Abdullah’s house, Pari confesses that she’s very nervous—she hasn’t seen her brother in 58 years. Pari II remembers something that Idris Bashiri, Abdullah’s doctor, told her: Abdullah needs stability in his life, rather than sudden surprises.
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Themes
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Pari II thinks back to her youth. When she was 11, Abdullah drove her to the aquarium in Monterey. Although Pari II had been looking forward to the visit for weeks, she found the actual spectacle of the aquarium underwhelming and disappointing. As she grew older, Pari II also became unsatisfied with her body: she was “big-boned” and plain looking. Abdullah would take Pari II to special schools where she studied the Quran and learned Farsi. Pari II embraced Islam—something that often alienated her from her American classmates.
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In high school, Pari II developed considerable skills as a painter. She applied to go to a prestigious art school in Baltimore, and was awarded a generous scholarship to attend. When Abdullah heard this news, he was a little disappointed that Pari II would be leaving him. As Pari II prepared to leave, she came to realize that her father loved her with a love “as permanent as the sky.” Shortly before Pari II was scheduled to fly to Baltimore, her mother discovered that she had cancer.
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Back in 2010, Pari II lets Pari into the house. She calls to Abdullah, and tells him he has a visitor. Pari walks into the room, and focuses her eyes on Abdullah, the brother she hasn’t seen in more than half a century. Pari II tells her father that the woman she’s brought to his home is Pari, his sister. Abdullah can’t speak at first. Then, he asks Pari where she lives. They talk about Pari’s life in Paris. Eventually, Abdullah shrugs irritably and says, “So your name is Pari. So there you have it.”
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As Abdullah sits in his chair, stubbornly refusing to speak to Pari any further, he begins absent-mindedly singing a song—the nursery rhyme he sang to Pari II when she was a child. Slowly and quietly, Pari begins to sing the song as well—it is the nursery rhyme that Abdullah used to sing to her when she was a small child, years and years ago. Pari sings the entire song—even the words that Abdullah has long since forgotten. Pari and Abdullah both begin to weep. Pari can see that she’s “broken through”—she’s summoned her brother back to her.
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The chapter cuts back to Pari II’s early twenties. Shortly before her mother (whose name, we know, was Sultana) died of cancer, Pari II and her mother traveled to Santa Cruz for a weekend. Her mother had been going through chemotherapy, and she enjoyed observing nature, especially trees and animals. Pari II’s mother is at this point confined to a wheelchair, and Pari II wheels her through a path overlooking a beautiful forest. Suddenly, Pari II’s mother tells Pari II the truth: Abdullah has a half-brother in Pakistan, whose name is Iqbal. Abdullah has been sending Iqbal money for many years, she explains. Pari II’s mother is telling Pari II this news because one day, Pari II herself will be responsible for sending Iqbal money. Pari II’s mother tells Pari II that Abdullah needs people in his life—especially Pari II.
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Back in 2010, Abdullah has fallen sleep, with Pari sitting next to him. Pari turns to Pari II, and explains that she’s brought photographs. Some of the photographs show the town where Pari and Abdullah were born. Pari explains that this town, Shadbagh, is now the home of a notorious “criminal of war,” who has planted enormous orchards across their family’s old property. Pari also shows Pari II photographs of her own children, and even her grandchildren. Pari asks Pari II if she’s married, and Pari II replies that she’s never been married—but she “almost” married someone.
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Pari stays with Abdullah and Pari II for the next month. They spend their time laughing and catching up. Pari also takes care of Abdullah, leaving Pari II with more time to herself. One evening, Pari II is working in her room when she hears a loud sound. She rushes out to find Abdullah on his feet, screaming at Pari. He claims that she’s stolen his pain medication, and shouts that she must leave his house immediately. While Pari II insists that Abdullah is wrong—Pari has pills of her own—Abdullah maintains that Pari is a thief, and yells that he’s incapable of trusting her. He adds that he’ll tell his wife about Pari very soon. This makes both Pari II and Pari teary-eyed.
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Alone, Pari II and Pari talk about Abdullah’s deteriorating mental state. Pari suggests that Pari II find medical attention for Abdullah, but Pari II insists that she wants to take care of her father for as long as possible, rather than turn him over to someone else. While Pari II doesn’t admit it, she secretly thinks that she needs Abdullah in her life. Pari II tells Pari that as a child, she always fantasized about being friends with Pari. She tells Pari she’s sorry that Pari and Abdullah found one another too late in their lives.
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A short time later, Pari and Pari II sit on a wooden park bench, exchanging poetry in French, English, and Farsi. They’re in Paris, having put Abdullah in a nursing home. Abdullah has had a stroke, meaning that he needs a wheelchair at all times, and can barely talk. Before she traveled to Paris, Pari II told Abdullah that she was going to visit Abdullah’s own niece, Isabelle. Abdullah smiled, but remained silent. Pari II has been in Paris for two weeks—the longest she’s ever been away from her father.
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As they sit on the bench, Pari II gives Pari a package. Pari II found the package while she was packing for her trip to France. It’s labeled “To my sister Pari.” Pari opens the package, and finds that it contains a note, which reads: “I must wade into waters, where I will soon drown. Before I march in, I leave this on the shore for you. I pray you find it, sister, so you will know what was in my heart as I went under.” The note is dated 2007—the year Abdullah was first “diagnosed,” Pari II explains.
Pari finds another item inside the package—a small yellow feather. Pari II asks her if she knows what this item means, and Pari confesses that she doesn’t. At the same time, she recognizes that the pain Abdullah experienced when they were separated as children far exceeded the pain she felt, because she was younger—only four years old. Now, she barely remembers her life before being adopted by Mrs. Wahdati.
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The night after Pari receives her package from Abdullah, Pari II finds it difficult to sleep. Eventually, she falls asleep, and has a strange, vivid dream. In the dream, Pari II sees Pari sleeping next to Abdullah. They are both young children. Pari turns to look at Abdullah, her big brother, but Abdullah’s face is too close to her own, meaning that she can’t see the whole of it. Nevertheless, Pari is satisfied to be so close to Abdullah. Slowly, she and Abdullah fall asleep in one another’s arms.
