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Hassan's Rape
While Hassan was being raped, Amir was watching and debating what he should do. In the end, "[he] ran. [He] ran because [he] was a coward. [He] was afraid of Assef and what he would do to [him]." (Hosseini 77) Amir's fear restricted him from doing what was best for his true friend and brother. Hassan would've done anything for Amir, he loved him so dearly. Rather, their relationship wasn't equal due to Hassan's willingness to do anything for Amir, but Amir did not reciprocate those feelings. -
Amir Tests Hassan's Loyalty
Amir is testing Hassan's loyalty when he says “‘Really? You’d do that?’ He threw me a puzzled look. ‘Do what?’ ‘Eat dirt if I told you to,’ I said… ‘If you asked, I would.’ (Hosseini 54) Amir feels more powerful than Hassan due to his high socioeconomic status, therefore he taunts him, and Hassan being the loyal friend he is, goes along with it. This reveals that the setting of the book has a great effect on Amir and his personality. -
Hassan and Ali Leave
When Hassan and Ali leave, Amir looks out the window and he "caught one final blurry glimpse of Hassan slumped in the backseat... [He] was sorry, but [he] didn't cry and [he] didn't chase the car." (Hosseini 109) Amir had been very sad to see Hassan leave, rather he hadn't cared enough to go and run after him. This conveys how Amir didn't care for Hassan like a real brother and true friend would. Due to this negligence of his and Hassan's friendship, he causes dire circumstances. -
Before Soviet Invasion
The article states that, "Afghanistan was a stable, relatively prosperous and relatively secular country." (NYT) -
Soviet Invasion
Soon later when the first Soviet troops came, they "parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979, to assist Babrak Karmal, who had become president in a coup within the afghan Communist leadership." (NYT) -
Socioeconomic Difference in America
When an older man asked for Baba’s ID, this is what made him very angry. Baba yells, “‘He wants to see my license,'... ‘Almost two years we’ve bought his damn fruits and put money in his pocket and the son of a dog wants to see my license!' ‘What kind of a country is this? No one trusts anybody!”’ (Hosseini 127-128) Baba is angry because he is not as well-known as respected as he was in Kabul. This shows that socioeconomic status matters greatly in Afghanistan, rather not so much in America. -
Baba's Death
As Soraya and Amir are helping Baba into bed, he mentions that there's no more pain, so Amir and Soraya, "closed the door. Baba never woke up." (Hosseini 173) This quote is important because Baba had been the central thing in Amir's life. Now Amir has to go on without his father. This is significant because Amir has lost so many people in his life, and the last person from his past is gone. -
After Soviet Invasion
After Soviet forces departed, "Afghanistan descended into vicious internecine strife..." (NYT) -
The Taliban Takeover
Soon after this happened, the Taliban soon took "control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamental Islamic law..." (NYT) -
The Taliban Takeover
Along with this, the Taliban, "provided a haven for mr. bin Laden, who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport." (NYT) -
Continuation of Amir and Sohrab's Bond
This quotation demonstrates how Sohrab has started feeling more comfortable with opening up to Amir, and they're bond is increasing. Sohrab was closed off and wouldn't speak much, due to his strong grief and desire for his parents. Sohrab's realization that Amir is his family causes him to open up more to him about himself. -
Post 9/11 Invasion
Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden, and when it refused, "the US joined forces with rebel groups..." Then "an air and ground campaign began that drove the Taliban out of the major Afghan cities by the end of the year." (NYT) -
Amir Defends Sohrab
Amir had brought Sohrab home to San Francisco with him when people started questioning who he was and calling him 'Hazara boy'. This made Amir angry and he says, "You will never refer to him as 'Hazara boy' in my presence. He has a name and it's Sohrab." (Hosseini 361) Amir loves Sohrab and he doesn't want anyone calling him that stereotypical name. Amir used to think of Hassan and just a Hazara boy, but over the years he has learned developed a new perspective. -
Assef Beating Amir
While Amir was being beat up brutally by Assef he thought to himself, "...for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace... I'd even been looking forward to this... My body was broken-but I felt healed. Healed at last." (Hosseini 289) Amir had never felt at peace after being a bystander to Hassan's rape. He has never been able to move on from this, he craved punishment for what he did to Hassan, and when his body was breaking he finally feels like he has got the pain he deserves. -
Amir Begs God to Save Sohrab
Amir is crying and begging to god in the hospital to spare Sohrab, he prays, “I will commit to every last word of His holy book, I will do all of this if He only grants me this one wish: My hands are stained with Hassan’s blood; I pray God doesn’t let them get stained with the blood of his boy too.”(Hosseini 346)Amir is willing to do anything to keep Sohrab alive because he desires to be there for his orphaned nephew. Along with this, they've developed a strong bond and Amir wishes to adopt him. -
Amir and Sohrab Bond
Amir and Sohrab start to develop a bond as they talk about their life to be in America when Sohrab asks, “‘Will you take me to the red bridge?’ ‘Absolutely,’ I said. ‘And we’ll drive up the streets, the ones where all you see is the hood of the car and the sky?’ ‘Every single one of them,’ I said.”(Hosseini 340)Amir and Sohrab’s relationship grew due to their current circumstances. Amir’s desire to atone to his actions back in 1975 cause him to strive to develop this relationship with Sohrab. -
Amir Finds Out Baba is Hassan's Father
After Rahim Kahn reveals to Amir that Hassan is dead, he tells him another shocking secret. Rahim says, "'Ali was sterile'... 'No he wasn't. He and Sanaubar had Hassan, didn't they? They had Hassan-' 'No they didn't,' 'Then who-?' 'I think you know who.'" (Hosseini 222) Amir's has never known that Baba was Hassan's father, which means Hassan is his brother. People referred to Hassan as just a Hazara, when he really was half Pashtun which could have given him many more opportunities in life. -
Rahim Khan Calls Amir
While Amir was still living in America, he got a call from Rahim Khan, telling him to "come. There is a way to be good again."(Hosseini 192) This informs us as readers that Kahim knows everything that had happened in 1975. He calls Amir to come back to Afghanistan, and he mentions that there's an opportunity "to be good again", in other words to atone to his past sins. Amir has felt guilty for never "making things good again" in the past, so this is a very important opportunity for him to take. -
Sohrab and Amir Bond
After Amir and Sohrab went through what happened with Assef, along with when Amir told Sohrab that Hassan was his half brother, they became closer. This caused Sohrab to open up and talk about what his mother used to tell him, "'Mother said that if I'd just waited for the apples to ripen, I wouldn't have become sick. So now, whenever I really want something, I try to remember what she said about the apples.'" (Hosseini 340) -
Amir's Guilt
Throughout the book, Amir felt so guilty for being a bystander to Hassan's rape and not doing something about it. At the very beginning of the book Amir thinks to himself, "Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years." (Hosseini 1) Amir's guilt has been eating at him for years, and he hasn't been the same since. It illustrates how over the years, Amir couldn't stop thinking of Hassan, which demonstrates that he truly did love him. -
Hassan's Death
While Rahim Khan was informing Amir of what had occured in Afghanistan since they left, he told Amir of when Hassan had died. Rahim Khan had said, "'They took him to the street.-' 'No,' I breathed. '-and order him to kneel-' 'No. God, no.' '-and shot him in the back of the head.'" (Hosseini 218) Right as Amir had came back to Afghanistan after so many years, he found out Hassan and his wife had died. This is significant because Hassan was the only person he had left that he loved from childhood. -
Sohrab Saves Amir
While Assef is beating Amir up to a pulp, Sohrab is watching and grabs his slingshot and said, "Don't hurt him anymore.'... This slingshot made a thwiiit sound when Sohrab released the cup. Then Assef was screaming." (Hosseini 291) Amir would have died if Sohrab hadn't flung his slingshot at Assef. This is significant because when Hassan and Amir were children, Hassan had protected them from Assef using a slingshot. This illustrates how Sohrab learned from his father, and is very much like him. -
Karzai Government
Very soon after, Hamid Karzai, "a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah...was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the new leader of the country." (NYT) -
Taliban Resurgence
Even though the Taliban were defeated in 2001, they "regrouped and began to extend its influence in the southern part of Afghanistan." (NYT) -
Obama's War
Soon after, Obama made a plan to widen the US involvement with Afghanistan. He displayed this by giving a speech and announcing, "his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops. He vowed to start bringing American forces home from Afghanistan." (NYT) -
Obama's War
Next and unexpectedly, "the Obama administration changed its tone to increasingly emphasize the idea that the US will have forces in the country until at least the end of 2014."