Soraya has overcome a rather sordid past. She defied the strict culture of her people, ran off to live with another man, and was shunned by the Afghan community in the United States because of this. She is constantly treated as if she were wearing a scarlet letter by her community, and yet she is strong and wants to pursue a career as a teacher to help others. In this way, she is not cowardly, and Amir is probably contrasting her courage with his lack of courage in his past.
He remembers reading stories to Amir but he also recalls that he often would become impatient in trying to teach Hassan to read, unlike Soraya. Worse, he didn't really care whether Hassan learned to read or not, and as he progressed in school, did not even bother to read much anymore to Hassan, often kicking Hassan out of his room when he would pop in to visit and see what Amir was doing.
Comparing himself to Soraya makes Amir feel guilty.
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