Rahim Khan- He is fairly flat character in The Kite Runner so far. He is Amir's father's best friend and business partner. He could possibly be the foil character to Amir's father, Baba, due to the fact that they are such different characters and have much different roles in Amir's life. Amir looks up to Rahim, and sometimes wishes that Rahim was his father instead of Baba. "When they left, I sat on my bed and wished Rahim Khan had been my father."(pg. 32) Amir feels a lot of guilt for feeling this way. Rahim has been the softer hearted father figure in Amir's life, and refers to him as "Amir jan", which is dear Amir. He also reads Amir's first written story, and gives him a letter which says how talented he is and encouraging Amir to keep writing. At the end of his letter, Rahim tells Amir "bravo" and this means a lot to him. In the beginning of the book, it starts out with Amir getting a phone call from his old friend Rahim Khan to come visit. I think this is a foreshadow into what will happen later in the book. The last time Amir had seen Rahim Khan was in 1981. “I thought about the last time I had seen Rahim Khan, in 1981. He had come to say good-bye the night Baba and I had fled Kabul.” (196). Rahim has changed a lot physically since Amir last saw him. The main change is losing weight. “Then, a thing made of skin and bones pretending to be Rahim Khan opened the door.” (197). Rahim has a scar above his right eye. “He pointed to a scar above his right eye cutting a crooked path through his bushy eyebrow.” (198). He got this scar at a soccer game in 1998 in Ghazi Stadium.

Rahim also suffers from “coughing fits.” “A violent coughing fit gripped Rahim Khan and rocked his gaunt body back and forth. When he spat into his handkerchief, it immediately stained red.” (201). When Amir asks Rahim how he is doing, he replies that he is “ ‘Dying, actually,’ he said in a gurgling voice. Another round of coughing. More blood on the handkerchief. He wiped his mouth, blotted his sweaty brow from one wasted temple to the other with his sleeve, and gave me a quick glance. When he nodded, I knew he had read the next question on my face. ‘Not long,’ he breathed. ‘How long?’ He shrugged. Coughed again. ‘I don’t think I’ll see the end of this summer,’ he said.” (201).