-
Period: to
Afghanistan History
-
Amir begins to write stories
As a result of teasing and tricking Hassan, Amir realizes that he has a "special talent" which Rahim Khan and Hassan believe will make Amir "a great writer" (Hosseini 32-33). Amir's passion for reading leads him to the idea of writing the stories. This idea develops and grows, and drives another wedge between Baba and Amir, as Baba believes men should play soccer instead of writing stories and reading poetry. While Amir's passions grow, the divide between the two expands. -
Amir and Hassan are first threatened by Assef
After Daoud Khan takes power via a bloodless coup, Assef translates Hitler's ideas to Afghanistan, wondering how Amir can "talk to [Hassan}, play with [Hassan], let him touch [him]?" (Hosseini 41) Assef displays his belief of superiority of the Pashtuns and disgust of the Hazaras, which motivate his actions throughout the book. This also begins to open Amir's eyes to the differences between Hassan and himself that he had not realized before. -
Hassan is raped and Amir does nothing
After Amir wins the kite competition, Hassan runs the second-place kite for him. In the process, Hassan encounters Assef and is raped, while Amir "turned his back to the alley, to Hassan" (Hosseini 77). At that moment, Amir abandoned Hassan and chose to preserve his safety than to save his long-standing friend. This event demonstrates Amir's weak will to stand up for what he believes and how this causes problems. Amir is cowardly, and choses to conform to societal expectations. -
Amir fakes Hassan stealing his birthday presents
Two days after his birthday party, Amir fakes Hassan stealing gifts he received for his thirteenth birthday in hopes that "Baba would dismiss [Ali and Hassan], ... [he] wanted to be able to breathe again" (Hosseini 105). -
The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan
Soviet troops first entered Afghanistan, specifically the capital Kabul, when tBabrak Karmal "[became] president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership" (2). -
Baba and Amir flee Afghanistan to Pakistan
While Amir and Baba are fleeing Afghanistan due to the Soviets, a Russian soldier orders the wife of a man who they happen to be with to spend a half hour with him in the back of a truck. However, Baba shouts that he will "take a thousand of his bullets before [he] let[s] this indecency take place" and is almost killed. Baba's ferocious protection of this lady further demonstrates to Amir how different he is from his father. It also furthers the guilt Amir feels at letting Assef rape Hassan. -
Baba cannot adjust to life in America
In Fremont, Baba destroys a small grocery store; "oranges, an overturned magazine rack, a broken jar of beef jerky, and shards of glass" litter the floor. (Hosseini 127). Baba was vexed when the shop owner asked for an ID. He took it as a personal blow as he still lived by Afghan rules of society and had not adjusted. Even after one and a half years in Fremont, he cannot graspt that the societal conventions differ and do not corralate with a person's credibility and will not insult their pride. -
Amir and Baba begin to trade at the flee market
When Baba purchases an old bus for a cheap price, he and Amir begin to buy "knickknacks that people no longer wanted" and would sell "the junk for a small profit" (Hosseini 137). They sold the items in a large Afghan section of the San Jose flea market, It allowed for Baba to adjust more to life in America while surronded by others like himself, Also, it reintroduced General Taheri to Baba and Amir fell in love with his daughter, Soraya. -
Baba is diagnosed with lung cancer
What begins as a cold is later diagnosed as lung cancer after Amir "caught [Baba] coughing a wad of bloodstained phlegm into the toilet" and Amir drags him to the doctor. (Hosseini 153) As there was no option availible to completely rid Baba of the cancer, he refuses palliative chemotherapy, His pride and stubbornness is clearly displayed with his refusal of treatment, admitting to others that he has cancer, and denying any information to Amir that would show his worsening condition. -
Baba formally asks General Taheri if Amir can marry Soraya
Shortly after Baba is released from the hospital after suffering from convulsions due to the cancer, he "hobbl[es] up the Taheris' driveway for one last fatherly duty[,]" asking General Taheri if Amir can have Soraya's hand in marriage. (Hosseini 163) This is one of many favors since moving to America that Baba has done for Amir. It shows how although Baba may not always consider Amir to be a good son, he still loves Amir. He will do whatever he can to assure that his son leads a good life. -
Amir gets married to Soraya
Soraya and Amir were married shortly after the giving word ceremony occured, as everybody knew "that Baba didn't have months to live" (Hosseini 169) As a result, the two learned most about each other after marriage and their life after marriage was devoted to caring for Baba. Soraya would be an important person for Amir to rely upon in the coming years. She would be one person who would always be there, looking out for him. Their marriage pleased everyone, both Soraya's parents and Baba. -
Baba dies from lung cancer
One month after the wedding, "Baba never woke up" after a night where he sees how in love Soraya and Amir are and he claims that "there is no pain tonight" (Hosseini 173). This is when Amir needs Soraya's support and she is there. Also, at this point Amir realizes how much he truly loved his father, no matter his harsh nature. This helped to seal the bond between Soraya and Amir, they knew the other would never leave them. But, they both missed Baba immensely, though Amir respectively more so. -
Soviet Union loses much ground and arial power in Afghanistan
The Soviet Air Force lost power when the U.S. provided "advanced Stinger antiaircraft missles" to the rebels and rebels in the country fought against the "changes in social and land policies that offended Muslim tradition" (2). -
The Soviet Union leaves Afghanistan
The United Nations moderated peace talks which led to the Soviet Union withdrawing from Afghanistan and resulted in "a country that was not only devastated by the war but that had become a beacon to Islamic extremists" (2). -
Sohrab is born
Hassan and Farzana's second child, their first was stillborn, was named Sohrab, and he "had the same temperament as his father" (Hosseini 211). He was similar to Hassan, in ways more than one. He was named after Hassan's favorite hero from the Shahnamah, the book Amir used to read to Hassan. This boy would help Amir atone for not saving Hassan from being raped. -
Soraya is discovered to be infertile
After trying for over a year, a doctor explains to Soraya and Amir that Soraya has "unexplained infertility" and even after treatment, they tell Soraya's parents that they will be unable to have a child without adopting. (Hosseini 185) This drove a wedge between Soraya and Amir, they were still close yet there was an emptiness between them. They would feel a futility in their love for each other, especially Soraya. This would distance the married couple from each other. -
Warlords fight for power
After Soviet forces departed, "power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms" which led to lots of destruction in all aspects of society. (2) -
The Taliban begins to gain power
A student movement or the Pashtun people developed when Mullah Omar lead men who "attacked a group of warlords who had raped a girl and shaved her head" (2). -
Pakistan supports the Taliban
The Pakistani government began to provide "arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisers" to the Taliban, saving them from collapse. (3) -
The Taliban recruits followers
The Taliban becomes increasingly popular due to the promises of "restoring the centrality of Islam to daily life" in a war-torn and corrupt country. (2) -
The Taliban take control over Afghanistan
The Taliban, with Pakistani aid, inforce fundamentalist Islamic law, which includes the "banning [of] movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-enveloping burqa clothing" (3). -
Hassan and Farzana are killed by the Taliban
As a result of once again protecting what was once Amir's, his old house, Hassan was dragged into the street and the Taliban "shot him in the back of the head" and Farzana was killed shortly afterwards. (Hosseini 219) When Amir is told of this by Rahim Khan, he feels grief for Hassan, his long-ago friend, who stayed loyal to him while he ran and abandoned him. It reminds Amir of the pain he still carries from the incident where he made the wrong choice and forced Hassan from his life forever. -
Amir discovers that Hassan was his half brother
While Rahim Kahn is attempting to persuade Amir to bring Sohrab from Afghanistan to Pakistan, he tells Amir that he "had a brother[,]" Hassan. (Hosseini 225) This information is what finally convinces Amir to go save Sohrab as it has become a family matter. This adds an entirely new aspect to Hassan and Amir's relationship, as Amir had failed to save a brother from rape, rather than a servant. -
Amir finally atones for not saving Hassan from rape
When Amir finds Sohrab, he fights Assef, now a Taliban leader, for the right to take Sohrab away with him. During the fight, Amir is injured badly, but he "felt healed. Healed at last" for the first time since he had failed to save Hassan. (Hosseini 289) The pain left him at peace as he could finally feel as if he got what he deserved. In standing up for Hassan's son against who he had failed to stand up to before, Amir could feel better about how he acted previously because he made up for it. -
World Trade Center attack by Al Qaeda
The World Trade Center attack promted President George W. Bush to give "the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden" and the Taliban refused. (3) This led to the U. S. invasion in Afghanistan. -
The Taliban and Al Qaeda remanants flee to Pakistan
The U.S. and allied rebel groups that opposed the Taliban forced the Taliban "out of major Afghan cities by the end of the year" using an air and ground campain. (3) The Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders escaped after a battle to the mountains along the Pakistan border -
Sohrab begins to warm up to Amir and Soraya
After attempting to kill himself due to not wanting to return to an orphanage, Sohrab had ignored everyone. However, one day when Amir helps Sohrab cut the last kite in a tournament, "one corner of his mouth had curled up just so" in a smile. (Hosseini 370) Sohrab finally begins to accept Amir and Soraya after he shows him the fun of the kite tournament. Amir demonstrates his loyalty to Sohrab and devotes himself to Sohrab with the saying "for you, a thousand times over" (Hosseini 371). -
Hamid Karzai is elected president
After being named chairmain of an interim government that took the place of the Taliban, Mr Karzai, "a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the former king of Afghanistan," was "elected to a five-year term as president in 2004" (3). -
The Taliban regains power
Over time, due to the lack of American forces and the opium trade, the Taliban regains power and "grew larger, better coordinated and more deadly each year" (4).