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Amir Wins The Kite Tournament
When Amir finally won the kite tournament he was overjoyed, "[He] was throwing [his] free arm around Hassan and [they] were hopping up and down, both of [them] laughing, both of [them] weeping. 'You won, Amir agha! You won!'" (Hosseini 66). Amir won the kite tournament to finally win his father's approval. Baba's constant disappointment in Amir makes Amir determined to win at all costs and when he does he can think of nothing else but their relationship improving. -
Hassan believing in Amir
When Amir and Hassan were young, Amir would read the illiterate Hassan a story. After every story was completed Hassan would say "'Mashallah, Amir agha. Bravo!" He was beaming....Some day, Inshallah, you will be a great writer..."(Hosseini 33) This dementrates how much Hassan believed in Amir and how much Amir appreciated someone saying that to him. -
Baba Talks to Rahim Khan
After Amir showed Rahim Khan and Baba his written story, Baba told Rahim can after Amir left, "If I hadn't seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I'd never believe he's my son." (Hosseini 23) This is significant because Baba wanted a son who played sports and acted manly, not be a writer like Amir. Baba was ashamed that Amir was not manly. -
Hassan Gets His Cleft Lip
After Hassan got his Cleft lip fixed, Baba was giving Hassan sympathy, Amir thought, "I wished I too had some kind of scar that would beget Baba's sympathy. It wasn't fair. Hassan hadn't done anything to earn Baba's affection; he'd just been born with that stupid harelip." (Hosseini 46) This is an example of one of the many times Amir was jealous of Hassan and Baba's relationship. -
Amir betrays Hassan
Assef corners Hassan and Amir has a chance to speak up for him, "I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had. But I didn't. I just watched. Paralyzed" (Hosseini 70). Here Amir stands, paralyzed, and watches as his friend gets raped and does nothing about it. When Assef was threatening Amir, Hassan stood up for him but Amir couldn’t do the same. This is a repeating theme throughout the story of Hassan's unwavering loyalty. -
Amir Is Jealous of Hassan
During a riot with sound of gunfire, Hassan and Amir were inside with Ali and "Hassan was crying. Ali pulled him close, clutched home with tenderness. Later, I would tell myself I hadn't felt envious of Hassan. Not at all." (Hosseini 35) This demonstrates that Amir longed for the father-son relationship that Hassan and Ali had. He strived to have Baba pull him close and tell him, it would be okay. -
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Kite Runner
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Ali and Hassan leave
When Baba forgives Hassan for stealing though Hassan didn't steal Ali insists on leaving, "Life here is impossible for us now, Agha sahib. We're leaving.'Ali drew Hassan to him, curled his arm around his son's shoulder. It was a protective gesture and I knew whom Ali was protecting him from."(Hosseini 106). Here Ali was protecting Hassan from Amir. Amir made it seem like Hassan stole from baba so that he would leave because Amir couldn't stand seeing Hassan after the rape. -
Soviet Troop Parachute into Kabul
On December 27, 1979, the first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul to "Assist Babrak Karmal, who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership. Moscow insisted that the troops came in response to a plea for help from a legitimately constituted Karmal Government. But most Western analysts say the Soviets engineered the coup as a pretext to replace Hafizullah Amin, the Afghan leader, who had lost their trust. (New York Times) -
Baba and Amir Leave Afghanistan
Amir is on a truck to Peshawar when he was hoping everything was a bad dream: "No grim-faced Russian soldiers patrolling the sidewalks, no tanks rolling up and down the streets of my city, their turrets swiveling like accusing fingers, no rubble, no curfews..." (Hosseini 113). He describes what the Russians were doing to his home and why they had to move. Baba and Amir moving impacts their life because it brings them to a new setting which is very different from the one they are accustomed too. -
Baba Ruins Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen's store
Amir apologizes for the damage Baba did to the store and says, "After I'd made him promise he wouldn't go back in, I returned to the store and apologized to the Nguyens. Told them my father was going through a difficult time" (Hosseini 128). Here, Amir and Baba's roles switch. Amir has to apologize for his fathers mistake and is embarrassed of him. Part of this is because in this new setting people's views on how a person should be are different because you are not shamed for being weak. -
Amir Graduates High School
Amir graduates and baba tells him, "'I am Moftakhir, Amir,' he said. Proud. His eyes gleamed when he said that and I liked being on the receiving end of that look" (Hosseini 131). Amir finally makes Baba proud by graduating high school. Now he is able to go to college and pursue his dream to be a writer. -
Baba Passes Away
After Soraya and Amir were married, they decided to move in with Baba. Baba being sickly and frail, was taken are of by Soraya. One night after she tried to give Baba medicine, 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 indicate that Baba's final days were peaceful and he was very loved and under great care. -
Soviet Leaves Afghanistan
After talks of peace with the United Nations, "...the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal." (New York Times) -
Pakistan Prepares for War
Around 1994 "Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisers to help guide them in battle." (New York Times) -
Taliban Take Over Afghanistan
In 1996, the "Taliban, [an] extremist Islamic group ... seized control ... after years of civil war. (The New York Times) -
Soviet Troops Land in Kabul
On December 27th 1997, the first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul"...to assist Babrak Karmal, who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership." (New York Times) -
Taliban Take Over
The Taliban tried to traumatize people, "The Taliban grew out of a student movement dedicated to purifying the country, based in the southeast, the home of the dominant ethnic group, the Pashtun. In a story that is now part of Afghan folklore, the group's first action occurred when Mullah Omar, a Pashtun who had lost an eye fighting the Soviets, gathered a small band of men and attacked a group of warlords who had raped a girl and shaved her head." -
Hassan Murdered
Hassan and his wife refused to leave there home and accused of being a liar. When they don't leave their home, Rahim Khan tells Amir what happened. Amir said "No. God, no!" (Hosseini 219) This reveals how much Amir mourned Hassan and how much it hurt him to heard the story of Hassan's death. He was in a state of shock. -
The Taliban Resurgence
Even though they were defeat in 2001, "The Taliban continued to wage guerrilla warfare from a base in the mountainous and largely lawless tribal area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border." (New York Times) -
Amir and Assef Fight
After the fight between Amir's old nemesis, Assef, he feels "Healed at last. I laughed." (Hosseini 289) Amir finally feels at peace, for the first time since the Winter of 1975. Amir feels that he has at last gotten the punishment that he deserved. -
Taliban Going to Pakistan
After the Taliban took over, "Taliban also spilled over into Pakistan, raising concerns about its stability, and making Afghanistan once more a top foreign policy priority for the Western Allies." (New York Times) -
Amir Finds Out Hassan Is His Brother
After Rahim Khan told Amir that Hassan was his half brother he thought,"How could [Baba] have lied to me all those years...(Hosseini 225) Here Amir is shocked that despite all his conversations with Baba about not stealing, Baba never told him about Hassan's true heritage. This strongly impacted Amir, he was ashamed that his father had stole Ali's honor, Hassan's identity and from Amir his the right to know he had a brother. -
The Karzai Government
December of 2001, "Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the exiled former king of Afghanistan, was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country. 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 a five-year term as president in 2004." (New York Times) -
September 11th Attack
The US has been at war with "Afghanistan since 2001, when it led an invasion after the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" (New York Times). -
Sohrab Smiles
Amir takes Sohrab to a park to fly kites. After running for a while and telling Sohrab how good Hassan was at running kites. He looked down and "One corner of his mouth had curled up so. A smile. Lopsided. Hardly there. But there."(Hosseini 371) Amir is very happy to see Sohrab happy. He remembers his childhood with Hassan and
hopes for the future of Soraya and Amir with Sohrab.