Also, they match the claims made earlier in the book about life's rapid and relentless progression. Furthermore, it helps him finally overcome his past mistakes, thus helping him to somewhat abandon his regret-filled nature and move forward, leading to his final destiny. When Amir approaches the house where he lived as a child, he comments on his childhood, saying that much of what he believed was important as a child has no importance to him as an adult (261). This is a fantastic demonstration of how he has developed as a character: he has gone from being an innocent child who lacks understanding of the world to being a man who has faced intense hardship and loss. Hosseini further exemplifies character growth by juxtaposing how Amir saw his house as a child with his current observations: instead of it being the sprawling white house he knew, he now realizes that the trees around it have been cut down, there are weeds inside the courtyard and the plaster of the house is broken (261). Baba's old house serves as a symbol of how Amir finally has the ability to contemplate the past without blinding himself with nostalgia or mythology. Instead of seeing it as white, a color of purity, he can now notice its flaws and deterioration. Furthermore, when Amir notices the area where Baba parked his car, he notes that he remembers it “roaring to life” (262). In addition to once again elaborating on Amir's character development, the personification of Baba's self highlights how Amir's current self has “roared into life” as a result of confronting his mistakes. This even parallels the aforementioned metaphor of life as a train, showing how Amir's “train” finally stopped dwelling on the past and continued moving forward. This is the moment in the book where