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Baba is Born
Baba, Amir's father, is born in 1933, the same year that "his father adopted..the dead couple's five-year-old orphan boy...into his...household" (24). Due to the fact that Baba grew up with Ali in his life from the start, he view Hazaras differently than the rest of his peers. This is a view that he later tried to instill into Amir. Baba's acceptance of Hazaras is just one example of how he stood out from his peers. He belonged to the Afghans but rarely believed in the same things they did. -
Hassan's First Words
When Hassan was born, his first words was "[Amir's] name" (11). This foreshadows his lifelong devotion towards Amir. As Ali mentioned that they "fed from the same nursing woman", Hassan had honestly viewed Amir as a brother, rather than someone he had to serve (11). Unfortunately, as the book notes that Amir's first words were 'Baba', Amir did not return that feeling of devotion. -
1970 World Cup
Baba tries to encourage Amir to develop a passion for soccer after watching the 1970 World Cup but eventually "resigned himself to the bleak fact that his son was never going to either play or watch soccer" (20). Amir starts to view himself as a failure because he can not live up to his father's expectations. Amir believes that Baba does not like his unmasculine interests, like writing and reading, and therefore blames himself for his father's coldness towards him. -
Amir hears gunfire
Amir and Hassan are frightened during their first experience with the sound of gunfire and bombs, which caused "Ali to pull [Hassan] close" (36). The way that Amir notices all these little gestures Alii does for Hassan reminds readers of the distance Amir has with his father, Baba. The reader is able to see how much Amir desired for the same kind of fathely relationship that Hassan had with his father, Ali. This was one of the earliest signs that established Amir's jealously for Hassan. -
Hassan has Surgery
For his birthday, Baba hires plastic surgeons to have Hassan's cleft lip fixed, a "present [that] will last forever" (46). This helps to concrete Amir's belief that Baba was so disappointed in him he would rather Hassan replace him. Later, when Baba is revealed to be Hassan's biological father, this gift could have been seen as his way of showing that he wanted to be there for Hassan even if he could not show his affections towards his son. -
Hassan gets Raped
Amir watches from within the shadows as Hassan is raped by Assef, an event that "decided who [he] was going to be...[an event that caused him to view himself as a] coward" (77). In that moment, it felt as if he accepted that ultimately, no matter what he accomplished, he was always going to be a coward. This stopped him from aspiring to become greater in the future. He became acceptant of the fact that he will never be more than a coward. -
Amir Wins the Kite Fighting Competition
Amir competes and wins in his city's annual kite fighting competition, which he views as his "chance to become someone who was looked at, not seen, listened to, not heard" (65). It is obvious that his main reason for joining the contest was to gain Baba's respect and perhaps love. However, his desire to be noticed can be extended to his entire city, who he feels sees him only as the little boy living under the shadow of his father. He wanted to be known for something of his own doing. -
Amir and Hassan on the Hill
Tensions between Amir and Hassan reach a climax, ending with Amir throwing pomegranates at Hassan, yelling "Hit me! Hit me back!"(92). This reveals the guilt that Amir has had pint up inside of him ever since witnessing Hassan's rape.He was hoping to give Hassan a reason to get angry with him so that Hassan would retaliate,allowing Amir to release some of the guilt.He wants to be punished for running away from his friend,as he realizes how unavoidable the omnipresent reminders of the event are. -
Amir Frames Hassan for Theft
The day after Amir's thirteenth birthday, Amir went to Hassan's bed and "planted [his] new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it"(104). The extreme lengths that Amir goes to in order to get rid of Hassan shows how much he wants to forget about the rape. Seeing Hassan everything will remind him of what a coward he is. Without getting rid of distractions, Amir can not see how he can move on. He is willing to frame his childhood friend as a way of moving on from his own mistakes. -
Soviet troops enter Kabul
Soviet troops parachute into the capital, allegedly to "assist Babrak Karmal, who became president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership [said to be orchestrated by the Soviets themselves] (2). -
Amir and Baba go to America
Amir and Baba relocate to California, "a place to bury [Amir's] memories" (129). Amir feels like he can finally move on from his past actions that he has been trying so hard to forget these past few years. To Amir, America is a place to start afresh, to become someone new. By moving to America, Amir is also able to continue his dream of becoming a writer, something he couldn't have done in Afghanistan. -
Amir's Graduation
After graduating from high school, Baba shows his son a rare sign of affection by curling "his arm around [Amir's] neck, and...[telling him that he was] proud" (131), This shows a large contrast between the previous cold, relationship they had and the newly developed caring one they now have. For Amir, this accomplishment is made all the more important because of how proud his father was of him on that day. Amir feels like he has finally done something with his own might to please his father. -
Amir and Soraya Marry
Prior to the wedding, Soraya reveals that she had previously ran away with another man. Amir doesn't care and, in fact, "envied her [because] her secret was out" (165). In a way, their marriage could be seen as their mutual attempt to move on from the past. Soraya might be trying to get away from the harsh reputation that she has carried. Meanwhile Amir is finding comfort with someone who shares no ties or knowledge as to what happened with him in Afghanistan. -
Baba Collapses
Amir watched as his father collapsed, "frothing at the mouth, foamy spittle soaking his beard" (158). As Amir realized how easy it was for his strong proud father to transform into a skinny weak man, Amir saw that he didn't have much time. This incident encouraged Amir to hurry his courtship with Soraya, choosing to ask for her hand immediately. It is inferenced that Amir chose to hurry the wedding because he wished to allow his father to personally see his son get married. -
United States supply Afghan rebels with weapons
In an attempt to fight back against the invading Soviet Union, United States supplies government rebels with "advanced Stinger antiaircraft missiles, [which render] the Soviet Air Force largely useless" (2). -
Soviet troops leave Afghanistan
After almost a decade of occupying Afghanistan, the last Soviet troops officially departed, leaving "behind a country that was not only devastated by war but had become a beacon to Islamic extremists from across the globe" (2). -
Mullah Omar
Omar is popular, as he gains followers and starts a movement "with his promise of restoring the centrality of Islam to daily life" (2). -
Pakistan gets involved
Afghanistan's neighbor becomes invested in the Taliban as, "Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisors to help guide them in battle" (3). -
Taliban seizes control of Afghan government
After years of civil war, the Taliban, which orginally was a "student movement dedicated to purifying the country", takes over the government of Afghanistan (2). -
Safe Haven by Taliban
The Taliban, which itself was aided by their neighbor, Pakistan, "provides a haven for Mr. bin Laden who arrived by [in Afghanistan] chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport" (3). -
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai comes into power with the office position as the "chairman of an interim government that replaced Taliban, making him the leader of the country" (3). -
Amir Returns to Afghanistan, Encounters Assef
Amir finds out that Assef is the one who has Sohrab, Hassan's son. In exchange for Sohrab, Assef challenges Amir to a fight, where "for the first time since the winter of 1975, [he] found peace" (289). Despite being beat up by Assef, Amir is content because he views this as finally getting retribution after not helping Hassan when he was in a similar situation. After decades of guilt over the dramatic chain of events he caused by running away, Amir now can heal and finally move on from the past. -
Amir and Sohrab return to America
Amir brings Sohrab back to America, allowing Soraya to act as "the mother she might have been, had her own womb not betrayed her" (358). This shows that had Soraya not wanted kids so much, Amir might not have been able to bring Sohrab home. For Amir, taking Sohrab away from Afghanistan is symbolic to leaving behind the past but not forgetting it as he ventures on to the future (in the US). He has decided to keep a piece of the past with him in the form of Sohrab. -
9/11
The "attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2011" causes the start of tension, and later war between the United States and Afghanistan (3). -
Sohrab Smiles
As Amir takes down a kite, " corner of [Sohrab's] mouth curled up", the first time he has shown signs of a smile in a whole year (370). This is perhaps, for the first time, rather than attempting to push Sohrab's past away, Amir is trying to connect with it. Like Sohrab said earlier, he just wanted to go back to a time where his mom and dad were still alive. He wanted to treasure the memory of them. -
Karzai officially elected
Hamid Karzai begins a five-term presidency with the promise of "securing peace for Afghanistan and winning the country much-needed international aid" (3). -
Obama's West Point Speech
President Obama announces at West Point "his plan to deploy 30000 additional troops...[vowing] to bring Americans home from Afghanistan by the middle of 2011" (4). -
General Petraeus
President Obama puts "Gen. David H. Petraeus in command of American forcese in Afghanistan" in 2010 (1).