-
Amir and Hassan's Prank
Amir used to do things to show Hassan authority such as "talk[ing] Hassan into firing walnuts with his slingshot at the neighbor's one-eyed German shepherd. Hassan never wanted to, but if [Amir] asked, really asked, he wouldn't deny me. Hassan never denied me anything. And he was deadly with his slingshot. Hassan's father, Ali, used to catch us and get mad, or as mad as someone as gentle as Ali could ever get" (4). Amir manipulated Hassan into doing exactly as he said and it always worked. -
Baba's Hypocratic Advice
Baba teaches Amir that "no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft" (17). The advice that Baba gave Amir was almost never without an ulterior motive. He either wanted Amir to grow up, man up, or become or do something. Baba told Amir that theft was the only sin, yet Baba stole a brother from Amir, a safe lifestyle from Hassan, and a loyal marriage from Sofia Akrami. -
Baba's Opinion of Amir
Baba expresses his concerns about Amir's lack of violence when he tells Rahim Khan "[a] boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything" (22). Baba frowned upon Amir for his entire life, and Amir could never please his father. Even though Amir was recognized on countless occasions for his talented writing, Baba always chose to see fault in Amir. -
Amir's Lifechanging Choice
Amir thinks, "[i] stopped watching, turned away from the alley...From just around the corner, I could hear Assef's quick, rhythmic grunts. I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan – the way he'd stood up for me all those times in the past – and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran" (77). Amir's choice affected Amir and Hassan for the remainder of their lives. -
Baba's Strong Words
Hassan tells that "[his] father molded the world around [Baba] to his liking. The problem, of course, was that Baba saw the world in black and white. And he got to decide what was black and what was white. You can't love a person who lives that way without fearing him too. Maybe even hating him a little" (16). Amir always wanted to be like Baba, yet he hated and feared his own father. Amir wanted to be a man who he, himself, hated and feared. -
Baba's Pride in Amir
When Amir arrived home after the kite competition, "[Baba] opened his arms. [Amir] put the kite down and walked into his thick hairy arms. [Amir] buried my face in the warmth of his chest and wept. Baba held [Amir] close to him, rocking [Amir] back and forth. In his arms, [Amir] forgot what [he]'d done" (84). Amir's entire life was based on receiving respect from his father. The slight amount of respect Baba gave Amir by hugging him made Amir forget about the terrible action he just committed. -
Soviet Union Invasion
In an article in the New York Times about Afghanistan, the author writes, "Afghanistan, oficially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, has known little peace since 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded." -
Soviet Troops Parachute
In an attempt "to assist Babrak Karmel, who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership", "[t]he first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979." -
Baba and the Russian Soldier
After Baba arranged for Rahim Khan to speak with a brutal Russian soldier asking where his shame is, the soldier replies that it war, and to that Baba tells Rahim Khan to tell the soldier "he's wrong. War doesn't negate decency. It demands it, even more than in times of peace" (115). Baba was a man of high socioeconomic status. Because of his high socioeconomic status, just his presence demanded respect. However, Baba used his gained respect to help others as well as himself. -
Amir's Graduation
At Amir's high school graduation, "[Baba] walked to [Amir], curled his arm around [Amir's] neck, and gave [Amir's] brow a single kiss. 'I am moftakhir, Amir,' [Baba] said. Proud. His eyes gleamed when he said that and [Amir] liked being on the receiving end of that look" (131). Amir lived for recognation and approval from his father. Though it was rare, the actions made every day worth living for Amir. -
Soraya and Amir Getting to Know Each Other
When discussing the topic of sex in the Afghan culture Soraya says "[men] go out to nightclubs looking for meat and get their girlfriends pregnant, they have kids out of wedlock and no one says a goddamn thing. Oh, they're just men having fun! I make one mistake and suddenly everyone is talking nang and namoos, and I have to have my face rubbed in it for the rest of my life" (179). In the Afghan culture and American society, there is a double standard for men and women. Soraya is frustrated with -
Soraya Continued
the idea that men are allowed to go and be intimate with several women and do not get frowned upon for it, while women must remain classy at all times. -
Soviet Air Force Uselessness
After the US began supplying antiaircraft missiles to "the rebels", "the Soviet Air Gorce was [now] rendered useless..." -
Transitioning to America
When Amir and Baba arrived in America, "Baba found a job off Washington Boulevard as an assistant at a gas station owned by an Afghan acquaintance – he'd started looking for work the same week [they'd] arrived" (130). Baba had always been a hard worker. He lived in great wealth in Afghanistan, but he built his family's empire with his own two hands. -
Amir Falls in Love
After Amir meets Soraya he "[lies] awake in bed that night, [and thinks] of Soraya Taheri's sickle-shaped birthmark, her gently hooked nose, and the way her luminous eyes had fleetingly held [his]. [His] heart stuttered at the thought of her" (142). The description of Soraya creepily resembles Hassan. Though never stated in the novel, this is as close as the author and Amir come to admitting that Amir loved Hassan. -
Peace Talks
Due to many years of war, tired soldiers, and other components, the United Nations held peace talks and "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal." -
Rahim Kahn Looking on the Past
Rahim Kahn tells Amir "one time, when you weren't around, your father...said to me, 'Rahim, a boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything.' I wonder, is that what you've become" (233). Amir is all grown up, and the desire to impress Baba lives through Rahim Khan. Of course Rahim knows about the incident in the alley. Looking back on his entire life, Amir is realizing that he never really did stand up to anything. -
Mullah Omar Followers
New York Times explains, "By the end of 1994 Mullah OMar had nearly 12,000 followers an dwas roling up the warlords to the north and east." -
Steps to War
New York Times declares, "As early as 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." -
Division of Afghanistan
New York Times details, "After Soviet forces departed, Afghanistan descended into vicious internecine strife; by teh summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms." -
Terrorist Attacks
Al Qaeda attacked and "[a]fter the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden." -
Removal of Taliban Power
After a 2001 US invasion, the US "succeedeed in dislodging Al Qaeda and removing the Taliban from power..." -
Rahim Khan Call
In Amir's introduction to his life's story, he describes "[o]ne day last summer, my friend Rahim Khan called from Pakistan. He asked me to come see him. Standing in the kitchen with the receiver to my ear, I knew it wasn't just Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins" (1). Amir is foreshadowing the entire novel. This event is what causes Amir to recollect his dark past. -
Rahim Khan's Phone Call
Amir remembers a phone conversation he had with Rahim Khan. Rahim told him to "'[c]ome. There is a way to be good again,' Rahim Khan had said on the phone just before hanging up. Said it in passing, almost as an afterthought" (192). Rahim confessed to Amir that all this time, he had known what Amir did, or rather, didn't do. It took Amir recalling his entire life to realize what the phone call really meant. -
Obama's Speech
When Obama gave a speech at West Point, he "announced his plan to deploy 30,0000 addition troops. He vowed to start bringing American forces home from Afghanistan in the middle of 2011, saying the United States could not afford and should not have to shoulder an open-ended commitment." -
Afghanistan vs. America
When Baba and Amir came to America, they went from having wealth to living in poverty and receiving food stamps. When Baba was handed "charity food" he declined it "[a]nd that was how Baba ended those humiliating food stamp moments at the cash register and alleviated one of his greatest fears: that an Afghan would see him buying food with charity money. Baba walked out of the welfare office like a man cured of a tumor"(117). Baba was a man of pride. He never wanted to have his pride ripped away.