-
Zahir Shah Becomes King
Mohammed Zahir Shah became king and he made the country stable for the next 40 years which was stated in the quote, "Zahir Shah becomes king. The new king brings a semblance of stability to the country and he rules for the next 40 years." -
The Fight for Women's Rights
Officials fight for gender equality in Afghanistan as can be seen in the quote, "As part of Daoud’s reforms, women are allowed to attend university and enter the workforce." -
Hassan has Surgery On his Cleft Lip
In 1974, Hassan has surgery to fix his cleft lip .A quote that stood out was, "I kept thinking of that day in 1974, in the hospital room, just after Hassan's harelip surgery. Baba, Rahim Khan, Ali, and I huddled around Hassan's bed, watched him examine his new lip in a handheld mirror"(219). . Ali, Rahim Khan, Baba, and Amir had all been there in the hospital room after the surgery for Hassan. This is significant because Hassan had been teased and bullied about his lip throughout his childhood. -
Amir Frames Hassan for Stealing
Amir framed Hassan for stealing his new watch and money. "I lifted Hassan's mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it. I waited another thirty minutes. Then I knocked on Baba's door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies"(104). Amir had so much guilt that he fled from Hassan's rape that he took it out on Hassan. Amir was trying to get Hassan out of the house so that he could live with the guilt and not have to see Hassan everyday. -
The Fight for Women's Rights Continues
Afghanistan officials were fighting for women's rights by proposing a new constitution, "Khan proposes a new constitution that grants women rights." -
Amir Witnesses Hassan Being Raped
Amir witnessed Hassan being raped by Assef after Hassan refused to give up the tournament winning kite. Amir ran away from the scene which was shown in the quote, " 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). This is significant because it shows that though Hassan has stayed loyal to Amir, Amir doesn't do the same for Hassan. -
Afghans Fled from The War Trying to Get to Safety
People living in Afghanistan were trying to escape which can be interpreted from the quote, "Some 2.8 million Afghans have fled from the war to Pakistan, and another 1.5 million have fled to Iran. Afghan guerrillas gain control of rural areas, and Soviet troops hold urban areas." -
Amir and Soroya Get Married
One quote from the ceremony was, "Amir Jan, as for you, I welcome you to my home as a son, as the husband of my daughter who is the noor of my eye. Your pain will be our pain, your joy, our joy. I hope that you will come to see your Khala Jamila and me as a second set of parents, and I pray for you and our lovely Soroya Jan's happiness. You both have our blessing"(168). Amir asked Baba to ask Soroya's father for her hand in marriage to Amir. Soroya's parents accepted and blessed the marriage. -
Amir gets his first novel Published
After Amir celebrated the news of his first novel being published he had thought about Afghanistan. This was expressed in the quote, "I thought of Rahim Khan and the little note of support he had written me after he read my first story. And I thought of Hassan. Some day, Inshallah, you will be a great writer, he had said once, and people all over the world will read your stories"(183). This shows that even after years passed, Amir still thought of his life in Afghanistan. He couldn't forget it. -
The Taliban Take Away Rights and Enforce Islamic Law
The Taliban remove a lot of the peoples' rights and enforce public executions and amputations. This information was gathered from the quote, "The Taliban outlaw cultivation of poppies for the opium trade, crack down on crime, and curtail the education and employment of women. Women are required to be fully veiled and are not allowed outside alone. Islamic law is enforced via public executions and amputations. The United States refuses to recognize the authority of the Taliban." -
Amir reads Hassan's Letter and Finds Out Hassan is Dead
Hassan gave Rahim Khan a letter to give to Amir. Hassan told all about his new life and how he missed their childhood and the mischief they caused together. One quote that stood out to me was, "And I dream that someday you will return to Kabul again to revisit the land of our childhood. if you do, you will find an old friend waiting for you"(218). Hassan dreamed that Amir would come back and visit him someday. However, Amir was six months too late. Hassan and his wife were killed by the Taliban. -
Amir Finds Out Hassan was his Half-Brother
Amir put the pieces together and figured out that he, Ali,and Hassan we all lied to by Baba and Rahim Kahn. A quote that shows the hurt of the situation felt by Amir is, "And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he'd stolen from me had been sacred: from me the right I had to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honor"(224).Rahim Khan kept the secret and Baba took it to his grave.They all had something sacred stolen from them that they had the right to know. -
Amir and Assef Fight
Amir and Assef fought for who will take Sohrab. One quote from the scene that stood out to me was, "He raised his fist higher, raised it for another blow. Then: 'Bas.' A thin voice. We both looked.'Please no more'"(289-290). Sohrab aimed his slingshot at Assef's face, ready to shoot. Then, he shot his eye. Together, Amir and Sohrab quickly fled. -
Amir Present Day, San Fransisco
In the month of December during the year 2001, Amir is remembering what molded him into the man his is now He now lives in San Fransisco and he's recalling the winter of 1975. His "past of unattained sins" that has haunted him all these years. That winter, something happened that changed everything in Amir's life. It changed who he has become. You can leave a place, but you can never leave the memories of that place behind. -
The Taliban Destroys Buddhist Statues in Afghanistan
The Taliban continued to threaten and harm Afghanistan. This can be taken from the quote, "Ignoring international protests, the Taliban carry out their threat to destroy Buddhist statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, saying they are an affront to Islam." -
Sohrab Smiles for the First Time
The last two pages of the book, Amir runs a kite for Sohrab. They won and the crowd cheered. And then Amir notices something which can be found in the quote, "I looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided. Hardly There. But there"(370-371). This is important because it gives the story hope. Hope that Sohrab will be able to recover from his past and have the happy life that he deserves.
