General Iqbal Taheri
General Iqbal Taheri, a former decorated officer in the Afghan Ministry of Defense, is a figure of faded grandeur and unyielding pride in the Afghan diaspora of Fremont, California. Encountered by Amir and Baba at the San Jose flea market in July 1984, he is perpetually dressed in an iron-gray three-piece suit, shiny from too many pressings, with a gold pocket watch chain dangling from his vest. His deep, cultured voice and formal manners mark him as a man who once moved in the highest circles of Kabul, but in America he has become a relic, waiting for a restoration that never comes.
Identity and Background
General Taheri is introduced as a distinguished-looking man who laughs like someone used to formal parties where he laughed on cue at the minor jokes of important people. He has wispy silver-gray hair, a smooth tanned forehead, and tufts of white in his bushy eyebrows. Baba introduces him as a decorated general who worked for the Ministry of Defense, and the general himself later confirms he once shook hands with King Hussein of Jordan. His family history is intertwined with Amir's: his wife Jamila reveals that Amir's grandfather, the judge, was a cousin of her grandfather, making them distant relatives. The general's past includes a hunting trip with Baba in Jalalabad, where he praised Baba's keen eye. Despite his lofty background, in America he has never held a job, preferring to cash government-issued checks rather than degrade himself with work unsuitable for a man of his stature. He sees the flea market only as a hobby, a way to socialize with fellow Afghans, and believes that sooner or later Afghanistan will be freed, the monarchy restored, and his services called upon again. Every day he dons his gray suit, winds his pocket watch, and waits.
Life in Exile and Family Dynamics
General Taheri's life in Fremont is marked by a series of rigid personal habits and a strained family dynamic. He suffers from blinding migraines that last almost a week; when they strike, he undresses, locks himself in his room, and does not come out until the pain subsides. He and his wife Jamila have slept in separate rooms for as long as Soraya can remember. He can be petty, pushing away food he dislikes and sulking, eating bread and onion instead. He takes antidepressants. His wife, once famous in Kabul for her enchanting singing voice, was forbidden by him from ever singing in public—a condition of their marriage. He owns a considerable collection of classical ghazal tapes but believes performing music is best left to those with lesser reputations. His relationship with his daughter Soraya is fraught with tension. When she ran away with an Afghan man in Virginia at eighteen, he showed up with a gun, forced her to come home, and made her cut off all her hair with scissors while he watched. He moved the family to California shortly after. Soraya later tells Amir that she screamed at her father, saying she wished he were dead, and that he never spoke of the incident again. Despite this, Soraya acknowledges he saved her, and over time, after he broke his hip and became frail, their relationship softened. He takes walks with her, goes to lunch on Saturdays, and sometimes sits in on her classes, dressed in his shiny old gray suit, wooden cane across his lap, smiling, even taking notes.
Relationship with Amir and Baba
General Taheri's interactions with Amir are initially formal and guarded. At the flea market, he gives Amir a polished speech about Baba's greatness, calling him one of the few who truly deserves the label, but the speech sounds often-used and unnaturally shiny. When Amir begins to show interest in Soraya, the general intercepts him, gently but firmly reminding him that everyone at the flea market is a storyteller, and that even decent boys need reminding sometimes. He throws Amir's short story into the garbage can. Despite this, when Baba falls ill with cancer, the general and his wife visit the hospital, and the general offers to help, telling Baba to ask him like a brother. Baba later calls the general to ask for Soraya's hand, and the general accepts, welcoming Amir into his family as a son. At the engagement ceremony, he gives a formal speech, and at the wedding, he wears a tuxedo. After Baba's death, he gives Amir a new IBM typewriter with a note hoping he discovers many tales on its keys. He helps Amir refinish the deck of the new house in San Francisco and paint the walls.
Conflict Over Sohrab and Final Departure
The general's most significant conflict with Amir arises over the adoption of Sohrab, Hassan's son. When Amir brings Sohrab to America, the general demands to know why a Hazara boy is living with his daughter, citing the community's perception of their family. Amir reveals the truth: that his father slept with his servant's wife, that Hassan was his half-brother, and that Sohrab is his nephew. He then tells the general never to refer to Sohrab as "Hazara boy" again. The general is silenced. Shortly after, in March 2002, he is finally summoned to Afghanistan for a ministry position and flies there, leaving behind his gray suit and pocket watch. His wife plans to join him once he has settled. The general's departure marks the end of his long wait, but also the end of his role as a constant, if difficult, presence in Amir and Soraya's life.
