The Wall of Ailing Corn is the name Amir and Hassan give the unhealthy row of corn that Baba and Ali attempt to grow by the eastern wall of the terrace in Baba's backyard. Growing up, Amir recalls that the corn was the only crop that would not thrive on that piece of ground, which is how it got its name. An ailment is a sickness and Amir recognizes that Baba and Ali's corn was unhealthy. As children, Amir remembers playing with Hassan by the wall and making him sit on the Wall of Ailing Corn and fire pebbles from his slingshot at passing camels. Later in life, Amir travels to Pakistan, where he has an enlightening conversation with Rahim Khan. Rahim Khan tells Amir that a rocket destroyed a section of the Wall of Ailing Corn and Hassan rebuilt it brick by brick. When Amir returns to his childhood home in Kabul as an adult, he mentions that the Wall of Ailing Corn was still standing with no signs of corn or other vegetation nearby.

The Wall of Ailing Corn symbolically represents the torn relationship and subdivision in the home between Baba and Ali. The corn, which was planted by both Baba and Ali, fails to prosper like their relationship. The social prejudice and cultural animosity between the Pashtuns and the Hazaras prevent Baba and Ali from having a healthy, genuine relationship. Similarly, Amir and Hassan's relationship cannot flourish for the same reasons. Later on, when the wall is destroyed by a rocket and Hassan attempts to repair it, he cannot fix what has already been destroyed. Then, when Amir returns later in life the landscape is barren, this reflects the human turmoil in Afghan society.