Kite Runner and the History of Afghanistan

By 19brownk42

  • Baba is Born and Ali's Parents Are Killed

    Later after Baba is born, drunk drivers, "struck and killed a Hazara husband and wife" (26) orphaning their five year old son. Baba's father took the child, Ali, in and he grew up with Baba. Even though Baba and Ali grew up together and continue their realtionship into adulthood, neither man considers the other his friend because of their differences in society. This affects Baba and Ali's children in their realtionship and the decisions that they make.

  • Hassan Gets Surgery For His Lip

    Hassan walks inside and Baba tells him, "meet your birthday present" (45). He is referring to the doctor who will be fixing Hassan's cleft lip. This is a very thoughtful gift for a Hazara. This shows that Baba really cares for Hassan and wants the best for him. This foreshadows more events towards the end of the book.

  • The Pomegranate Tree

    When Amir and Hassan are at the pomegranate tree, Amir, "hurled [a] pomegranate at [Hassan]...[striking] him in the chest" (92). When Amir asks Hassan to throw a pomegranate back, Hassan picks one up and smashes it on his own forehead. This shows the loyalty, love and respect Hassan has for Amir. Hassan also understands his place in society and Amir is just starting to realize how different the two boys are.

  • Hassan is Raped

    After the Kite Race, Amir goes looking for Hassan. He finds him in an alley with Assef, and witnesses his rape. Amir describes, "Hassan didn't struggle. Didn't even wimper" (75). Amir watches and does nothing. He starts to use Hassan's social status as an excuse for him being raped and not doing anything to stop it. Amir realizes that he is more respected and should not be around someone as low as Hassan.

  • Amir Asks About Getting New Servants

    Following the rape, Amir asks Baba, " have you ever thought about getting new servants?" (89). The way that Baba reacts shows that he has a deeper connection with Hassan and Ali. Baba asks if anything happened between Amir and Hassan and Amir lies about what happened. This shows that Amir is a coward and too immature to handle the situation he was presented with.

  • Amir Frames Hassan

    The day after Amir's birthday he snuck into Ali and Hassans's housing and "lifted Hassan's mattress and planted [his] new watch and handful of Afghani bills under it" (104). Amir feels so guilty of what he witnessed that he believes that the only option is to make Ali and Hassan leave. Amir is an extreme coward and very selfish by making Hassan look like a thief when he was always the nicest and most loyal to Amir.

  • Ali and Hassan Leave

    When Amir confronts Baba about his missing gifts he asks Hassan, "Did you steal that money? Did you steal Amir's watch Hassan?" (105). Hassan answers "yes" with no hesitation, resulting in Ali and Hassan leaving. This action shows that even though Hassan knew that he had not stolen the gifts, he was loyal enough to Amir to not tell what really happened.

  • Amir and Hassan are Confronted By Assef

    Amir and Hassan run into Assef, and Assef starts to verbally harass the boys. Amir is asked why he is friends with Hassan, and he thinks to himself, "But he's not my friend!... Had I really thought like that? Of course I hadn't...I treated Hassan just like a friend...more like a brother" (41). Assef starts to complicate Amir's thinking about his position in society in comparison to Hassans. Amir begins to realize that his socioeconomic status is much higher than Hassan's.

  • Soviet Union invades Afghanistan

  • Baba Stands Up For Woman

    When Baba and Amir are crossing the boarder to Pakistan, they reach a checkpoint and the guard claimed the price to get through was, "a half hour withthe lady in the back of the truck" (115). Baba was not allowing this to happen and was almost shot for not allowing the officer to rape the woman. This shows that Baba wants to do right and help. It is a way that he can atone for some of his sins that are foreshadowed throughout.

  • Amir and Soraya Get Married

    Amir finally marries Soraya after longing for her for over a year. He tells her, "[he's] glad [she] came. It means...the world to [him]" (161). That night Soraya and Amir explain stories about each other, and they both have struggled with acceptance from their dad. This helps Amir feel better about how he had been dealing with his father.

  • Amir Graduates High School

    The night that Amir graduates high school, Baba explains that, they have aquired visas to enter the United States. Baba has always wanted to go to the United States and is finally able to. Amir and Baba leave because they want to get out of the Taliban rule. Amir and Baba also both seperatly believe that leaving, they will be able to forget and atone for their sins in Afghanistan.

  • Soviet Union Leaves Afghanistan

  • Sanubar Delivers Sorab

    Sanubar shows up at Hassan's house in poor health. She feels awful for eloping and leaving Hassan. She "delivered Hassan's son in the winter of 1990" (211). This is a way for Sanubar to atone for leaving Hassan and Ali alone.

  • Pakistani Officers Begin Funding Omar's Men

  • Mullah Omar has 12,000 Followers

  • Taliban has taken over Afghanistan

  • Osama Bin Ladin Arrives to Jalalabad Airport

  • Rahim Khan Calls Amir

    Amir tells Soraya that he has to go back to Pakistan because, "Rahim Khan is very sick" (191). He decides to go back becase he was the first adult to treat Amir well and like another adult. Khan is very concerned when he calls, but claims only he is ill. This foreshadows why Amir is really asked back to Pakistan.

  • Amir Goes Back to Pakistan

    Amir arrives in Pakistan and Rahim Khan tells him, "All those years I lived in your father's house...I wasn't alone for all of them. Hassan lived there with me" (202). Amir is brought back to his guilt of what he did to Hassan. When he learns about their son, he decides to go find him because it is a way that he can atone for what he did to Hassan. Amir felt like he owed Hassan and this is how he could repay him.

  • Amir Goes Back to Afghanistan

    When they are driving through Kabul, Amir explains, "I feel like a tourist in my own country" (231). He has always been a tourist because he never fully understood what was happening when he was living there. Amir always had a house, food, clothes, because Baba was able to provide for them unlike many others in Afghanistan. Amir realizes that he never full appreciated all that Baba did for him and what he had.

  • 9/11 Attack in New York

    Al Qaeda group members hijacked and seized control of 3 planes and crashed them into the Twin Towers in New York.

  • Hassan is Killed

    Amir learns that Hassan was "shot in the back of the head" (219) by the Taliban. He immediatly feels terrible and that he never did enough to help Hassan. He decides that he has to do something to atone for his sins and what he did and did not do to Hassan.

  • Amir Learns His Real Brother

    Rahim Khan explains that, "Ali was sterile" (222). This means that Hassan is Baba's son, and Amir and Hassan were actual brothers. Amir feels exremely hurt. He storms out Rahim Khan's apartment, and goes to find Sorab to atone for his sins. This is his only option right now, as he just wants to fix everything.

  • Hamid Karzai is Named Chairman of Government to Replace the Taliban

  • General Petraeus has Taken Charge of US Central Command

  • Obama Announces his Plan to Deploy 30,000 Additional Troops