I was talking to a coworker about And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini and the subject of the Bashiri cousins Idris and Timur came up. The cousins' personalities were starkly different. Idris seemed to be a soberly minded and controlled person. Amra the nurse fittingly calls him "introvert" while Timur was extremely chatty, friendly and evidently loved attention. Idris studied and sacrificed to secure his position as a doctor while Timur used his 'connections' to get along in life. Timur proved to be very generous and rose to the occasion when any assistance was required and while Idris appreciated his kindness, he "had misgivings about the fanfare, the flaunting, the unabashed showmanship, the bravado." (p 140)
The event which for me was most outstanding was their treatment of the girl Roshi. At the start of chapter 5 the cousins both visit the girl in the hospital who suffers from a "crack in the crown of her shaved head" which was the result of a violent family dispute. Timur, true to his nature shows an overt display of emotion which dies once he exits the room but Idris on the other hand frequently visits the girl and befriends her. Eventually the cousins must leave the country and Idris makes promises to make arrangements for Roshi to fly over to California for surgery. In this move of kindness and compassion he also exposes his intention to pay out of his pocket if funding was unavailable.
The twist in this story, which always makes Hosseini's writing brilliant, is that in the end Idris does not do what he promised. His compassion wanes until he stops responding to emails from Amra and Roshi and eventually deletes them without bothering to read. Roshi however, was able to get the surgery needed and her story becomes publicized in a book. Idris goes to the book signing and reads on the dedication page: To the two angels in my life: my mother Amra, and my Kaka Timur. You are my saviours. I owe you everything. Roshi scribbled this note in Idris' copy of her book: Don't worry. You're not in it.
So today my coworker asked me what do I think Hosseini is trying to say through these cousins. I immediately responded with a blunt: Idris was a coward; he was a weak man. She agreed. The thing is even though Timur was obnoxious and pretty annoying, he was able to get things done. He was able to help others in need despite the fanfare. I admitted to my coworker that I am like this Idris. I too suffer a bit from an Idris syndrome. Like Idris I am melancholic by temperament and like him and so many others, I am selfish. I feel a momentary pang of compassion and I want to move the world over to help but then in time my own needs override this fleeting desire. The line "anger pauses till they pass away" written by Dennis Scott in his poem Epitaph describes the brief pause or comma we ascribe to the unfortunate lives of others until it passes away because we have better, more pressing things to do. We are momentarily angry and hurt, we make empty, rash promises and we are afraid to commit. We are selfish - those of us who belong to the Idris tribe.
And what about the Timurs? Well, they are flashy and must make a show of their kindness. They lack humility and are boastful. Giving in secret for them does not suffice. The act of giving is treated as a public affair with all focus on the magnitude of the issue and the nobleness of the benefactor. But in the end, wasn't assistance granted? Aren't they saviours as Roshi stated? Isnt is better to save than to make empty promises of salvation? But where is Timur's heart you may ask. Is it on the suffering Roshis or on Timur himself? When the rubber hits the road so to speak, Roshi is in a better position. So what is Hosseini saying to us? Have the compassion of Idris and the ability to act like Timur? I say be compassionate, make a difference and remember to be humble least you may fall.
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