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Amir is Born
Amir is born, the son of very powerful and respected Baba, and mother. Though sadly his mother died giving birth to him, but he aches for her to have known her as he wonders if Hassan does to as he thinks to himself, "Did he ache for her, the way I ached for the mother I had never met?" (6). Amir though the son of Baba is nothing like him, and with his mother gone he had quite a lack of affection throughout his childhood. But Hassan was his true friend, even if Amir couldn't truly see it. -
Hassan is born
Hassan the half brother of Amir was born only a year after Amir was born. He was born and lived in the servants mud hut as Amir says, "In there, in that little shack that Hassan was born in the winter of 1964, just one year after my mother died giving birth to me" (6). Hassan, who is Amir's half bother though neither know it yet was born and lived a lot of his childhood in the servants hut as he was known as Ali's, the servants "son" though he was not. He became Amir's friend and protector. -
Baba builds an Orphanage
Baba, who loved to prove others wrong "...decided to build an orphanage" (13). He also did all the blue print himself, to refuse the demands of skeptics who urged him to "stop his foolishness". It took Baba 3 years to build it, but it succeeded, much to the awe of skeptics. -
Assef swears revenge on Hassan
Assef, the towns bully one day decides to harrass Amir and Hassan, unknowingly starting a lifelong hatred and ripping of relationships and poeple apart, as he begins with a simple, "'Good morning, kunis!' [(fags)]" (39. This simple insult lead to a nasty ending, with Hassan aiming his sligshot to Assefs face, this also simple move would wreak havoc on Hassans life, and in turn Amir's life. -
Amir Writes His First Story
Amir later in life in America goes on from writing stories as a child to publishing many books. He loves to write, and it all started one night as who wakes Hassan to hear it saying "'This story is special. I wrote it myself'" (33). Amir used to read stories to Hassan, and one day as trick made up and ending, and to his suprise Hassan absolutely love it, and this is what inspired him to write his very first story. This little burst of indspiration lead him to his career in writing books. -
Amir wins kite tournament
Amir enters wih Hassan as his kite runner, the annual kite flying tournament. It is his dream to win, to capture Baba's love and attention, he fly's his kite with skill around the blue kite that was his last opponent, "[a]nd then...I didn't need to hear the crowd's roaring to know. I didn't need to see it either. Hassan was screaming and his arm was wrapped around m neck" (66). Amir manages to win, much to Baba's pleasure wh oseems to finally have son like himself. -
Hassan is raped
Hassan being Amir's kite runner, runs his heart out to capture the last flag to be cut down by Amir. He may get the kite, but for what price? As he meets Assef along his way, & Amir finds him in time to see Assef rape Hassan, he stops watching as realizes, "...I was still biting down on my fist, hard enough to draw blood from the knuckles. I realized something else. I was weeping" (77). Hassan, along with Amir is traumatized by the event. It leads to a destoyed relationship and drastic actions. -
Soviet troops attack Kabul
According to the "New York Times Afghanistan - An Overview" December 6, 2011, "The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul [the capital of Afghanistan] on Dec. 27 1979, to assist Babrak Karmal, who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership". This was the arrival of troops that would stay in the country for more than 9 years. -
Baba and Amir flee Kabul to America
Kabul is becoming a dangerous place as the Taliban take over, Baba and Amir decide to flee and move to America for safety. It is not a confortable journey as Amir says, "My innards had been roiling since we'd left Kabul just after two in the morning" (110). Amir and Baba are ona bus smugling their way outr of Kabul. It turns out to be a quite dangerous and horrible journey, but they eventually make it to America. -
Amir Graduates High School
Amir starts school again in America and "That summer of 1983, I graduated from high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarboard on the football field that day" (131). Amir graduated quite a bit older than the others, but he still did, and can now begin to think of collages in America, hopefully helping him in starting a new life away from Kabul. Amir also now stats to think seriously about writing some stories, as he loves to do, wanting to make a career of it. -
Baba Diagnosed with Cancer
Baba is sadly diagnosed with a cancer that is "called 'Oat Cell Carcinoma.' Advanced. Inoperable" (156). It will kill him, slowly, but it will eventually eat away at his body, turning him from the big strong intimidating Baba Amir knew to a man he can hardly recognize. Amir wonders how he will handle this, and what one earth he will d without Baba. -
Amir Marries Soraya
Amir decides to marry at beautiful woman who caught his eye from the moment he saw her. Before Baba died he asked him to get permission from Soraya's father to let him marry her, he accepted and they married, as Amir recalls the night from his wedding, "Later that night, the sun less than an hour from rising and the guests finally gone, Soraya and I lay together for the first time" (171). Amir is now married, something that will help him when Baba finally dies. -
Baba Dies
Baba finally succumbed to his cancer. That night Baba said there was no pain and "[Soraya] pulled up his banket. We closed the door. Baba never woke up" (173). Amir and Soraya were very sad to see Baba die, and held him a big funeral where many people from Afgnanistan who over his lifetime he had helped in one way or another attended. Soraya was a big help to Amir in this time as Amir has to lean to move on with life now that Baba, the man he fought so hard to recieve love from is gone. -
Amir's first book published
Amir finally writes a story to be published, and "A month later, Martin called and informed me I was goig to be apublished novelist" (183). After a almost a lifetime of writing stories, Amir gets one published and becomes a novelist. He enjoys it and manages to make quite a career from it. -
The last Soviet troops leave
"The New York Times Afghanistan An - Overview" December 6, 2011 states that, "the last Soviet troops left Afhganistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal". The Soviet troops left the country of Afghanistan devastated by the war, but it had become a beacon to islamic extremists from accross the world. This included Osama Bin Laden, who went there. -
Soraya and Amir try to have a child
Amir and Soraya want to start a family, but unfortunatley Soraya just wouldn't become pregnant. They consulted doctors who said, "It was called 'Unexplained Infertility" (185). This sadens both of them very much, and come up with the idea to adopt. However Soraya's father who very much inforces Afhgani traditions and does not aprove the idea of adopting a child. Soraya and Amir in the end are left childless and feeling hopeless. -
Pakistani officers supply to Mullah Omar's Men
The Taliban would prbably not become so powerful if it weren't for the Pakistani's, by early 1994 "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" (The New York Times Afghanistan - An Overview). The Taliban needed the Pakistani, who helped then prepare for battle and guided them. They also needed supplies which where given by the Pakistani, without them they wouldn't have gotten so powerful. -
Taliban take control of Afghanistan
"The Taliban might have withered if were it not for the intervention of Pakistan, the neigbor to the east. [But with Pakistan] funnelling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisors to help guide them to battle" as "The New York Times Afghanistan - The Taliban Take Over" December 6, 2011 descirbes, and "The Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law..." Pakistan was key to the Taliban's success. -
Amir learns of Hassan's death and that he is his half-brother
Rahim Khan, who is now dying summons Amir to Pakistan to say good bye, only to reveal to him their was more to it. Rahim Khan tells Amir that the Taliban, "...shot him in the back of the head...[and one more thing] 'Ali was sterile', Rahim Khan said. 'No he wasn't. He and Sanaubar had Hassan din't they?....'No they didn't,' Rahim Khan said" (222). Rahim Khan revealing this greatly upsets Amir, all this time and he ddin't know this and Hassan died not knowing. Amir storms our of Rahim's apartment -
President George W. Bush demands Osama Bin Laden
After the catastrophic event of 9/11, "President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr bin Laden. When it refused, the United States joined forces with rebel groups that had never accepted Taliban rule...[and] drove the Taliban out of the major Afghan cities by the end of the year" (New York Times - Afghanistan - An Overview). After 9/11 the US desperately wanted Mr. bin Laden, but when it was refused they combined forces and managed to force them out. -
Hamid Karzai replaces defeated Taliban
The Taliban were defeated and "In December 2001, Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the exiled former king of Afghanistan, was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country" (New York Times- Afghanistan - An Overview). Once the Taliban were finally defeated by the US and rebel groups, a ew leader was established, elected chairman of the interim government. This new government hoped to secure peace. -
Hamid Karzai elected president
Mr Karzai after becoming the new leader, "...was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004" (New York Times Afghanistan - An Overview). Once Hamid Karzai became the leader of Afhgnanistan he was elected as the predisnt for five terms. This is a big nd good step for Afghanistan now that the reign of th Taliban has ended. -
General Petraeus takes charge of US Central Command
General Petraeus took on the responsibility for the military operations of Iraq when he "[took] charge of the United States Central Command in October 2008..." (New York Times Afghanistan - An Overview). When General Petraeus took control of the US Central Command he recieved responsiblity for not only Iraq but Afghanistan. General Petraeus brought General Stanley A. McChystal whom was an expert in counterinsurgency warfare & viewed the violence in Afghanistan as a "thorny problem". -
Obama delivers speech deploying troops
President Obama vowed to start bringing American forces home from Afghanistan and "In a speech delivered Dec. 1, 2009, at West Point, Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additonal troops" (New York Times Afghanistan - An Overview). President Obama said that the US couldn't afford an "open-ended commitment" and shouldn't have one. He vowed to bring back troops in the middle of 2011. -
Obama administration changes its tone
Even after Obama's speech not too much earlier, "the Obama administration changed its tone to increasingly emphasize the idea that the United States will have forces in the country until at least the end of 2014" (New York Times Afghanistan - An Overview). While Obama vowed to have troops out by mid 2011, that tone changed dramatically & it was decided troops would'nt be out now until at least the end of 2014, much longer. The US is trying to convince Afghans that the US is not walking away.