-
Hassan is born
"It was there, in that little shack, that Hassan was born in the winter of 1964, just one year after my mother died giving birth to me" (6). Hassan's birth introduces a quandary for Baba: inform Hassan that he is biologically his son and risk his reputation or keep the secret and grant Ali with the greatest gift. His decision divides Hassan and Amir as the disparity between Pahstuns and Hazaras presented by Afghan society sculpts Amir's perspective on Hassan. -
Sanaubar abandons Hassan
"Hassan lost his [mother] less than a week after he was born. Lost her to a fate more Afghans considered far worse than death: She ran off with a clan of traveling singers and dancers" (6). Sanaubar is shamed for her departure which reveals the gender inequality in Afghanistan. Her arranged marriage provides her with very little control over her life; however, society expects to continue in a situation that she is dissatisfied with. -
Daoud Zhan ends the king's reign
"Kabul awoke the next morning to find that the monarchy was a thing of the past. The king, Zahir Shah, was away in Italy. In his absence, his cousin Daoud Khan had ended the king's forty-four year reign with a bloodless coup" (36). -
Assef rapes Hassan
In response to his sidekicks hesitation, Assef justifies his proposed with "there's nothing sinful about teaching a lesson to a disrespectful donkey" and "it's just a Hazara" (75). The social economic status of a Pashtun and cultural expectations that accompany it enable Assef to feel like his actions are acceptable. This concept disrupts Amir's perspective on Hassan and alters it into less of a friend-friend dynamic and more of a master-servant relationship. -
Amir wins the kite tournament
"Then I was screaming, and everything was color and sound, everything was alive and good. I was throwing my free arm around Hassan and we were hopping up and down, both of us laughing, both of us weeping. 'You won, Amir agha! You won!" (66). Amir is overwhelmed by happiness because his victory means love from Baba. Amir is so desperate for his father's attention that he goes to great lengths to acquire it. -
Soviet Union Invades
Although the Soviet Union claims that the "Soviet troops [who] parachuted into Kabul on December 27, 1979" were there in a "response to a plea for help for a legitimately constituted Karmal Government" (New York Times), some analysts say that it was the Soviet Union's plan to replace Hafizullah Amin who had lost their trust. -
Baba and Amir move to America
When Amir and his father moved to America Amir had an easier time adjusting as "living in America gave [Baba] an ulcer" (125). Through the transition to life in America, the power dynamic between Baba and Amir shifts. Through the power of education, Amir takes leadership over their relationship. Without being in Afghanistan, Baba no longer holds high socioeconomic status which reveals the influence of setting. -
Baba is diagnosed with cancer
When the doctor diagnoses Baba with "Oat Cell Carcinoma. Advanced. Inoperable" (156) he refuses treatment stating "No chemo medication for me" (156). Baba's wealth and status in Afghanistan labeled him a strong, fearless man. Because Baba doesn't want to damage his reputation by showing his fear of his cancer, he refuses treatment and commands Amir not to tell anyone. This further masks Baba's true feelings and deepens his facade. -
Soraya and Amir get engaged
Throughout the engagement process, Soraya faces the gender expectations of Afghan culture. As Soraya opens up to Amir she says “That was four years ago and 3,000 miles away and I’m still hearing them” (179). Soraya can’t escape her reputation because the Afghan culture, even in America, lets men get away with more than women. Because of gender inequality, Afghans in America shame Soraya’s past, but no one shames Amir’s. -
Last of the Soviet troops leave
After much discussion, in February of 1989 the last of the Soviet troops left Afghanistan, leaving behind "a country that was not only devastated by the war but that had become a beacon to Islamic extremists from across the globe who had come to assist in the fighting, including Osama bin Laden and the group he helped found, Al Qauda" (New York Times). -
Sohrab is born
After her first stillborn child, Farzana successfully delivered Sohrab and "it was Sanaubar who delivered Hassan's son that winter of 1990" (211). Sanaubar's guilt for abandoning Hassan makes her yearn to have a relationship with her grandson. She views him as an opportunity to atone her past and get redemption for her mistakes. -
Northern Alliance takes over Kabul
Rahim Khan explains life in Kabul stating "if you went from the Shar-e-Mau section to Kerteh-Parwan... you risked getting shot by a sniper or getting blown up by a rocket... You practically needed a visa to go from one neighborhood to the other" (199). Despite the brutality, Rahim stays in a Taliban controlled Kabul. The culture of the Afghan people is displayed through Rahim's action: "[Afghans] give in to loss, to suffering, accept it as a fact of life" (201). -
Mullah Omar Gains Followers
Mullah Omar, who had a "promise of restoring the centrality of Islam to the daily life"(New York Times), had 12,000 followers by the end of 1994. -
Taliban Takes Control
With help in the form of arms, money and supplies from the Pakistani officers, "the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of school and into all-enveloping burqa clothing" (New York Times). -
Hazaras are Massacred
"I remember coming home that night and finding Hassan in the Kitchen, listening to the radio. He had a sober look in his eyes. I asked him what as wrong, and he just shook his head. 'God help the Hazaras now' he said" (213). -
Beginning of the Karzai Government
Hamid Zarzai was a relative of the formed exiled king, Mohammad Zahir Shah, who "was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him leader of the country"(New York Times). -
Amir leaves for Pakistan
"A week late, I sat on a window seat aboard a Pakistani International Airlines flight, watching a pair of uniformed airline works remove the wheel clocks" (194). Amir's guilt has overwhelmed him for so long that he risks his life by entering a Taliban occupied country to atone for his sins. His guilt drives him to overcome his fear which illustrates the theme that guilt improves one's morals. -
Amir fights Assef
As Amir gets beaten up by Assef, he ironically describes the feeling of "healed" and says "for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace" (289). Despite the intense physical pain Assef inflicts on Amir, nothing exceeds the pain that his guilt has imposed. Therefore, someone finally causing him the pain he feels he deserves eases him because he finally feels like he is achieving atonement for his actions. -
Amir leaves for the orphanage
When Amir is in Farid’s house and he realizes how hungry the kids are “he does something he had done 26 years earlier: he planted a fistful of crumpled money under a mattress” (242) His guilt strengthens his ethics and instead of abusing his power, like he did to Hassan, he uses it to help someone. The pain his guilt has caused him teaches Amir empathy and improves his morals. -
Sohrab tries to commit suicide
Amir mistakenly tells Sohrab that we will have to return to an orphanage. Soon after, Amir ends the call with Soraya and races to Sohrab saying "'We're going to America!' [He] pushed open the door. Stepped into the bathroom. Suddenly [he] was screaming... they said [he] was still screaming when the ambulance arrived" (343). Fueled by immense guilt, Amir overcame his fear and saved Sohrab. He screams illustrate his fear of losing Sohrab and his fear of failing to atone for his actions. -
Attack on the World Trade Center
On September 11, 2001 the World Trade Center in New York City was attacked, resulting in "President George W. Bush giving the Taliban and ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden. When it refused, the United States joined forces with rebel groups that had never accepted Taliban rule, notably the Northern Alliance, which represented minority tribes"(New York Times). -
The Taliban Resurgence
Although the United States was successful in defeating the Taliban in 2001, "the Taliban continued to wage a guerilla warfare from a base in the mountainous and largely lawless tribal area on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. As the American military focus was diverted to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the Taliban regrouped and began to extend its influence in the Southern part of Afghanistan"(New York Times). -
Zarzai as President
After serving as interim president, "Mr. Zarzai was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004" (New York Times). -
Obama's West Point Speech
After much debate between Vice President Joe Biden and military advisers, "in a speech delivered December 1, 2009, at West Point, Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (New York Times). -
General McChrystal is Removed
New York Times states "In June 2010, President Obama removed Gen. McChrystal after contemptuous quotes from the general and his staff about senior administration officials appeared in an article in Rolling Stone magazine. Mr. Obama tapped General Petraeus to lead the war effort there".
