Summary

For two months the narrator writes down his memories, beginning with a description of his happy childhood. Among his memories is a bizarre story about a childhood friend with whom he could think the same thoughts at the same time; when his friend died, he feared he would be buried alive along with him. Soon the narrator and Hoja are sitting opposite each other at the “infidel” table writing their life stories. The narrator writes, “I encouraged him, perhaps because I already sensed then that I would later adopt his manner and his life-story as my own” (63).

Hoja's story reveals that his father died when Hoja was very young and his mother got remarried to a quilter. Hoja hated his stepbrothers, but was extremely fond of his natural sister who he has not seen for a long time. He writes that he'd once been...