Amir's character continues to change after escaping a war-torn Afghanistan and arriving in America. He becomes stronger and demonstrates willpower, even resisting his father's insults towards his wish to pursue his dreams and become a fiction writer. Another example of Amir's character change is when he shows courage and persists in pursuing a relationship with Soraya. At the flea market, Amir is caught talking scandalously to Soraya and telling her a story he had written when General Taheri appears and warns that "everyone here is a storyteller" (Hosseini 153). Amir has changed and becomes bolder, evolving into a more sympathetic character as the novel progresses. He realizes that he cannot erase his past and that he will be haunted by guilt for the rest of his life if he does not do something to right the wrongs he committed during his childhood. He envies Soraya when she reveals her scarred past, wishing he could accept her faults. He says: “I suspected that Soraya Taheri was a better person than me in many ways. Courage was only one” (Hosseini 165). Even though Amir may still feel like a coward, he is able to recognize that he has made mistakes, which I think is a big step toward honor and redemption.