-
Hassan gets raped
As Assef and his friends cornered Hassan and told him viciously, "Today, it's only going to cost you that blue kite."(Hosseini,72). Hassan refuses to give the Kite and gets raped in return. Hassan went through a great amount of suffering just to keep the kite for Amir that he cut during the great Kite Fight in Kabul. The result of this action was Amir's life long emotional guilt for not doing anything to stop it -
Hassan and Ali Leave
Baba breaks down in despair when Ali expresses that his home was now unfit for him and his son. Babas plea for him to stay leaves a permanent image implemented into Amir's mind as Amir thinks, "I'll never forget the way Baba said that, the pain in his plea, the fear." Seeing such a tough man such as Baba himself crying prompts Amir to understand the love Baba felt for Ali and Hassan. This reaction from illustrates Baba in a whole new light for Amir bringing him a sense of overwhelming guilt. -
Invasion by the Soviet Union
Soviet soldiers from Russia parachuted into Afghanistan's capital, Kabul. The Soviet troops stayed in the country for more than nine years causing a huge disruptance to the people there. The invasion was not easy on the people of Afghanistan as the Soviet/Russian ideals influenced their home country greatly. As stated in The New York Times, "where the conservative populace was antagonized at the outset by changes in social and land policies that offended Muslim tradition." -
Amir and Baba move to America
As time progresses after the big move Amir suggests going back to Peshawar. Baba responds to this thought by saying to Amir, “Peshawar was good for me. Not good for you.”(Hosseini 129). This thought shows how Baba was not thinking about himself when they decided to move, he was thinking about Amir's future. This act demonstates how Baba truly does care for Amir even at times he can not show it. -
Amir Graduates from Highschool
When Amir graduates High school he searches for Baba in the crowd and notices how his "eyes gleamed"(Hosseini 132). This shows how proud and pleased Baba was of Amir for his accomplishment. His reaction showed Amir how he was finally seen in Babas eyes as a success. It made Amir feel as if he was finally accepted by him. -
Baba and Amir Start Selling Items at Flea Market and Amir Sees Soraya For the First Time
Amir and Baba begin to start selling items at the flea market in order to make a little more money. There is when Amir first meets Soraya. "Soraya Taheri's sickle-shaped birthmark, her gently hooked nose, and the way her luminous eyes had fleetingly held mine. My heart stuttered at the thought of her" (Hosseini 142). This quote shows its importance through the way Amir thinks about Soraya, it shows his true feelings about her. This quote shows that Amir has fallen in love. -
Amir and Soraya Get Married
Amir is worried to see how Sorayas father would react to the marriage of his daughter he is rather protective of, during the wedding he announces in his speech to Amir, " I welcome you to my home as a son, as the husband of my daughter who is the noor of my eye. Your pain will be our pain, your joy our joy." (Hosseini 168). Despite Amirs worries, the hard headed father of Soraya seemed happy to accept him into his family. Amir is thrilled to finally be liked by his new wife's parents. -
Boba Dies From Lung Cancer
Baba's death permanently impacted Amir, and the realization of this causes him to think, ""Now [Baba] was gone. Baba couldn't show me the way anymore; I'd have to find it on my own. The thought of it terrified me" (Hosseini 174). Although Amir thought and took about in a negative way, in the long run it had the opposite effect. Baba's death forced Amir to mature and become independent. He then learned how to not depend on someone so greatly, it caused him to be the biggest man in his life. -
Amir's First Novel Gets Published
Finally, in the summer of 1988, Amir publishes his first novel. He speaks upon it saying, "I finished my first novel, a father-son story set in Kabul" (Hosseini 182). This is so significant because Amir fulfills his life long dream about being a fictional writer. This also examples how no matter how much people doubted his ambitions he stayed keen to them, this shows how he is becoming his own independent man. -
The Soviet Union Leaves Afghanistan
The Soviet Union finally leaves Afghanistan after aproximately 9 years. The war wrecked Afghanistan inside and out. "They left behind a country that was not only devastated by the war but that had become a beacon to Islamic extremists from across the globe" (New York Times) -
Amir and Soraya Discover They Can Not Have Children
Amir and Soraya come across the fact that they are unable to have children. This motivates Amir to think that perhaps, "something, someone, somewhere, had decided to deny [him] fatherhood for the things [he] had done" (Hosseini 188). His immediate reaction to this news sparks the idea that the reason they can not have children is his fault and is karma for his mistakes. He believes that because of what happened with Hassan he is being punished in return. -
Mullah Omar's Movement
Mullah Omar lost his eye fighting in the war against the Soviets. He promised that he would restore the centrality of Islam. This was no easy task because of the recent invasions by the Soviets, as The New York Times stated, the country was still "weary of corruption and brutality." -
Pakistani Aid and Help
Pakistan supported Omar's movement and did there best to help by "funneling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisers to help guide them in battle." (The New York Times) -
The Taliban
Mullah Omar started and lead the Taliban. The Taliban gained so much power that it took over Afghanistan's government. It created many changes such as "enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-enveloping burqa clothing" -
Taliban Provided Haven for Bin Laden
Bin Laden helped persuade the order the destruction of the 800-year-old Buddha statues at Bamiyan, an act criticized around the world. This act in a way showed the world how harsh the Taliban rule really was, but this criticism did not affect the Taliban. The New York Times stated, "International criticism of the Taliban's harsh measures had little effect on the regime, which seemed almost to welcome pariah status." -
Hassan and Farzana are Killed by the Taliban
When Amir visits Rahim Khan in Kabul, he receives heartbreaking news from him. Hassan was shot by the Taliban. This forces a disturbing image into Amirs mind. He pictures Hassan, "slumped to the asphalt, his life of unrequited loyalty drifting from him like the windblown kites he used to chase" (Hosseini 219). This news shocks Amir and brings an overwhelming sense of guilt over him. He was never able to atone for the mistakes he made with Hassan. Hassan deserved more from him. -
Amir and Assef Fight
Amir discovers that the Taliban man who took Sohrab is Assef. Assef makes Amir fight him for Sohrab. While Assef is pummeling Amir, Amir breaks out in uncontrollable laughter fits. "I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this."(Hosseini 289). Amir feels as if he deserves this beat down, he is finally getting the pain he deserves. This is Amir's way of finally atoning for the mistakes he committed. -
Amir Travels to Kabul to Visit the Sick Rahim Khan
Amir hears that his old friend Rahim Khan is very sick and that he wishes for Amir to visit. When Amir arrives, "a thing made of skin and bones pretending to be Rahim Khan opened the door" (Hosseini 197). Their visit is extremely important to the plot of the story because Rahim Khan tells Amir that him and Hassan are brothers. Amir now realizes that not only did Amir betray his best friend, he betrayed his own brother. Rahim Khan uses this opportunity to convince Amir to bring back Hassans son. -
Amir Asks Sohrab to Come Live in America with Him
After discovering that the couple in Peshawar who was going to adopt Sohrab does not exist, Amir asks if Sohrab would consider "[Coming] to live in American with [him] and [his] wife" (Hosseini 320). This was Amir's attempt to atone for the mistakes he made as a child with Hassan, he wanted to adopt and take in Hassan's child. This would also work out in Soraya's eyes because they now had a child they had both been wishing for. -
Sohrab Attempts to Kill Himself
After finding out that bringing Sohrab back to America was harder than expected, Amir breaks the news to Sohrab may have to go back to an orphanage temporarily. Sohrab in response of this news tried to kill himself. The image of the "blood-soaked razor sitting on the toilet tank"(Hosseini 348). was now permanently burned into Amir's thoughts. This action by Sohrab showed Amir how traumatized and damaged Sohrab was from the last orphanage. Sohrab would have rathered die than return to one again. -
9/11
After the attack on the World Trade Center, as the New York Times put it, "President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden." But the Taliban refused. The United States joined forces with rebel groups that had never liked Taliban rule. This campaign drove the Taliban out of the major Afghan cities by the end of the year. -
Sohrab Grins
Amir runs outside with Sohrab seeing all of the kite fighting going on in the air. Him and Sohrab take down another kite together during a bonding moment. Amir, "looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided. Hardly there. But there" (Hosseini 370). This action shows a huge step for Sohrab, he is finally opening up to Amir and showed him just a glimpse of happiness. This shows how their relationship is slowly overtime growing into something. -
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai was elected as the leader of Afghanistan after the Taliban rule was over. He believed in peace for Afghanistan as he once said "We as the Afghan people and government are willing to help Pakistan work for peace in Afghanistan and work for peace in Pakistan, together." -
Taliban Resurgence
Despite the Taliban defeat, the Taliban regrouped and began to extend its influence in the southern part of Afghanistan. The 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. The New York Times expressed that "grew larger, better coordinated and more deadly each year." -
Obama's War
Obama's plan was to widen United States involvement in Afghanistan. The Obama administration changed its tone to increasingly emphasize the idea that the United States will have forces in the country until at least the end of 2014. In time the U.S. got impatient and finally decided to make a threat towards the Taliban saying " that the United States is not walking away and to warn the Taliban that aggressive operations against them would continue."