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Hassan Gets Plastic Surgery
For Hassan's birthday Baba "...summoned Dr. Kumar from New Delhi."(45) to fix Hassan's harelip for his birthday. Baba cares deeply for Hassan and shows his affection with the greatest gift Hassan has ever received. Amir is extremely jealous of this gift and doesn't understand yet, why Baba cares so much for Hassan. -
Kite Competion
During the winter of 1975 Amir and Hassan participates in a kite flying contest and after winning he cheers "We won! We won!"(66). Amir is happy that he and Hassan beat everyone and came out on top as he hoped for. Amir is overwhelmed with happiness now that he finally succeeded at something his father approves. -
Hassan's encounter with Assef
After Hassan runs and catches the last kite, he is cornered by Assef and his friends. So " Hassan hurled the rock. It struck Assef in the forehead. Assef yelped as he flung himself at Hassan, knocking him to the ground."(73) Hassan is being abused because of his ethnicity which shows the inequality in religion in Afghan society. Amir decides to use this idea of inequality as an excuse to not get hurt and help Hassan, leaving him in the hands of Assef. -
Amir's Birthday Party
Amir separates him from all the guests he doesn't care about; Rakhim Khan finds Amir and hand him "(99)... a brown leather-bound notebook.". This is the only gift Amir cares about because Rakhim Khan is the only one who truly cares about him. He gives Amir the note book so he will pursue his passion for writing because he believes in and knows Amir unlike any of the people at the party and Baba. -
Amir frames Ali and Hassan
The morning after the party, Amir sneaks of to Ali and Hassan's hut and "...lifted Hassan's mattress and planted [his] new watch and a handful of Afghani bills unde it."(104) Amir decides the easiest way to deal with his guilt is by sending Hassan away by any means possible. Amir is afraid of facing the truth and admitting what he did was wrong.He abuses his power in Afghan society to get rid of Hassan making him no better than Assef. -
Russia Invades Afganistanv
In 1797 the "first Soviet troops parrachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979,"(The New York Times) -
Baba and Amir are in America
Once Amir and Baba arrived to America, Amir "...tried to get Baba to enroll in ESL classes to improve his broken English. But he scoffed at the idea.” (126). This shows just how big Baba's pride is. Afghan culture has shaped Baba's values and morals and his pride is a way of expressing them. Baba doesn't want to learn english because he doesn't want to except the culture and the values ethics and morals that come with it. -
Baba gets in trouble at the store
When Baba did not have enough money for oranges he wrote a check and when he was asked for an ID he yelled "Almost two years we've bought his damn fruits and put money in his pocket an the son of a dog wants to se my license!"(126). Back in Kabul Baba was of high socioeconomic status which allowed him to borrow and pay later. In America he has no status whatsoever which is hard for Baba to realize. The Afghan culture shaped him to he is and becoming an American takes away from who he is. -
Amir graduates from High school
During the summer of 1983 Amir "...graduated from high school at the age of twenty...". In America the power shifts from Baba to Amir. Amir has more opportunities open for him and now takes care of Baba in the new country where Baba doesn't have his connections. -
Amir asks for Soraya's hand the proper way.
After talking to Soraya for a while Amir asks Baba " ... to go khastegari.I want you to ask General Taheri for his daughter's hand." Asking Baba to properly ask for Soraya's hand is a way of preserving the Afghan culture and the values that come with it. This demonstrates that Fathers have a lot of influence and power in Afghan culture. Amir may have adapted more to America but Baba still has power over some aspects of Amir's life. -
Russia Leaves
After almost ten years," the last Soviet troops left Afganistan in Febuary 1989,"(The New York Times) -
Change in Power
After the Russians had left Afghanistan fell into chaos and the governing "power was anarchically divided among competing war lords"(The New York Times) -
Pakinstan Supports Mullah Omar
During 1994 "...Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling, arms,money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men..."(The New York Times) -
The Taliban is born
A Pushtun with a dream of restoring Islam in Afganistan, by the name of Mullah Omar, "... had nearly 12,000 followers" by the end of 1994. -
Taliban Siezed Control
By 1996 the "...Taliban... had taken control of Afganistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law,..."(The New York Times) -
Mr. bin Laden
The Taliban gives safe haven to Mr bin Laden when he " arrived by charted jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996"(The New York Times) -
Hassan And Farzana are murdered in the street by the Taliban
When Hassan argues with a Talib officer and his right to stay in the house the talib said Hassan "... was a liar and a thief like all Hazaras and ordered him to get his family out of the house...". Hassan refused and the Talibs "...shot him in the back of the head." This demonstrates that Hassan would rather fight for the right thing than give into the taliban. The hate that Hassan receives throughout his life made his ethics, values, and morals even stronger because he is proud of who he is. -
Amir faces Assef
Right before the fight is about to end Amir thinks" My body was broken- just how badly I wouldn't find out until later- but I felt healed."
Amir has finally done something to atone for his sins and can start let go of his built up guilt. Amir has changed as a person; The fight marks a new chapter in his life where he begins to make up for his actions and gains new and strong morals and values. -
Amir asks Sohrab to come with him to America
After calming Hassan down at the Mosque, he asks Sohrab if he would " ...like to come live in America with [him] and [his] wife?" Amir sticks with his morals and decides that taking Sohrab home is the right thing to do. BY talking him home he continues to Atone for is sins. -
Amir is Waiting for Hassan to get out of surgury
While waiting for Sohrab's results Amir says "I will do namaz, I will do zakat.". Sohrab almost dying changed Amir's values. He promises to become a practicing muslim if he lives, which shows hust how much Amir cares for Sohrab. Amir wants to preserve not only Sohrabs life, but also the memory of Hassan -
Amir stands up to the General
While havin dinner with Soraya's parrents Amir tells General Tahri " you will never refer to him as 'Hazara boy' in my presence. He has a name and it's Sohrab." Here Amir is standing up for what he believes in. By standing up for Sohrab and defending him because of the Hazara comment, he is not only atoning his actions but also making up for Baba's. Amir will not stand for inequality between Hazaras and Pashtuns because that is what the main theme was for his sins. -
Post 9/11
The U.S. government sends troops to Afghanistan after" the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, President W. George Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden." and the Taliban refused. -
Taliban Defeated
After the Unites States fights off the Taliban,"...Hamid Karzai...was named chairman of an interm government..."(The New York Times) -
Sohrab Smiles
During New Year Amir flies a kite with Sohrab and after they cut down the last kite amir notices " A corner of [Sohrab's] mouth had curled up just so. A smile." Amir has been trying to make Sohrab happy and give him a better life. Sohrab smiling relieves the rest of the guilt that Amir has. Amir finally feels free from his sins and has peace at mind. -
Job Not Done
The Taliban still lurking and causing problems provokes the U.S. government "...to deploy 30,000 aditional troops."(The New York Times)