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Hassan and Amir were born
Hassan was born shortly after Amir and he was born in the mud shack next to Amir's house. "It was in that small shack that Hassan's mother, Sanaubar, gave birth to him one cold winter day in 1964." (Hosseini 6) Shortly after Hassan is born, Sanaubar leaves him and Ali for around 30 years and then comes back to atone. -
Amir watched Hassan get raped
In the winter of 1975, Amir watched Hassan get raped which he immediately regrets and changes his life forever. Amir did not stand up for Hassan because he was scared, "I ran because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt." (Hosseini 77) This event was very significant because it later contributed to Hassan and Ali leaving their house and Amir retrieving Sohrab as an adult. -
Amir won the kite tournament
In the winter of 1975, Amir won a huge and very honorable Kite tournament. Hassan told Assef, "Amir aha won the kite tournament and I ran this kite for him him. I ran it fairly. This is his kite." (Hosseini 72) By winning this tournament, Amir won Baba's affection for several months. -
Hassan and Ali leave, forever
Amir puts his watch and money under Hassan's bed to make it look like he is stealing from him because he doesn't want Hassan to be around him anymore because he reminds him of the mistake he made in the winter of 1975. Ali tells Baba, '"life here is impossible for us now, Aha Sahib. We're leaving."' (Hosseini 106) Ali and Hassan leave not because of the theft, but because Hassan tells him about what had happened in the winter of 1975. -
Amir turns thirteen
Amir turned 13 the summer of 1976 where Baba gave him a huge party as a result of his victory of the Kite Tournament. "I turned thirteen that summer of 1976, Afghanistan's next to last summer of peace and anonymity." (Hosseini 93) This day is one of the last days Amir possess's his fathers affection and his good friend, Hassan. -
The Soviet Invasion
"The turmoil and extremism that have dominated its history since then can be traced to the 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union and the reaction both by Afghans and by their allies in the United States and Pakistan." (TNYT 2) Citation: “Afghanistan - An Overview.” The New York Times, 0 Dec. 2011. -
Amir and Baba leave Kabul
Because of the Russian invasion, Amir and Baba leave Kabul for America. As Amir is sitting in the car to leaving Kabul, his "innards had been roiling ever since we'd left Kabul just after two in the morning." (Hosseini 110) Baba never see's Kabul again, but Amir comes back later as an adult to retrieve Hassan's future son, Sohrab. -
Amir graduates from high school
In the summer of 1983, Amir graduates from high school in America. "I graduated high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing the mortarboard on the football field that day." This is one of the last days that Baba is proud of Amir before he dies from cancer. -
Amir enrolls in College
"I wold enroll in junior college classes in the fall, I told Baba the day after graduation." (Hosseini 134) Amir tells Baba that he is majoring in English, but Baba disagree's because being a writer won't provide much money. Amir ignore Baba because he decided that he didn't want to sacrifice for Baba anymore, as the last time he did he "Damned himself". -
Baba gets cancer
"It turned out that, like satan, cancer had many names. Baba's was called "Oat Cell Carcinoma." Advanced. Baba declines chemotherapy and doesn't want Amir to tell anyone about it because he doesn't want anyone's sympathy. This portrays Baba's character as a brave man who doesn't want other to view him as a "weak" man. -
Amir Marries Soraya
Amir says to Baba, '"I want you to go khastegari. I want you to ask General Taheri for his daughter's hand."' (Hosseini 161) The general says yes and so does Soraya. They marry quickly because they don't want Baba to die from Cancer before they Marry. -
Baba dies
'"I'll come back with your morphine and a glass of water, Kaka jan,' Soraya said. 'Not tonight,' he said. 'There is no pain tonight.' 'Okay,' she said. She pulled up his blanket. We closed the door. Baba never woke up."' (Hosseini 173) This is an example of how Baba's personality affects him negatively, he is to prideful. Amir was very sad about Baba's death and at his funeral, he learned how much Baba means to other Afghans. -
Amir gets into college
"I got my acceptance at San Jose State that summer and declared an English major." (Hosseini 181) While Amir is in college he also has a job as a security guard at a furniture warehouse in Sunnyvale. Soraya joins Amir at San Jose State a year later and enrolled in the teaching track. -
Amir's first novel was released and published
"The novel was released in the summer of that following year, 1989, and the publisher sent me on a five-city book tour." (Hosseini 183) As a result of this, Amir became a minor celeberty in the Afghan community. As you can see, It turns out that Baba isn't always right and that Amir can be successful in writing books. -
The Soviet Troops leave Afghanistan
"Eventually, after peace talks moderated by the United Nations, the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal." (TNYT 2) Citation: “Afghanistan - An Overview.” The New York Times, 0 Dec. 2011. -
The Taliban Takeover
"Buoyed by Pakistani aid, the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law, banning movie and music and forcing woman out of schools and into all-enveloping burqa clothing." (TNYT 3) Citation:“Afghanistan - An Overview.” The New York Times, 0 Dec. 2011. -
Amir stands up for Sohrab
'"All right,' I said, not knowing what else there was to say. I wasn't about to beg: that would have only sweetened the moment for him."' (Hosseini 286) Amir has just agreed to take a beating from Assef in order to win Sohrab. This shows how over time a character can change into a better person. -
The Obama administration extends the deadline from 2011 to 2014
"Yet in a move away from that July 2011 deadline, the Obama administration changed its tone to increasingly emphasize the idea that the United States will have forces in the country until at least the end of 2014." (TNYT 4) Citations: “Afghanistan - An Overview.” The New York Times, 0 Dec. 2011. -
Amir goes to Peshawar, to see Rahim Khan
"Three hours after my flight landed in Peshawar, I was sitting on shredded upholstery in the backseat of a smoke-filled taxicab." (Hosseini 195) When Amir see's Rahim Khan, he tells him things about his family. He told him that he and Hassan were brothers, that Hassan had died, that he knew about what happened back in 1975, and that Hassan's son, Sohrab needs a home. He tells Amir that he should retrieve Sohrab as it will make up for what had happened 26 years ago. -
The Taliban are forced out of major Afghan cities
"An air and ground campaign began that drove the Taliban out of the major Afghan cities by the end of the year." (TNYT 3) Citation: “Afghanistan - An Overview.” The New York Times, 0 Dec. 2011. -
Hamid Karzai becomes the leader of Afghanistan
"In december 2001, Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the exiles former king of Afghanistan, was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country." (TNYT 3) Citation: “Afghanistan - An Overview.” The New York Times, 0 Dec. 2011. -
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US has been at war with Afghanistan since 2001
"The United States has been militarily involved in Afghanistan since 2001, When it led an invasion after the sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda." (TNYT 1) Citation: “Afghanistan - An Overview.” The New York Times, 0 Dec. 2011. -
Amir takes Sohrab home
"We arrived home about seven months ago, on a warm day in August 2001." (Hosseini 357) Sohrab did not speak or pretty much do anything for a whole year since they had landed back in America, but then on New Years, Sohrab agrees to fly a kite with Amir. This is very significant because it is the first step into getting Sohrab to speak again. -
Hamid Karzai was elected to a five-year term as president
"He took office as interim president in June 2002, saying he hoped to secure peace for Afghanistan and win the country much-needed international aid. Mr. Karzai was elected to five-year term as president in 2004." (TNYT 3) Citation: “Afghanistan - An Overview.” The New York Times, 0 Dec. 2011. -
General Petraeus takes charge for military operations in Iran, Afghanistan and across the region
"General Petraeus, the Iraq commander who received much of the credit for the success of the surge there, had taken charge of United States Central Command in October 2008, with responsibility for military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and across the region." (TNYT 4) Citations: “Afghanistan - An Overview.” The New York Times, 0 Dec. 2011. -
Obama announces that he will deploy more troops in Afghanistan
"In a speech delivered Dec. 1, 2009, at West Point, Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops." (TNYT 4) Citation: “Afghanistan - An Overview.” The New York Times, 0 Dec. 2011.