Pomegranate

"I wished he'd give me the punishment I craved, so maybe I'd finally sleep at night... 'You're a coward!' I said. 'Nothing but a goddamn coward.'" (page 92)

Isn't this ironic? After everything Hasaan had done for Amir, he had the nerve to call him a coward? (just so Amir could actually have the acceptance he craved from his father). I see this pomegranate scene as more of a catharsis for Amir. Although this feeling of relief didn't last very long, I think it was ultimately the reason Ali and Hasaan had to eventually leave. It was a critical point that highlighted Amir's immaturity in dealing with such adult (not even issues that adults should know how to deal with) issues and Hasaan's ability to continue to show love and devotion despite the pain he endured.

Amir's guilt was so powerful he could not deal with it in any other way than shutting out what "caused" it: his best friend. The most ironic part of this is that by ignoring the issue, his guilt was amplified.

his guardian angel

Irony in this story.

I think the ending might be dramatic irony.. The mom tucks the boy to bed and says "It was God did it you were there. You were his guardian angel." She doesn't know that Larry just drank the drink out of curiosity.. not out of protection. He didn't intentionally stop the father from drinking, but it worked.

But now that I'm thinking about it, I might be wrong. She says that "it was God did it you were there".. Maybe she is saying that God saved the father through the husband. It was like intervention from God through the angel(Larry). That might not be true.

Another ironic thing was simply that Larry got drunk and not the father. We all knew he was an alcoholic in the beginning of the story and that funerals set him off, so.. It was weird when the little boy actually ended up drunk.