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Baba Gives A Gift to Hassan
Baba buys an unexpected gift for Hassan on his birthday: a plastic surgery procedure to fix his cleft lip. Baba showed kindness to Hassan by buying him birthday presents and "never miss[ing] Hassan's birthday... Every winter Baba picked something out himself" (Hosseini 44). Baba's compassion towards Hassan is a way that Baba relieves his guilt of not allowing Hassan to be his son. Although Hassan's birth was a favor for Ali, Baba had always regretted not keeping Hassan as his own son. -
Amir and Hassan Win the Kite Competition
The winter of 1975, Amir and Hassan compete in the kite competition. They win by cutting the last kite and Amir experiences the thing he has always wanted: for Baba to be proud of him. When Amir sees Baba finally showing pride in him, "[it] was the single greatest moment of [his] twelve years of life" (Hosseini 66). This shows how Amir has been neglected his entire life. He treasures that someone finally shows pride in him, which illustrate the lack of pride that Amir has gotten his entire life. -
Amir Sacrifices Hassan For Baba's Love
After the kite competition, Amir realizes that Hassan has gone missing while running their kite. Amir witnesses Assef raping Hassan but chooses not to help. Amir thought that "Hassan was the price [he] had to pay, the lamb [he] had to slay, to win Baba" (Hosseini 77). This mentality that Amir possesses exhibits his selfishness. Although Hassan is his friend, he does not care for him enough to save him in a time of crisis, which shows that he does not care for the wellbeing of others. -
Amir Seeks Atonement After the Rape
After Amir had witnessed the rape, he felt he had to be punished for what he did. Amir attempts to provoke Hassan by throwing pomegranates at him so Hassan would throw one back. He wished Hassan had "given [Amir] the punishment [he] craved, so maybe [he'd] finally sleep at night" (Hosseini 92). This shows Amir's good ethics when he searches for punishment. Although Amir made a mistake, he was able to recognize it and wanted to fix it; therefore, he shows high morals and values. -
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Afghanistan and Kite Runner Timespan
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Hassan and Ali Leave Baba and Amir
Because Amir was unable to face his wrongdoings and atone for them, he framed Hassan for stealing and drove Ali and Hassan out of Kabul. Amir "wondered how and when [he'd] become capable of causing this kind of pain" (Hosseini 105). Amir's inability to admit witnessing the rape has caused not only pain to himself, but to others. This shows that Amir is not ethically responsible. Amir is unable to face the consequences of what he does, and instead ruins the lives of others to relieve his guilt. -
Soviet Troops Assist the President
Soviet troops work in Kabul to assist "Babrak Karmal, who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership" (NYT). -
Baba Saves A Woman
On their way out of Kabul, Baba and Amir run into a Russian soldier guarding the road. The soldier demands 30 minutes with the a passenger in the truck in return for letting all the passengers pass. Baba stands up to the soldier and states that "[he'll] take a thousand of [the soldier's] bullets before [he lets] this indecency take place" (Hosseini 116). Because Baba was willing to give his own life to save someone's else's, it shows his selflessness. He is heroic and stands for what is right. -
Amir and Soraya Are Unable to Have Children
Amir and Soraya are unable to have children, but Amir believes that it is more than just an unexplained fertility that is preventing them from having children. He believes that "something, someone, somewhere, had decided to deny [him] fatherhood for the things [he] had done. Maybe this was [his] punishment" (Hosseini 188). Because Amir never apologized for what he did to Hassan, he believes that he deserves punishment. This shows Amir's good ethics and morals because he wanted to be punished. -
Baba Dies
After Baba passes away, Amir is left with an emptiness and confusion. Baba was not there "to show [Amir] the way anymore; [he'd] have to find it on [his] own. The thought of it terrified [him]" (Hosseini 174). This emptiness shows that Amir is dependent on those around him to create a path for him. When the man he looked up to the most died, he was left with a hole in his heart. This shows that Amir needs people around him to decide his fate. -
Peace Talks Moderated by the United Nations Causes Change
Due to peace talks moderated by the United Nations, "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan... in what was in effect an unilateral withdrawal" (NYT). -
Power is Divided In Afghanistan
After the Soviet forces departed, Afghanistan's "power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms" (NYT). -
Mullah Omar Gains Power
Mullah Omar was a Pashtun who "gathered a small band of men and attacked a group of warlords who had raped a girl and shaved her head. Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east" (NYT). -
Taliban Takes Control After Civil War
The Taliban had taken control of "Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement to fundamentalist Islamic law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-enveloping burqa clothing" (NYT). -
Safe Haven Provided for Osama Bin Laden
After the Taliban had taken control of Afghanistan, and had been enforcing the Islamic law. The Taliban also provided a "haven for Mr. Bin Laden... in May 1996, and for Al Qaeda" (NYT) -
Hassan and Farzana Are Killed
Hassan and Farzana were killed in the street by the Taliban. Rahim Khan was unable to witness their death, but his neighbor had said the "'Talibs were looking at the big house like... wolves looking at a flock of sheep'" (Hosseini 219). Although Hassan and Farzana did not do anything wrong, the Taliban killed them because of the society's ethnical discrimination against the Hazaras. This shows how divided Afghanistan was at the time, and the social injustice that was presented in the society. -
Rahim Khan Convinces Amir To Return to Afghanistan
Rahim Khan calls Amir one day and tells him to return to Afghanistan during his final moments alive. However, Amir knew that Rahim Khan "knew about Assef, the kite, the money, the watch with the lightning bolt hands...'Come, there is a way to be good again,' Rahim Khan had said" (Hosseini 192). Rahim Khan had always known about Amir's wrongdoings and wanted him to atone for them. The actions that Rahim Khan displays show that he loves Amir, and he wants to relieve him of the guilt he holds. -
Sohrab is Born and Sanaubar Seeks Atonement
Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan to go to Kabul. Rahim Khan talks about his encounters with Hassan, and explains that Sanaubar returned seeking atonement. Sanaubar had "delivered Hassan's son that winter of 1990... The two of them were inseparable." (Hosseini 211). Because Sanaubar sought atonement, it shows her high morals and values. She understands her wrongdoings in the past, but only wants to compensate in the present. She wanted to make up for what she had done to Hassan. -
Amir Encounters Assef
When Amir goes to Kabul to look for Sohrab, he discover that he is in Assef's custody. Amir speaks to Assef and they talk about the Hazara Massacre. Assef states, "'We left the bodies in the streets, and if their families tried to sneak out to drag them back into their homes, we'd shoot them too... Dog meat for dogs'" (Hosseini 277) Assef's lack of compassion shows his mentality. He is willing to take the lives of people who he does not know to satisfy himself, which displays his cruelty. -
A Public Execution Takes Place in the Pashtunistan Square
A Talib man argues that those who commit adultery shall be punished. He states, "How shall we answer those who throw stones at the windows of God's house? WE SHALL THROW STONES BACK!" (Hosseini 270). He then orders a couple into a ditch and begins to hurl stones at them until they die. The execution shows how mistakes are can lead to deep consequences. Those who did not follow these laws were punished. This shows the cruelty and the lengths the Taliban are willing to go to protect their beliefs. -
Removing the Taliban from Power
An invasion in 2001 succeeded in "dislodging Al Qaeda and removing the Taliban from power, but not eradicating either group" (NYT). -
Sohrab Attempts to Commit Suicide
Amir gives Sohrab hope that he will finally be free and will not have to live in an orphanage ever again. However, Amir takes this hope away when he says that Sohrab must live in an orphanage to go home to America. Sohrab stated that he "'wanted [his] old life back'", and he "'was tired of everything'" (Hosseini 354). He attempted to commit suicide, which shows his loss of motivation to continue living his life. He was upset at Amir when he went back on his promise to keep Sohrab safe. -
9/11 Attacks Led By Al Qaeda
The United States military has been "involved in Afghanistan since 2001, when it led an invasion after the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" (NYT). -
Sohrab Smiles at Amir While They Fly Kites
After not speaking for a year, Sohrab smiles. Amir feels redeemed for telling Sohrab he would be in an orphanage. Amir knew that "it was only a smile, nothing more... But [he would] take it" (Hosseini 370). Sohrab's actions show a sense of forgiveness for Amir misleading him. Sohrab lost all hope that he was going to be safe. When Amir finally gives him the chance to be rid of his fear, Sohrab slowly forgives him. -
Hamid Karzai Is Elected as President
Hamid Karzai was a supporter of Mohammad Zahir Shah and stated that he hoped to "secure peace for Afghanistan... [he] was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004" (NYT). -
Obama Announces Plans
In President Obama's speech, Obama announced "his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops. He vowed to start bringing American forces home from Afghanistan in the middle of 2011" (NYT)
