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Hassan is Born and Sanaubar Runs Away
On 1964, Hassan was born in a small shack.f Just a week after, Sanaubar ran away with a dancing troupe. Since she was often associated with shame, "Hassan never talked about his mother, as if she'd never existed" (Hosseini 6). What can be told from the quote is that Hassan does not touch upon the topic of his mother because he is influenced by how society views him. Since his mother is something to be ashamed of, he is afraid of also being associated with a negative aspect. -
Baba Establishes an Orphange
Baba creates an orphanage even when no one believed in him. After creating it, "everyone shook their heads in awe at his triumphant ways." (Hosseini 13). Baba is an accomplished man and proves everyone wrong with his skills. He demonstrates the ability to rely on his own hands despite lacking any architectural skill. -
Hassan gets Raped by Assef
To protect the kite, Hassan sacrifices himself to rape by Assef. Amir watches closely and describes Hassan as the "price [he] had to pay, the lamb [he] had to slay, to win Baba." (Hosseini 77). In this quote, Amir is torn between the choice of saving Hassan or receiving Baba's love and shows us Amir's values. He values Baba's love more as he describes Hassan as a sacrificial lamb and prioritizes it over Hassan's safety, as he gets raped. -
Hassan and Ali Leave Baba's House
After finding out about the rape, Ali decides to take Hassan and leave the house. On the way of leaving Baba "cried [Amir saw for the first time] ...a grown man sob." (Hosseini 107). This quote is extremely significant because it portrays the strong relationship between Ali and Baba. Baba is so committed towards Ali and loves him so much that he cries which is an extremely rare sight. It shows the love between Baba and Ali and his deepest fear of Ali leaving him. -
The Soviet Union Invasion
On December 27, 1979, the Soviet Union deployed troops into Kabul. Their motive was to replace the leader, Hafizullah Amin and to, "shore up the newly-established pro-Soviet regime in Kabul." (The Atlantic). This marked the beginning of the 10-year Soviet and Afghanistan war. -
Hafizullah Amin Replaced
Due to all the explosions and casualties of war, the "Afghan president is ousted and executed in Kabul Coup, reported with Soviet help" (New York Times). He just ruled over 3 months and died due to the Soviet Union. Amin was then replaced by Babrak Karmal, who was part of the Soviet Union. -
Amir and Baba move to America
In the 1980s, Baba and Amir move to America for a better life in escaping the war. Despite Amir's negative opinion of America, "Baba loved the idea of America." (Hosseini 125). This quote proves that in times of war or crisis, the idea of America seems perfect. It was a place to redeem yourself, where success purely was based on hard work. Amir and Baba are safer in America and feel more protected compared to Afghanistan. -
Amir and Soraya get Married
After dreaming about Soraya constantly, Amir gets married to Soraya and "Soraya's family would have thrown the engagement party... Then the wedding, which would be paid for by Baba." (Hosseini 169). This quote shows us that tradition is still very important to Soraya's family although they live in America. Their cultural values are high as they are enthusiastic to preserve and keep it in their family. -
Soviet Air Force Against Rebels
The United States funded and supplied the rebels in attacking the Soviet Air Force. According to New York Times, the Air Force, "was ...rendered uselessly by advancing Stinger antiaircraft missiles" (New York Times). The United States was against the Soviet Union because of their attacks during the Cold war as well as their harm towards citizens of the country. -
Rahim Khan Searches for Hassan
Rahim Khan travels to Hazarajat to find Hassan. Not only does he need Hassan's help in keeping the house in good condition, Rahim Khan says "the biggest [reason to bring Hassan back] ...was that [he] was lonely" (Hosseini 203). This shows the impacts of the Taliban on Kabul's community. Since Rahim Khan has grown up in Kabul his entire life, he has friends and relatives living in Kabul. Due to the Taliban war, Rahim Khan is destitute of friends and family and is lacking general companionship. -
Amir Writes his First Book
Amir writes his own book and remembers "Rahim Khan and the little note of support he had written me after he'd read my first story." (Hosseini 183). This quote shows that Amir is successful because he followed his passions in doing something he is talented at and enjoys. Rahim Khan supporting his passions at a young age came to be good in the end and contribute towards Amir's success. It really shows the impacts of encouragement especially during a childhood. -
Soviet Union Leaves Afghanistan
After 10 years of violence, the Soviet Union leaves Afghanistan after a compromise between it and the United Nations. The country had been destroyed, as an, "estimated one million civilians [were dead]... as well as 90,000 Mujahideen fighters, 18,000 Afghan troops, and 14,500 Soviet soldiers[, that were killed as well]." (The Atlantic). Afghanistan was in chaos after and different warlords fought over the country to ultimately see who was in control. -
Sanaubar Returns
Sanaubar has been missing over several years and finally shows up at Baba's house to atone for her mistakes of "[Her not]...even holding [him]" (Hosseini 210). Sanaubar decides to return to apologize for being ashamed of Hassan when he was born. She atones by working at Baba's house and demonstrates her values and the aspect she changed in- which is her desire to love and appreciate now. -
Sohrab's Birth
During the winter of 1990, Sanaubar delivered Sorahab. The author tells us that, "She stood beaming... tears streaming down her cheeks... clutching the baby in her arms like she never wanted to let go. Not this time" (Hosseini 211). This quote shows that Sanaubar has learned a lot from her past- rejecting Hassan after birth. She embraces the presence of her grandson and Sanaubar learns to love, which is crucial and fundamental for a child to receive a mother's or a grandmother's love. -
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Taliban Hazara Massacre
Throughout 1992 to 1996, the Taliban killed more than 30,000 people in Kabul. With rocket and artillery attacks that were launched to kill people, "One-third of the city was reduced to rubble, and much of the remainder sustained serious damage." ("II Afghanistan's Civil Wars"), as well. -
Rabbani Become President
Raza Rabbani becomes the new president, but Kabul is continued being attacked by rockets. From this castestrope, "The U.N. reported that 1,800 civilians died in rocket attacks ...and 500,000 people fled the city." ("II Afghanistan's Civil Wars"). Despite this chaos, they follow tradition to replace the president. -
Mullah Omar's Followers
Mullah Omar, who is known for being the founder of the Taliban, has almost "12,000 followers... [and] created a genuinely popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality." (New York Times). Pakistan quickly became a follower and funded for Omar's arms, supplies, and weapons as well as military advisors. -
Establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Afghan agreed to establish the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which is an Islamic state. The Taliban had a big grasp on the people living in Kabul through "imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic Law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-enveloping burqa clothing" (New York Times) -
Amir Searches for Sohrab
Unwilling at first, Amir quickly realizes that "Rahim Khan had summoned me here to [retrieve Sorahrab specifically to] atone not just for my sins but for Baba's too" (Hosseini 226), and agrees to do it. Throughout the book, Amir experiences character development and learns to mend his mistakes through atoning for his mistakes. Amir not only atones to fix his mistakes but also as a way of thanking Hassan for his hard work. This shows Amir's appreciation towards Hassan and character development. -
Hassan's Death
Hassan and Farzana were killed by the Taliban in self-defense. When Amir heard about this from Rahim Khan he could only say, "'No. No. No.' over and over again" (Hosseini 219). This quote shows the concern Amir has for Hassan. When Amir loses Hassan, he realizes how important Hassan was to him and the big commitment Hassan gave him. Amir had been selfish towards Hassan in their childhood and doesn't realize it until now and how important Hassan was to him. -
Sohrab and Amir go to the America
Sohrab and Amir finally go back to America as a family. Returning back to America is reliving because of the safety and we see that demonstrated through the happiness of Sohrab coming to America. The author writes, "His tears were soaking the pillow. ...And he nodded [after Amir asked whether he wanted to come to America]. " (Hosseini 324). This quote shows us his relief of coming to American and getting love from his family. Sohrab is excited about coming to America as he often smiles about it. -
Amir Fights Assef
To retrieve Sohrab back, Assef challenges Amir to a fight which "only one of [them] will walk out of this room alive" (Hosseini 297). The fight between the two demonstrates the commitment of Amir and his ability to stand up for not only himself but as well as for others. As a lesson he did not learn as a child, Amir develops character as he fights Assef and learns the concept of sacrificing himself to save Sohrab. -
Sohrab Attempts Suicide
When receiving the news that Sohrab may need to return to the orphanage, Sohrab attempts suicide and later says, "'I wish you had left me in the water.'" (Hosseini 355). This quote reveals that Sohrab despises the orphanage and is emotional, as he is easily swayed by his emotions. Sohrab fears the orphanage and since the fear of going back is so great, even just for a while, he quickly chooses death. -
Taliban Attacks the World Trade Center
As war continues in Kabul and throughout the rest of Afghanistan, the Taliban attacks New York- the World Trade Center. The Taliban refused to "hand over Mr. bin Laden" (New York Times), when Bush had specifically demanded an ultimatum. -
United States Become Militarily Involved with Afghanistan
The United States and Afghanistan War was "triggered by the September 11 attacks and consisted of three phases. "(Britannica), in which after, the United States decided to become involved in fighting off the Taliban. -
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Obama's War
Obama's plan was to increase our military presence in Afghanistan and "widen involvement" (New York Times). In 2009, his play was to deploy 30,000 troops in Afghanistan, but in 2011, retrieved the troops "saying the United States could not afford" (New York Times). This lead the Taliban and Afghans to believe that the United States had little power, global influence, and unable to defeat them, which increased their violence in the nations.
