-
End of Afghan Monarchy
On July 17, 1973, the king's cousin "had ended the king's forty-year reign" (36) and put in place a new republic. Because of this event, Baba was lowered a bit in terms of his socioeconomic status because he had many ties with the monarchy. This event also caused for Assef to become more confident when bullying Amir and Hassan because he had some ties with the new republic. -
Hassan loses his smile
The winter of 1975 "was the winter that Hassan stopped smiling"(47) because he was raped by Assef. As well as losing his smile, Hassan also became very lethargic and stayed away from Amir. This event was very important to the story because it was a large change in the personality of Hassan, who is so close to Amir. The event was also important because it played a large role in Ali and Hassan leaving Amir and Baba. -
Amir wins the Kite competition
In the winter of 1975, Amir and Hassan had won the kite competition. "'We won! We won!' was all [Amir] could say"(66) in the moments following his victory. Because of his victory, Amir would finally receive acknowledgment and pride from his father who he had struggled to connect with in the past years. The victory also put Amir at a higher social status than before since winning the kite competition was a huge honor in their community. -
The pomegranate incident
In frustration at Hassan`s unwavering loyalty, Amir "hurled [a] pomegranate at him"(92). Instead of hitting him back, Hassan decided to hit himself with a pomegranate. This scene was important because it revealed how Amir did not want to be around Hassan anymore despite Hassan still remaining loyal to Amir. This scene also showed how the relationship between the two is slowly deteriating. -
Hassan and Ali leave Amir and Baba
In the summer of 1976, the day after Amir's birthday, Ali spoke to Baba. "'we are leaving, Agha sahib' Ali said"(107), and later they packed their bags and left for Hazarajat. The departure of Ali and Hassan marks an important event in the story because the tightly knitted "family" was essentially split in two. The four of them had spent the entirety of the story together, and for them to split would completely change all of their lives. -
Period: to
Modern Afghanistan
-
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
On December 27, 1979, "the first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul"(NYT) in order to establish Babrak Karmal as the president. -
Amir and Baba escape from Soviet ruled Afghanistan
On a day in March of 1981, Amir and Baba "left Kabul just after two in the morning"(110). This marks a big event in the story of the book since the two were leaving the country that they had spent all of their lives in. It shows to the reader that the two are about to undergo a huge change in their lifestyle. -
Marriage of Amir and Soraya
After falling in love together, Amir and Soraya got married in "a large Afghan banquet Hall in Fremont"(169). Their marriage marked a very happy event in the story, since Baba and Amir have gained a second family. Because of their marriage, Amir would have to undergo significant life changes, and he would have a renewed sense of family and relationship. -
Baba passes away
A month after Amir and Soraya got married, Baba went to sleep one night and "never woke up"(173) due to his cancer. Baba was a very loved and well known character in the book, and his death emphasized the passing of time in the story, and how old things are starting to fade. His death also affected Amir greatly, since the man that he had grown up, looked up to, followed, and loved had passed away, and he had to become more independent. -
Soviet occupation of Afghanistan
From 1979 to 1989, the Soviet forces remained within Afghanistan, "fighting a conflict that cost then roughly 15,000 lives and undisclosed billions of rubles"(NYT). While they had control over large cities, the Soviet military were "unable to rout the rebels in the countryside"(NYT). Their air force was also rendered useless because of new and advanced missiles supplied to the rebels by the United States. By February of 1989, the last Soviet occupants had left Afghanistan. -
Taliban Takeover
After the Soviets had left, Afghanistan descended into anarchy, with power "divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms"(NYT). Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban, first "gathered a small band of men and attacked a group of warlords who had raped a girl and shaved her head"(NYT). By 1994 the Taliban had grew to about 12,000 followers, and they had taken over Afghanistan with the aid of Pakistan by 1996. -
Taliban takes over Kabul
On september 27, 1996, "the Taliban rolled in [to Kabul] and put an end to the daily fighting"(213). During this time in the book, Hassan said to Rahim, "God help the Hazaras now." This event was important to the plot of the story because now the Taliban had complete control over the city and began to impose it's harsh laws on the population. This event also gave the character Assef lots of power since he became a high ranking Taliban leader. -
Massacre of Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif
Two years after the Taliban took over, "they massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif"(213). This event in the book foreshadowed the possibility of Hassan and Ali's death, since they too were Hazaras. Because Mazar-i-Sharif was just another Afghan city like Kabul, the event suggested a similar event occurring in Kabul as well. The event also clearly stated the Taliban's intentions; the ethnic cleansing of Afghanistan. -
Karzai Government
After the Taliban had been driven out of Afghanistan, "Hamid Karzai....was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country"(NYT). -
Amir goes to Pakistan to visit Rahim Khan
In the June of 2001, Amir decided that he "has to go to Pakistan"(191) in order to visit his old friend Rahim Khan. This event is important to the story because it is the first time that he will return to the Middle East since he left. It will also be the first time for him to truly see the affects of war and violence on his homeland. -
Rahim Khan reveals the truth
After flying to Pakistan to visit Rahim Khan, Amir discovers that his his "whole life is one big lie"(223) and that Hassan was actually his half brother. When this information that has been kept away from him for so long is finally revealed to him, his perspective on everything is suddenly changed. His father, who had been a very well respected man, became a lier who stole Amir's right to know the truth. Hassan, who he had regarded as a servant, became a brother. -
Amir takes Sohrab from Assef
After suffering from a horrible fight with Assef, Amir and Sohrab "made it outside, into daylight,"(291) and was then driven away by Farid. The event showed that after all of his struggles Amir had made it to his goal; retrieving Sohrab. This point in the story is one of the most important because Amir has made a huge step in atoning for his sins. -
Sohrab arrives in America
On a warm day in August 2001, "Soraya picked [Amir and Sohrab] up from the airport"(357). When Sohrab arrived in America, Amir and Soraya had gained a new adopted son, resolving their problem of Soraya being sterile. Furthermore, Amir had finally atoned for his sins earlier in the book. -
Sohrab's smile
Near the end of the story, Sohrab and Amir were flying a kite and "one corner of [Sohrab's] mouth had curled up"(370) into a lopsided smile.This event gave a sense of closure to the story. After all of the hardships that Amir and Sohrab had been through, happiness had finally begun to seep back into their lives. Furthermore, in making Sohrab smile, Amir had taken a big step in atoneing for his past sins. -
9/11 attacks and backlash
On September eleventh, 2001, Al Qaeda staged an "attack on the World Trade Center in New York"(NYT). The attack prompted the United States to launch an invasion in Afghanistan in order to drive the Taliban out of it's land. By the end of 2001 the "Taliban [had beed driven] out of the major Afghan cities"(NYT). -
Taliban resurgence
As the United States turned their attention to "the invasion and occupation of Iraq"(NYT), the Taliban, fueled by money from opium trade, began to spread its "influence in the southern part of Afghanistan"(NYT). The Taliban also spread its power into Pakistan, as well as much of the countryside outside of the American held cities. -
Wikileaks
When "a six-year archive of classified military documents [was] released by Wikileaks"(NYT), it showed how an "American-led force [was] often starved for resources and attention as it struggled against an insurgency that grew larger, better coordinated, and more deadly each year"(NYT). -
Obama post election
After Obama's election. he had a "plan to widen [the] United States involvement in Afghanistan"(NYT), despite Vice President Biden warning against such a plan. -
Obama's plans
Obama delivered a speech at West Point on Dec 1 of 2009, "announcing his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops"(NYT). He planned for soldiers to return home in 2011. -
United States Military stays in Afghanistan
Despite their original plan to bring soldiers back in 2011, the Obama administration "changed it's tone to increasingly emphasize the idea that the United States will have forces in [Afghanistan] until at least the end of 2014"(NYT).
