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Hassan is made fun of by the soldiers
The soldiers yelled at Hassan as he walked home with Amir, "You! The Hazara! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"(7). Just because he is of a lower class does not mean that Hassan should be taunted by others, especially grown adults.That just shows the lack of civility posessed by the soldiers to be mocking a young boy. -
Hassan is raped by Assef
Assef's goal is to make life as unbearable as possible for one "loyal Hazara. Loyal as a dog" who turns out to be Hassan (72). One of his first efforts is at a young age when he rapes Hassan and plays it off like nothing ever happened. By doing this, he not only takes advantage of Hassan physically, but also Amir mentally, leaving the two of them with haunting memories that they can't express. -
Soviet Invasion
The "1979 invaison by the Soviet Union and the reaction by both Afghans and their allies" caused turmoil and extremism (New York Times). -
Baba and Amir move to America
Even before living there "Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him an ulcer" (125). The idea of living in America when he is so respected in Afghanistan probably sounds pretty nice until the reality hits Baba and his socioeconomic status is decresed to almost nothing. Once he and Amir move to America, there is no going back, even though they are struggling to get by. -
Amir graduates High School
Amir graduated high school "at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarboard on the field that day"(131). Due to his international and unique life, Amir isn't your typical teenager. However, he had such an unfortunate life and that's what made him who he is. -
Amir marries Soraya
Soraya walked down the aisle at the wedding "dressed in a stunning wine colored traditional Afghan dress with long sleeves and gold trimmings"(169). Amir's new wife means new beginnings for him now that he has found new love. He is thankful that Baba gets to witness the marriage, but Amir knows there is not much time left to spend his life among the people he loves the most. -
Baba dies
In his last night of life, just before he goes to sleep, Baba tells Soraya "[t]here is no pain tonight" implying that he will not live any longer(173). Although he passed very peacefully, it is still extremely unfortunate that he could not witness more of his son's life. He misses out on so many things in the future that he would've been so proud to see. -
Amir travels to Afghanistan to find Hassan
There were a lot of resons why Amir "went to Hazarajat to find Hassan in 1986," but he had no idea what to prepare himself for(203). Amir hadn't seen Hassan in so many years, and neither had he heard his name until Rahim Khan brought him up. Although he never knew what he was going to say when he saw him again, he still wanted to go try to find him back in Afghanistan and possibly rekindle their relationship. -
Amir gets his first writing offer
While Amir is majoring in English at San Jose State University, he is also finishing his first novel "a father-son story set in Kabul" which is easily related to his personal life and experiences(182). Amir finally gets to pursue what he wants to do with this offer. The opportunity is so wonderful for the newlywed and everyone is so proud of him for becoming a published novelist. -
Mullah Omar
Omar has "nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east" (New York Times). -
Taliban Takes Over
With help from Pakistan, "the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan" (New York Times). -
Amir goes looking for Sohrab in Afghanistan
Amir and Farid travel to the orphanage where Sohrab is supposed to be and they are told that someone "took Sohrab a month ago"(257). Before he even knows who, Amir has some ideas and so much hatred inside of him. Although he thought finding Sohrab would be easy, and then he could come back to America and live happily ever after, it starts to turn out harder than he thinks. -
Amir laughs while Assef attacks him
As Amir was about to leave for good with Sohrab, Assef challenged him to a fight which ended in Amir "for the first time since the winter of 1975" feeling at peace(289). Amir finally feels that he is getting what he deserves after keeping all his secrets locked up inside. So much of the trauma in his life was caused by Assef and affected him as well, so to finally be somewhat equal brought a sense of relief. -
Amir returns with Sohrab
Sohrab finally comes home with Amir when "Soraya picked [them] up at the airport"(357). Although Sohrab is still not talking, Amir and Soraya are overjoyed that he is finally home and that they can soon start a life together. The emotions running through all of them are extreme and heartfelt, ranging from scared to very happy. -
September 11 Attack
Al Qaeda made an "attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001" (The New York Times). -
9/11 Terrorist Attack
Amir describes the Tuesday morning when "the Twin Towers came crumbling down and, overnight, the world changed" (362). Being from Afghanistan, Americans associate his look with the appearrance of the terrorists at fault. Amir will never be looked at the same because so many people are judgmental and believe that he could be anti-American. -
Petraeus gains control
Obama put "General David H. Petraeus, the architect of the 2007 'surge' in Iraq, in command of American forces in Afghanistan" (New York Times). -
Karzai named leader of the country
Hammid Karzai "a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah... was named chairman of and interim government... making him the leader of the country" (New York Times). -
Amir prays for the first time in 15 years
Amir realizes in the hospital that he has forgotten all the words to his prayers, but "it doesn't matter, [he] will utter those few words [he] still remembers(346). Sitting in the hospital, waiting for an update on Sohrab, Amir has no idea what to do and basically has a breakdown. He is panicking and he believes that his life is about to fall apart even more, but his prayers may be able to change that. -
Amir leaves valuables for Wahid's family
When Amir is presented with his food at Wahid's home, he offers some to the children and the parents, but Wahid lies saying that "the family had eaten before we arrived"(238). Eventually, Amir puts the pieces together and realizes that the kids didn't get dinner that night because they had a respected guest. Because he knows the hardships and never wants to disrespect anyone anymore, he leaves money and his expensive watch for the suffering family, proving himself as an honorable Afghan man. -
Amir shouts while kite running
When Amir is flying a kite for the first time in years with Sohrab, they start to connect for the first time and Sohrab asks him to run the kite, Amir replies "For you, a thousand times over"(371). Quoting Hassan from when they were young in Afghanistan in the kite running competition, Amir feels closer than he's ever been with Sohrab. He is ecstatic in the moment and doesn't want the feeling of pure joy to leave him ever again. -
Karzai Elected
In 2004, "Mr. Karzai was elected to a five-year term as president" (New York Times). -
Obama Speaks at West Point
In a speech at West Point "Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (New York Times). -
Obama vows for troops home in 2011
Obama "vowed to start bringing American forces home from Afghanistan in the middle of 2011" (New York Times). -
Presumed year that US will be extracted form Afghanistan
US officials "have acknowledged that the 2014 date" will be when all US troops return form Afghanistan (New York Times).