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Baba is born
After Baba was born, "Ali and Baba grew up together as childhood playmates--at least until polio crippled Ali's leg--just like Hassan and I grew up a generation later." (25) Amir and Hassan grow up in a very similar way to Baba and Ali. Both relationships also involve betrayal and guilt. -
Amir wins the kite-fighting tournament
After Amir wins the kite tournament, "he sees Baba on their roof. He was standing on the edge, pumping both of his fists. Hollering and clapping. And that right there was the single greatest moment of my twelve years of life, seeing Baba on that roof, proud of me at last." (66) For all of his life all Amir really wanted was to make his father proud. Amir finally feels like his dad accepts and loves him. -
Hassan is sexually abused
Before Hassan is sexually abused, Amir "catches a glimpse of Amir's face. Saw the resignation in it. It was a look he had seen before. It was the look of the lamb." (76) Even though Amir thinks that Hassan is as helpless as a lamb before slaughter, he still does nothing to help his friend. Hassan has always been there for Amir, but Amir is too much of a coward to rescue Hassan. -
Hassan and Ali leave Kabul
Right before Hassan and Ali leave Kabul, Ali says, "Life here is impossible for us now, Agha sahib. We're leaving." (106) Ali knows that Amir has betrayed Hassan in the worst way possible. He knows that Amir will never be able to stand up for Hassan when Hassan truly needs him. -
Soviets parachute into Kabul
The violence started in Afghanistan when "The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979". (2) -
Period: to
History of Afghanistan
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Amir and Baba leave Afghanistan
Amir describes the car ride away from Afghanistan saying, "My innards had been roiling since we'd left Kabul just after two in the morning. Baba never said so, but I knew he saw my car sickness as yet another of my array of weakness." (110) Baba does not directly reveal his disappointment in Amir, but Amir knows Baba's true feelings toward him. All of Amir's insecurities have arisen through Baba's parenting. -
Amir graduates from high school
After Amir graduates, Baba says, "I am moftakhir, Amir," he said. Proud. His eyes gleamed when he said that and I liked being on the receiving end of that look." (131) Even after Amir moves to America he is still looking to make Baba proud. No matter where they go, Amir will always look up to Baba, even if others don't. -
Amir meets Soraya
When Amir first sees Soraya, he describes her saying, "She had thick black eyebrows that touched in the middle like the arched wings of a flying bird, and the gracefully hooked nose of a princess from old Persia." (140) By the way Amir describes Soraya when he first sees her, you can tell they will have some sort of relationship. Amir does not know it yet, but the woman he met that day would change his life forever. -
Amir gets married
Before Amir is married, Soraya admits that she is not a virgin. Amir then says, "There were many ways in which Soraya Taheri was a better person than me. Courage was just one of them." (165) Even long after Amir has left Afghanistan, he still has not told anyone of what he witnessed. He has comitted to something as big as marriage, but he is not able to share his deepest secret with his bride. -
Baba dies
Amir reflects on Baba's death thinking, "My whole life, I had been "Baba's son." Now he was gone. Baba couldn't show me the way anymore; I'd have to find it on my own. The thought of it terrified me." (174) Amir has always looked up to Baba in every aspect of life. When Baba dies, Amir has no one else follow, for the first time in his life he has to create his own path. -
Last Soviet troops leave Afghanistan
Finally going back to Russia, "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unlateral withdrawal". (2) -
Pakistan starts funneling arms and money to the Taliban
To help the Taliban take control of Afghanistan, "Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisers to help guide them in battle". (3) -
Taliban take control of Afghanistan
It took a few years, but "the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law". (3) -
Osama bin Laden arrives in Jalalabad, Afghanistan
Showing their further support for Al Qaeda, "The Taliban also provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden, who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996". (3) -
Hazara Massacre in Mazar-i-Sharif
Rahim Khan tells Amir of the Taliban regime saying, "A few weeks later, the Taliban banned kite fighting. And two years later, in 1998, they massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif." (213) Amir does not truly realize how much Afghanistan has changed for the worse. From America the news of death and destruction in Afghanistan does not seem to hit very hard, but in Pakistan the fear is real. -
Amir fights Assef
As Amir is getting beat up he thinks to himself, "I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I'd even been looking forward to this." (289) After everything bad Amir had done to Hassan, he finnally got what he deserved. The guilt in Amir was what hurt him, and that beating hurt his body but healed his mind. -
Sohrab attempts suicide
Amir prays to God, thinking, "My hands are stained with Hassan's blood; I pray God doesn't let them get stained with the blood of his boy too." (346) Amir knows that the only way to make up for everything he did to Hassan, is to be a good father to Sohrab. If Sohrab dies, then the opportunity for Amir to atone for his sins dies as well. -
Amir goes to Afghanistan
A week before Amir travels to Afghanistan he pictures, "Hassan running in the snow, the hem of his green chapan dragging behind him, snow crunching under his black rubber boots. He was yelling over his shoulder: For you, a thousand times over!" (194) Before Amir actually travels to Afghanistan he remembers Hassan's loyalty and friendship. Finally, Amir decides to help his friend even though he is risking his own health. -
Amir comes back to America with Sohrab
When Amir returns to American he finds that "Soraya had turned the study upstairs intro a bedroom for Sohrab." (358) Soraya is very willing to accept Sohrab into her life. She doesn't care that he is a Hazara or that he is not her own child. In the end, all she wanted was a child to care for and nurture. -
Attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon
In response to 9/11 "An air and ground campaign began that drove the Taliban out of major Afghan cities by the end of the year". (3) -
Taliban defeated in Afghanistan
To America's advantage "The 2001 invasion succeeded in dislodging Al Qaeda and removing the Taliban from power". (1) -
Amir runs a kite for Sohrab
After Sohrab allows Amir to run the losing kite, "Amir ran. A grown man running with a swarm of screaming children. But he didn't care. He ran with the wind blowing in his face, and a smile as wide as the Valley of Panjsher on his lips. He ran." (371) Amir is doing the same thing for Sohrab that Hassan did for Amir. Amir cannot bring Hassan back, but he can make sure that Sohrab lives a long and happy life. -
Hamid Karzai become interim president of Afghanistan
After the defeat of the Taliban, "Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the exiled former king of Afghanistan, was named chairman of an interim government". (3) -
Hamid Karzai is elected president of Afghanistan for a 5 year term
After serving as interim president for two years, "Mr. Karzai was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004". (3) -
Obama's speech at West Point
Obama decided to widen the United States involvement in Afghanistan when "at West Point, Mr. Obama accounced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops". (4)