Which past event fuels Amir's guilt and shapes his return to Afghanistan?

• A. Hassan's death.
• B. Hassan's rape and Amir's decision to remain silent and flee to America.
• C. His father's illness.
• D. A financial debt.

Answer: (B)

Guilt from a childhood failure drives Amir’s actions for years. The pivotal moment is when Hassan is raped by Assef and Amir does not intervene, then later helps cover it up by accusing Hassan of theft. That act of inaction becomes a deep moral wound that Amir carries with him into adulthood. It fuels a persistent sense that he must atone for letting his friend suffer and for betraying Hassan, which ultimately shapes his decision to return to Afghanistan. He answers Rahim Khan’s call to “be good again” by confronting the past and trying to rescue Sohrab, hoping to redeem himself. The other events—Hassan’s death, his father’s illness, or financial debt—are not the incident that seeds this lifelong guilt or drives his return in the same way.