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The War starts in Afghanistan
Amir's town as astonished because "None of us have ever heard of gun shots in the streets. They were foreign sounds to us then. The generation of Afghan children whose ears would know nothing but the sounds of bombs and gunfire was not yet born." (Hosseini 36). According to the foreshadowing this shows from then on life was going to a lot more dangerous and different in Afghanistan. Also it explains a side of Afghanistan modern day children have not seen, a peace Afghanistan. -
The King's Death
The king, Zahir Shah, was away in Italy. In his absence, his cousin Daud Khan had ended the kings forty-year reign as a "bloodless coup" ("Wikipedia 1"). -
Hassan's Surgery
After Hassan's surgery went well, Amir "wished [he] too had some kind of scar that would beget Baba's sympathy. It wasn't fair" (Hosseini 47). Amir was jealous of the affection shown to Hassan by his father. This caused him to think that his father's relationship with Hassan is better than with his own sons. -
Hassan gets Raped
Amir ran away after he saw Hassan getting raped because he "was afraid of getting hurt" (Hosseini 77). Amir chose to not help his friend which shows his arrogance towards Hassan. Additionally, Amir internally feels that if he let Hassan get raped that he would get closer to his father. -
Amir throws the Pomegranate
Amir's selfishness overcame him when he wondered "What would you do if I hit you with this?" "Hit me back I snapped" (Hosseini 92). This explains Amir and Hassan's one sided relationship. Since Hassan is loyal, he would never hurt his dear friend. On the other hand, Amir is not accepting Hassan's loyalty after the events of his rape. This concludes Amir is not a bad person, but he can not live with the fact he let his best friend be raped. -
Afghan Communist Party member takes control
Khan is killed in a communist coup. Nur Mohammad Taraki, one of the founding members of the Afghan Communist Party, takes control of the country as president. With the help of Soviet trained army units, Taraki "helped overthrow Daud Khan to become president and prime minister" (Britannica 1).They eventually proclaimed independence from the Soviet Union. -
Migration to America
Amir and Baba arrive to San Francisco, and Baba shows his discomfort with America because "the Bay Area's smog stung his eyes, the traffic noise gave him headaches, and the pollen made him cough" (Hosseini 126). Baba had sacrificed an environment where he was respected and he was powerful to provide a new life for his son. This contracts to the "tough love" that Baba gives Amir because he is hard on his son because he only wants the best. -
Amir graduates high school and gets a present
Amir was surprised with "An old model Ford, long and wide, a dark color I couldn't discern in the moonlight" (Hosseini 133). This shows a moment Amir will never forget. Since he is always striving for more of baba's attention and love, this shows he has earned this with a new car and a night of celebration. Also this explains baba has always cared and loved Amir so much. -
Rahim Khan goes to Find Hassan
Rahim Khan voyages to Hazarajat to find Hassan because "most of his relatives had either been killed or had escaped the country" (Hosseini 203). Rahim Khan felt lonely after his friends became refugees after the Russians invaded Afghanistan. Since the Russians and the Afghanis went to war, Afghanistan was dangerous which completely disoriented the country. This was a significant event in the novel because it changed the setting of where Amir and Baba live. -
Al Qaeda formed
Islamic extremist, Osama bin Laden founded Al Qaeda. The terrorist group began gaining popularity after relocation to Afghanistan. Whoever was suspected of collaborating against al Qaeda "was to be identified and killed" ("Who was Al Qaeda?" 1). -
Soviet Troops leave Afghanistan
The Soviets poured billions of dollars into the war in Afghanistan, but Afghanistan "was heavily supported by a wide variety of international actors" (Understanding War 1), which helped them gain independence. -
Sanubar Returns
None of the other characters have seen Sanubar "since she had eloped with a band of singers and dancers in 1964, just after she had given birth to Hassan." (Hosseini 210). This shows although she abandoned Hassan, she still reflected back on it and decided to do the right thing and visit him after all these years. Also it explained Hassan still had forgiveness for her and still accepted her as his mother. That shows Hassan is loyal and is open to forgiveness. -
Killed the Hazara Leader
The Taliban tortured and killed Abdul Ali Mazari, who was an "advocate and the leader for Hazara people" (Timeline of Afghan History 1). -
The Taliban take control of Afghanistan
With Pakistani aid, the Taliban takes over Afghanistan with strict law and enforcement, especially to women. The Taliban and their allies committed massacres against Afghan civilians, "denied UN food supplies to 160,000 starving civilians and burning more than tens of thousands of homes" ("Wikipedia" 1). -
Kazari becomes the leader of Afghanistan
After Kazar was exiled as king, he became the chairman of the interim and the "head chairman of Afghanistan" ("Afghanistan leaders" 1). -
Return of the Taliban
After the defeat of the Taliban, they continued to "attack the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and soon moved to southern parts of Afghanistan" ("Afghanistan History" 1). -
Rahim Khan calls
Amir curious when Rahim khan asked to "Come. There is a way to be good again, Rahim Khan had said on the phone just before hanging up." (Hosseini 192). This shows Rahim Khan knows what Amir did that Winter of 1975. He also gives a chance for Amir to redeem himself and gain respect from himself again. This explains Amir can finally earn a chance to atone for his actions and redeem himself to Hassan. -
Rahim Khan goes to ask Amir to go find Hassan's son
After Rahin Khan asks Amir to go and find Hassan's son, Amir refuses and storms out of the house. After reflection, Amir acquiesces in order to atone for abandoning Hassan when he was raped. Amir understands that "[Hasssan] was gone now, but a little part of him lived on and was in Kabul waiting." (Hosseini 227). This is the beginning of redemption for Amir because for decades he carried the burden of his sins. Amir has the chance to repay his debt to Hassan. -
Sohrab Attempts Suicide
Amir was astonished we he saw "The bloody bathwater; the left arm dangling over the side of the tub, the blood-soaked razor sitting on the toilet tank" (Hosseini 349-9). This shows when Amir mentioned the orphanage it caused extreme trauma to Sohrab due to the amount of pain he endured there. This caused him to be done with being tortured and rather be dead than go back to the orphanage. -
Assef Returns
Amir could not believe " he was already here, in the flesh, sitting less than ten feet from me, after all these years. His name escaped my lips "Assef." " (Hosseini 281). This shows when Assef said he would return when they were kids, he would actually return. Also this reinforces Assef's craziness by his eagerness to attack Amir and rape Hassans son. -
Amir is introduced to Sohrab
Amir was introduced to Sohrab, the boy who " had his father's round moon face, his pointy stub of a chin, his twisted, seashell ears, and the same slight frame. It was the Chinese doll face of my childhood" (Hosseini 279). This shows Sohrab reflected his pastimes with Hassan, but reminds him his mission to atone for his actions. Amir was also surprised with his condition and it is his job to redeem himself and turn his life around with Sohrab at his side. -
Hassan gets killed
When Hassan refused to leave Baba's house when told to leave by the Taliban, he was told to "kneel and [got] shot in the back of the head" (Hosseini 219). Hassan's death meant a great deal to Amir because Amir considered Hassan as a friend. Additionally, this makes Amir's desire to atone for his mistake complicated because he needs to find another way to be forgiven. -
Period: to
Post 9/11 Invasion
After the attacks of 9/11, the US sent troops to gain power in Afghanistan. Their initial plan was to get rid of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda but they "were not captured, escaping to neighboring Pakistan or retreating to rural or remote mountainous regions during the Battle of Tora Bora" ("Wikipedia" 1). -
9/11 Attack
Taliban attacked the World Trade Center in New York. This was the killed around 3,000 people and costed more than "10 billion dollars for US property damage" ("Wikipedia" 1). -
Sohrab Smiles
In the end of the novel, Amir and Sohrab start flying a kite together which gives Sohrab "a smile. [A] lopsided [smile]" (Hosseini 370).The smile was significant to Amir because he felt like Sohrab's happiness is the start of a new relationship. Also, Amir thinks that Hassan would be happy if he saw that his son finally got the life that he deserves; which is the start of Amir's atonement.