As Amir is recovering in the hospital from his brutal fight with Assef, he dreams that Baba is wrestling a black bear. Amir recalls that Baba is young and strong in his dream and furiously fights with the bear as they roll on the ground. Amir sees "spittle and blood fly" during the fight, and suddenly, Baba overpowers the bear and sits on its chest. Amir then recalls seeing Baba look up at him, and Amir discovers that he is Baba. In Amir's dream, he is the person who defeated the bear.

Amir's dream symbolically represents his fight with Assef and his victory over his personal demons, which have haunted him since childhood. The blood and spittle flying during the fight correspond to his physical altercation with Assef, which almost kills Amir and results in him needing emergency surgery. Amir conquering the bear and becoming Baba illustrates his victory over his suppressed feelings of guilt. Amir has been living with guilt his entire life because he did not help Hassan while Assef was raping him. After traveling back to Afghanistan and risking his life to rescue Sohrab, Amir finally atones for his past sins and finds redemption. Essentially, the black bear in Amir's dream symbolizes both Assef and Amir's other personal demons.

Here's one structure for your paper's main body that would work.

First main body paragraph: Explain what happened to Amir when he returned to Afghanistan and saved Sohrab. He barely survived the terrible beating he endured, and it is while he is recovering in the hospital that he has the dream of Baba and the bear.

Second main body paragraph: Explain the dream Amir has while in the hospital. You can quote from the novel to show the moment when Amir sees his own face in his dream.

Third main body paragraph: Explain the significance of Amir's dream, which is very symbolic. As a child, Amir had always felt weak and cowardly. He had admired his father's courage and often felt shamed by it. He had been haunted throughout his life by his betrayal of Hassan. By saving Hassan's son, Amir had found his courage and his self-respect. When he saw his face replace the face of his father in his dream, he realized he no longer lived in his father's shadow. He had wrestled his own bear (symbolically) and won.

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