Discuss the significance of Baba putting dirt in his snuff box in The Kite Runner.

Baba, Amir's father, has grown up and lived in Afghanistan
his whole life. His life has been prosperous, and his roots are there. Now, he must flee
his native country to save his life and that of his son. His takes the dirt as a
memento, a reminder, of his past, much as a parent keeps a lock of hair from their young
child who is now grown. As long as he has the precious soil of his homeland, he can see
it, smell it, and stroke it to remind himself of better days. American is a foreign
country, in its culture and values. This small bit of earth he can grasp and know that
maybe someday, he can return to his homeland. Little does he understand that that
homeland will never exist as it once had. This Amir discovers when he returns there many
years later.