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History of Afghanistan
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Baba is Born and Raised with Ali
The biggest significance of this event was when "[t]he police brought the...dead couple's five-year-old orphan boy before [Amir's]grandfather...[his]grandfather adopted him into his own household, and told the other servants to tutor him, but to be kind to him. That boy was Ali" (Hosseini 25). Since Ali has grown up with Baba for over forty years in the same household, Baba thinks of him as a brother. The high moral standards his grandfather set determine Baba's current standards for Amir. -
Hassan is Born
Hassan was born one year after Amir in "a modest little hut...it was spare, clean, dimly lit by a pair of kerosene lamps" (Hosseini 6). Contrastly with Amir, Hassan's life has always been simple with poverty. His living style derives Amir's and Assef's later behaviors towards Hassan, regarding him as unimportant to stand up for and educate. -
Baba Builds an Orphanage
Despite everybody's opinions doubting Baba's success, "Baba decided to build an orphanage...Baba had drawn the blueprints himself despite the fact that he'd had no architectural experience at all...Then Baba succeeded and everybody shook their heads in awe at his triumphant ways" (Hosseini 13). Since Baba is determined to get his way, he desires others to win battles. His role in Amir's life forces Amir to reevaluate his actions to where he can stand up for what he thinks is right or wrong. -
Hassan gets his harelip operated on
Baba shows his love for Hassan by giving him a surgery to fix his harelip on his birthday. Amir feels that "hassan hadn't done anything to earn Baba's affections" (Hosseini 46). Furthermore, Amir's jealousy creates a distance from Hassan.in other words, Amir always feels as if Hassan receives the same treatment from Baba although Hassan is not his son (that is what he believes so far). Amir desires for himself to receive the fullest attention, which impacts the plot greatly. -
Hassan Runs a Kite for Amir for the Last Time
In order to impress Baba, Amir wins a kite-flying competition When Amir wins, Hassan insists on running the kite for him 'for [him] a thousand times over" (Hosseini 67). While running the kite, Hassan gets raped by Assef, Amir runs away (Hosseini 77). While Hassan would return any favor for Amir, Amir relunctantly returns favors and stands up for Hassan because of his cowardice. As Amir feels guilty, Hassan and his relationship drift apart. Their drift in relationship plays a role in the plot. -
Soviet Russia Invasion
When the first Soviet troops landed in Afghanistan on December 27, 1979, Western analysists argue that they came "to replace Hafizullah Amin, the Afghan leader, who had lost their trust. Soviet troops stayed in the country for more than nine years, fighting a conflict... The Kabul Government generally kept a firm grip on the cities, but populace was antagonized by the outset in social and land policies that offended Muslim tradition" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
Amir and Baba Move
The Soviet Russian invasion becoming more dangerous for Afghan citizens, Baba and Amir were being taken by people smugglers "to the relative safety of Pakistan. He was taking us to Jalalabad...where his brother... was waiting to to drive us across the Khyber Pass and into Peshawar" (Hosseini 111). The complex steps necessary to smuggle Amir and Baba out of Afghanistan show readers how dangerous times of war are. Furthermore, changes in government and beliefs lead to changes in citizens' lives. -
Amir Graduates From High school
Two years after they move from Kabul into Pakistan, and Pakistan into America, Amir graduates high school at "age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarboard on the football field that day" (Hosseini 131). Baba declares that he is "moftakhir...Proud" (Hosseini 131). After Amir moved around and immigrated to many places due to political dangers, he is finally settled for his education. His determination to finish school, despite economical disadvantages, makes Baba proud. -
Rahim Khan Looks for Hassan
After most of Rahim's friends or relatives have fled or been killed, he "went to Hazarajat to find Hassan" (Hosseini 203). He found Hassan and discovered that he had a family: him, his wife, Farzana, and his son, Sohrab. Amir learns of Hassan's loyalty to Baba, as he went back to Kabul to take care of his house until he died. -
Amir Gets His Book Published
After graduating from high school, a community college, and attending San Jose State, Amir "finished his first novel...was stunned one August day when [he]opened [his] mailbox and found a request from a New York agency for the completed manuscript...a month later [he] was going to be a published novelist" (182-183). After all his hard work, Amir finally can have his work acknowledged. His perserverence and passion for writing helped him achieve his dream. -
Al Qaeda Forms
The Soviet Russia's invasion of Afghanistan divided the country concerning Islam. The Kabul government's changes in social and land policies offended Muslim tradition. By the time Russians left Afghanistan, Afghanistan was divided to the rebels and the pro-Afghans. The war left beind "a beacon to Islamic extremists from across the globe who had come to assist in the fighting, including Osama bin Laden and the group he helped found, Al Qaeda" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
Sanaubar Comes to Stay with Hassan
One day while Hassan and his family were at Baba's house taking care of the house, "a woman covered in a sky blue burqa knocked on the front gates one morning. ..She looked like she had not eaten for days... Someone had taken a knife to it and... Amir jan, the slashes cut this way and that" (Hosseini 209). This woman identified herself as Sanaubar. She later on delieved Hassan's son later that winter. Sanaubar coming back to Hassan demonstrates her atonement and guiltiness for her sins. -
The Afghan government collapses
In the summer of 1994, Afghanistan's "power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and invidual fiefdoms" ("Afghanistan--An Overview"). Rebellion and differences on who should rule caused the Afghan government to collapse. -
Pakistani Aid
The Taliban group thrived with Pakistan at its assistance. By 1994, Pakistan started "funneling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisers to help guide them in battle" ("Afghanistan- An Overview"). The Taliban needed Pakistani aid to help them take over Afghanistan. -
Mullah Omar Starts the Taliban
A group of students who strongly believed in purifying Afghanistan to follow traditional Islamic ways formed the Taliban group. The student, Mullah Omar, promised "restoring the centraility of Islam to daily life, [so] he created a genuinely popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
The Taliban Takeover
By 1996, The Taliban took control of Afghanistan with the aid of Pakistan. The group imposed "strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic Law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-enveloping burqa clothing" ("Afghanistan- An Overview"). -
The Taliban Provides a Haven for Osama bin Laden
The Taliban, in Afghanistan, provided Osama bin Laden with a haven. The Al Qaeda group negatively impacted the Taliban's decisiosn, including "the destruction of the 800-year-old Buddha statues at Bamiyan, an act condemned around the world" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
Hazara Massacre in Mazar-i-Sharif
Two years after the Taliban takeover, the Taliban massacred Hazarans, claiming their purpose was "taking out the garbage" and "ethnic cleansing" (Hosseinin 284). Since the Taliban regard different religious cultures as insignificant or garbage, violence occurs. Not accepting other practices to the point when people cannot even practice their religions safely raises questions about racism and discrimination and how it affects their community negatively. -
Rahim Khan in Pakistan Contacts Amir in America
In 2001, Rahim Khan calls Amir to come visit him in Peshawar, Pakistan because "Rahim Khan is very sick...the first grown-up [he] ever thought of as a friend" (Hosseini 191). Since Amir believes it is his duty to obey the man who supported him significantly, he travels to Pakistan. This event is essential the plot of the story because Amir uses it to "be good again" (Hosseini 192) and to atone sins. Rahim uses it to his advantage to guilty Amir into finding Sohrab for Hassan. -
Amir Comes back to America from Pakistan
After Amir was permitted to adopt Sohrab, "he brought Hassan's son from Afghanistan to America, lifting him from the certainty of turmoil and dropping him in a turmoil of uncertainty" (Hosseini 356). When Amir brought back Sohrab to America, Sohrab was avoiding the chaos and fear he would experience in Afghanistan. However, Sohrab had to abandon his old life in Afghanistan, including his parents, to flee with his uncle who he did not trust much and to get riches to cover up his sorrow. -
Osama bin Laden's attack on America
When Osama bin Laden and members of Al Qaeda attacked America's World Trade Center and Pentagon, "President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden. When it refused, the United States joined forces with rebel groups that had never accepted Taliban rule" ("Afghanistan- An Overview"). -
Hamid Karzai Becomes Leader of Afghanistan
In December 2001, Karzai becomes leader of Afghanistan, and tries to "secure peace for Afghanistan and win the country much-needed international aid" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). The leader is trying to get rid of the Taliban, so that no one will be harmed much more due to Islamic extremists. -
Sohrab Smiles, Bringing a Leap in Amir and Sohrab's relationship
At Lake Elizabeth Park in Fremont, Amir introduces kite-running and kite-fighting to Sohrab. After they win, Sohrab smiles lopsided, which Amir takes "[b]ecause when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time...the first flake melting [is Sohrab's smile]" (hosseini 371). This significant event will eventually lead to Sohrab talking, breaking the awkwardness. Furthemore, this shows Amir's deep love for Sohrab's happiness because he will do anything to reassure Sohrab of his security. -
Sanaubar Runs Away from Ali and Hassan
One week after Sanubar gave birth to Hassan, "[s]he ran off with a clan of traveling singers and dancers" (Hosseini 6). This sinful act leaves Hassan motherless. Furthermore, it gives his family a reputation of sexual objects to abuse. While they already had to worry about being abused for being Hazaras, they faced the new challenge of being a sexual object. -
The American forces will fight in Afghanistan until at least the end of 2014
President Obama has American troops in Afghanistan, attempting to locate the Taliban. Accordingly, "[t]he Taliban and the groups it collaborates with remain deeply rooted; the Afghan military and police remain lackluster and given to widespread drug use... Mr. Karzai's government... remains weak, corrupt, and erratically led. And the Pakistani frontier remains a Taliban safe haven" ("Afghanistan-An Overview").