-
Baba is born and Ali then becomes part of the family
-Ali was adopted as a child by Baba's father after his parents were killed by a drunk driver. -Historical context:
Baba was born in the same year in which Zahir Shah started his forty-year peaceful reign of Afghanistan. It was also the year that Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. -
Amir is born
Amir's mother tragically dies in childbirth. -
Hassan is born
Sanaubar gives birth at the home of the little shack on a bare mattress with the help of Ali and a midwife. -
Baba asks General Taheri for Soyara's hand in marriage for Amir
-Baba happily goes and goes to General Taheri and he accepts and Baba tells Amir down the phone.
-Soyara is happy but, she wants to tell him about her past so they don't keep secrets from each other.
-And she says that when she was 18 she ran away with an Afghan man and they lived together for almost a month until General Taheri found her a took her home.
-Amir is a little bothered but, still wants to marry her. -
Baba builds an orphanage
Baba had drawn the blueprints himself despite the fact that he'd had no architectural experience himself. Everyone said it was stupid and urged him to stop his foolishness and hire an architect, but Baba refused. Baba succeeded and everyone shook their heads in awe.
Baba paid for the construction of the two-story orphanage with his own money and it took three years to build. -
Chapter 2
-Amir reminisces on his childhood as he recalls about how he and Hassan would climb trees and use mirrors to reflect sunlight through the neighbour's window.
-And how they would fire walnuts at the neighbour's dogs with a slingshot. Amir reflects on Hassan's undying loyalty to him as Hassan never blamed Amir when they were caught.
-Hassan and Amir bump into some soldiers who said that they had sex with Hassan's mother and the soldiers refer to Hassan as a Hazara. -
Rahim Khan enjoyed reading Amir's book.
-Amir told Baba that he had written a story and Baba gave him a thin smile that conveyed little more than feigned interest.
-But, then Rahim Khan who was Baba asked to read it.
-He wrote Amir back a note after reading it and said that he had a special talent.
-Amir said that sometimes he wishes that Rahim Khan was his father. -
Assef threatens Amir and Hassan
Assef makes racist remarks to Hassan such as flat-nose and he asks them if they have heard about the new Republic. Assef goes on to say to them that Hitler had the right idea about ethnic purity as he says that Afghanistan is the land of Pushtuns and Hazaras just pollute the country. He threatens to hurt them with his brass knuckles but, Hassan uses the slingshot that allows Amir and him to getaway. -
Carving's on a pomegranate tree
On a summer day, using one of Ali's kitchen knives Hassan and Ali carve their names on a pomegranate tree that says; 'Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul.' -
First signs of Violence
-Amir and Hassan hear shooting and they think it's only duck shooting. However, it wasn't that and they woke up 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-year reign in a bloodless coup. -
Hassan has surgery to fix his cleft lip
On Hassan's birthday, Baba is waiting for him inside with a man named Dr Kumar, who is a plastic surgeon. -
Hassan's dream
The night before the Kite flying tournament Hassan dreams of a monster but, who Amir and Hassan demonstrated bravery, friendship and leadership and prove to people that it was save to swim in the lake. The dream reinforces how much Hassan relies on Amir as he follows him into the water despite the alleged monster. -
Kite flying tornament
Amir has an overwhelming desire seizes Amir as he thinks that winning the Kite flying tournament will win Baba's approval and love. He can see Baba on one of the rooftops, watching. Eventually, there are only two remaining kites, his and a blue kite, they win and Amir and Hassan manage to set the blue kite loose. Amir reels in his kite and accepts everyone's congratulation while Hassan goes running after the blue kite. -
Hassan's rape
After the Kite flying tournament, Amir goes looking for Hassan and a merchant tells him that Amir was running South and that some boys were chasing him and have probably caught him by now. Amir sees Hassan at the bottom of an alleyway and he has the blue kite, but Assef and his friends are surrounding him. Assef says that he will let him go if he hands the kite over, but Hassan refuses.
Hassan is raped by Assef in the alleyway while the other boys held him down and Amir does nothing. -
Amir asked Baba if he ever thought of getting new servants.
Baba was really disappointed and outraged that he had even said it and he then thinks that something is going on between Hassan and Amir. As he says to Amir that Ali has been in his family for 40 years and said that he's never laid a hand on him, but if he asked that again he would. -
Amir throws pomegranates at Hassan out of guilt
Amir hurled a pomegranate at Hassan and snapped "hit me back!" showing how Amir is projected his self-loathing into Hassan. -
Amir's 13th Birthday
Baba invites more than 400 guests to Amir's Birthday party and he makes Amir great every guest personally. Assef gives Amir Hitler's biography as a birthday present, which he throws away. Rahim Khan tells Amir about his past and about how he fell in love and then gives him a leather-bound notebook to write all of his stories in. Baba buys Amir a watch and gives him money for his birthday. -
Ali and Hassan leave.
Amir takes his birthday money and watch and hides it under Hassan's mattress and he tells Baba that Hassan had stolen them. and when Ali and Hassan return from getting shopping he confronts Ali and Hassan about it. To Amir surprise, he said that he stole them. Baba forgives Hassan, but Ali says that they must leave. Baba pleaded with them to stay but, Ali refused. -
Amir and Baba flee Kabul
-Baba and Amir leave Kabul in the back of a truck with several other Afghans on the way to Pakistan.
-The ride makes Amir feel sick and he is worried about Embarrassing Baba.
-They leave in the night because people turn on each other for money or they are threatened.
-As they reach a checkpoint, a Russian more solid won't let them pass until he has 30 minutes with one of the women on the bus. Baba stops this from happening even though the Russian solder threatens to shoot him. -
Baba and Amir are living in America
-Baba and Amir leave for the US, via Pakistan because of the Soviet invasion as Baba couldn't stomach the idea of his country being ruined physically and ideologically by the communists.
-Baba works in a gas station and has had difficulty adjusting to life in the USA.
-Amir is about to finish high school and go to college. -
Amir graduates Highschool
-On the night of Amir's graduation, Baba takes him out for a big dinner and then to a bar where he buys drinks all night.
-He gives Amir an old Ford Grand Torino as a gift.
-Amir tells Baba that he wants to take writing in college, and even though Baba thinks it's useless he still lets Amir do it as he has made up his mind on his degree. -
Amir and Soraya meet for the first time in a flea market.
-One morning Baba speaks with a man at the flea market, who he introduces to Amir as general Taheri and Baba tells general Taheri that Amir is going to be a great writer.
-General Taheri's daughter,Soyara, comes over and she and Amir make eye contact which makes Amir ask about her on the car journey home from the market -
Baba is diagnosed with Cancer.
-
Baba dies
-Within about a month of the wedding, Baba passes away.
-Baba refused to take his morphine the night he dies him his sleep and kisses both Amir and Soyara when they put him to sleep.
-Many Afghans who Baba helped came to the funeral and as Amir listens to them pay their respects to him, Amir realizes how Baba defined who he is. -
Soyara and Amir get married.
-Because Baba is so sick they have to plan the wedding quickly.
-Baba rents an Afghan banquet hall, buys the ring, Amirs tuxedo and all the other necessities and spends almost all of his $35,000 in his savings. -
Amir gets his first novel published
-
Amir and Soyara find out that they cannot have children
-
Amir gets a call from Rahim Khan
-Rahim Khan wants Amir to come and see him in Pakistan so Amir tells Soyara he has to go.
-Rahim Khan is very ill.
-Amir takes a walk to Golden gate park and as he sits and watches a man play catch with his son and looking at the flying kites, he thinks of how Rahim Khan said that there was a way for him to be good again.