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Amir displays the amount of courage he has
Amir witnesses Hassan in an alleyway and tries to open his mouth "almost sa[ying] something. Almost" (Hosseini 70). Amir witnesses his best friend being raped and assaulted but remains quiet. He is to caught up on his social class versus Hassans and believes he should have no power over the situation -
Amir finally wins Babas approval
As Amir walks in Baba's room "a smile played on my father's lips. He opened his arms" (Hosseini 79). Here we can see that Baba is showing happiness towards Amir. Letting Amir cuddle in Baba's arms demonstrates the affection he is given for winning. -
Amir breaks down
After Amir throws pomegranates toward Hassan until he is fully covered, Hassan picks one up "opened it and crushed it against his own forehead" (Hosseini 93). The reason he decides not to throw the pomegranate at Amir is that he can see the pure pain and torture he is enduring. Hassan does not want to give Amir the relief and satisfaction of the hit to the face and decides he should have to deal with the guilt of his actions. -
Baba crumbles
Amir is shocked when he sees "a grown man sob. Fathers weren't supposed to cry" (Hosseini 107). After seeing his own father sob, Amir is aware of the pain and grief he has caused. Seeing Baba cry and beg confused and surprised Amir. -
The end of peace for Afghanistan
Afghanistan has had little peace "since 1979 when the Soviet Union invaded" (The New York Times). -
First interaction between the Soviet Union
It was the "first Soviet troops [who] parachuted into Kabul" (The New York Times -
Baba stops a Russian solider
After a Russian soldier threatens Baba he retorts that "he'd better kill [him] with that first shot. Because if I don't go down, I'm tearing him to pieces goddamn his father" (Hosseini 116). Baba wilfully protects the women on the bus that he has not known for more than 2 days. This demonstration of courage goes to show that Baba will not let things go down without a fight. -
First time meeting Soraya
Soraya approaches the general while he talks to Baba and Amir "Blinked [his] heart quickening" (Hosseini 140). Amir cannot control his heart rate. After seeing Soraya's graceful and elegant face Amir was in awe. -
Soraya and Amir get married
After Baba asks the General for Soraya's hand in marriage with Amir he feels "honored to welcome the son of a man such as yourself to the family" (Hosseini 168). Thankfully Amir does not hesitate to ask Baba for this last wish of his to marry Soraya and him. Baba and Amir began to end their relationship on a great note and Baba must feel a great deal of relief knowing Amir will not be left all alone in the world. -
Baba dies
After putting Baba to sleep one night he claims he is feeling no pain and doesn't need morphine but later "never wakes up" (Hosseini 173). Baba dies a peaceful death in his sleep. Of course, Amir and Soraya are devastated for the death of Baba, however, knowing that he did not feel any pain on his last night of existence is a relief for Amir. -
Guest Overstayed their visit
The Soviet troops "stayed in the country for more than nine years" (The New York Times). -
Rid of the Soviets
After a very long time "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan" (The New York Times). -
Amir and Soraya can't have kids
After a few years of trying to have a kid, going to doctors, and doing all sorts of things Amir believes that this curse is related to his past wrongdoings and "someone, somewhere, had decided to deny [him] fatherhood" (Hosseini 188). After several years Amir still feels the need to punish himself for his past. The guilt has still remained and when given tough obstacles, Amir decides not to overcome them and instead blames his past. -
Officers began to step in
Officers began to step in "fueling arms, money, and supplies to Mullah Omar's men" (The New York Times). -
Taliban takes control
The Taliban restricts people from watching "movies and music and forcing women out of school and into all-envolving burka clothing" (The New York Times). -
Hassan dies
Amir envisions Hassan as he argues with the Taliban in order to protect Baba's home seeing "his life of unrequited loyalty drifting from him like the windblown kites he used to chase" (Hosseini 219). After Rahim Khan broke the news that Hassan is dead, Amir has flashbacks of Hassan and the person he was. The thought of Hassan dead is incomprehensible for Amir. -
Amir gets the call
Amir is sitting at home when he gets a message from "Rahim Khan [who] called from Pakistan. He asked me to come see him" (Hosseini 1). -
Amir publishes his first novel
After getting an agent a month later they call " and inform [him] he was going to be a published novelist" (Hosseini 183). After a lot of hard work and perseverance, Amir finally achieves an accomplishment. For a very long time, he dreamed of such events and now he can continue to publish more and more books. -
Amir discovers who the Taliban leader is
After the Talib makes a joke about Ali Amir realizes he is talking Assef and begins to "feel the color drain from [his] face. [His] legs went cold. Numb" (Hosseini 281). After coming to the realization that he is having a conversation with Assef, Amir is petrified. Being face to face with the person that caused his brother pain and suffering was a terrifying thing he was scared to experience. -
US first involvement
The army of "The United States has been involved in Afghanistan since 2001" (The New York Times). -
The tragic 9/11 invasion
After getting attacked Bush "join[s] forces with rebel groups that have never accepted Taliban rule" (The New York Times). -
Sohrab smiles
After taking out a kite with one of Hassan's favorite tricks Amir "looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile" (Hosseini 370). Amir felt ecstatic when seeing Sohrab smile. It gave him the tiniest bit of hope that he knew everything would be all right even after all the trama, abuse, and problems Sohrab faced. -
The Taliban fights strong
After losing the fight to the US the Taliban has picked up new tactics and have "continued to wage a guerrillea warefare" (The New York Times). -
Obama takes further action
Obama informs everyone on his "plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (The New York Times).
