Why can't Amir sleep on the plane to Pakistan?

• A. He is anxious about the flight.
• B. He misses Soraya.
• C. He has a fear of flying unrelated to past.
• D. He dreams of Hassan shouting 'For you, a thousand times over!' and recalling the rape.

Answer: (D)

The situation tests how past trauma and guilt reshape Amir’s experience in the present. On the way to Pakistan, the memory of Hassan’s rape and Amir’s role in it resurfaces, keeping him from settling into sleep. That haunting memory isn’t just a vague fear of flying; it’s a direct remnant of a buried act and a moment of betrayal that Amir never fully processes. The dream of Hassan shouting “For you, a thousand times over!” crystallizes the loyalty Hassan showed and the debt Amir feels to him, juxtaposed with the guilt of not defending Hassan. That intense emotional weight makes sleep impossible, which is why this option is the best answer. The other choices miss the specific source of his distress—it's not merely flight anxiety or missing Soraya, and the fear isn’t unrelated to the past.