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Amir writes his first story
When Amir tells his own story to Hassan as a joke, Hassan "began to clap" (Hosseini 30). Rahim Khan also praises his writing by saying that irony "is something that some writers reach for their entire careers and never attain. You have achieved it with your first story" (Hosseini 33). Amir's first is quite successful among his close ones. This is the first inspiration Amir gets to pursue writing in his future, making this an important part of his life. -
Daoud Khan becomes king through a coup
This happened when "Zahir Shah was away in Italy. In his absence his cousin Daoud Khan had ended the king's forty-year reign with a bloodless coup" (Hosseini 36). The new king is in power and is close to Assef's family. This increases Assef's families socio-economic status, meaning he can now have more freedom to do bad things to Amir and Hassan. -
Assef confronts Ameer and Hassan
After Assef approaches Amir with his brass knuckles, Hassan holds up his slingshot and says, "please leave us be ... I'm the one holding the slingshot. If you make a move, they'll have to change your nickname from Assef the 'Ear Eater' to 'One Eyed Assef' (Hosseini 42). Hassan, though much smaller than Assef, Wali and Kamal, stands up to him and protects Amir. This shows the great bravery within Hassan, willing to stand up to someone much larger than him armed only with a slingshot. -
Baba gives Hassan his birthday present
Referring to Hassan's harelip, the plastic surgeon explains, "my job is to fix things on people's bodies. Sometimes their faces" (Hosseini 45). Baba pays a plastic surgeon to travel all the way from New Delhi only to fix Hassan's harelip. This obviously shows that Baba cares for Hassan just as he does for his own son, Amir. -
Amir and Hassan prepare for the kite tournament
The night before the kite battle, Amir feels ls like "a soldier trying to sleep in the trenches the night before a major battle" (Hosseini 50). In addition to the extensive preparation of coating string in glass and modifying kites for easy recovery, Amir also has trouble sleeping the night before. As shown clearly, Amir takes kite flying extremely seriously, treating it almost as if he was going to war. -
Khan proposes a new constitution
From 1975-1977, General Daoud Khan proposes a new constitution "that grants women rights and works to modernize the largely communist state" (A Historical Timeline of Afghanistan). -
Amir and Hassan win the kite tournament
After Amir and Hassan win, Amir sees Baba "pumping both of his fists. Hollering and clapping. And that right there was the single greatest moment of [Amir's] life, seeing Baba on that roof, proud of me at last" (Hosseini 66). Amir, excited from winning a kite tournament, is experiencing his greatest moment only from seeing his dad proud of him. This shows that Amir greatly cares about how his dad sees him, and he wants him to be proud. -
Hassan gets raped
When Wali and Kamal deny raping Hassan, Assef snaps, "All I want you weaklings to do is hold him down. Can you manage that?" (Hosseini 75). Assef is in charge here, pretty much commanding Wali and Kamal what to do, even if it is bad. This shows the obvious power dynamics, with Assef almost in control of what Wali and Kamal are doing. -
Period: to
Kite Runner & the History of Afghanistan
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Amir vomits on the way to Jalalabad
After Baba talks about the kite tournament his aunts and uncles, Amir starts to feel sick and says "please pull over Baba ... [I'm] getting sick" (Hosseini 84). Amir begins to feel sick and even vomits after the mention of the kite tourney. This is the byproduct of the guilt formed from letting Hassan get raped. -
Amir becomes an insomniac
Amir thinks about Hassans dream, "there was a monster in the lake. It had grabbed Hassan by the ankles, and dragged him to the murky bottom. I was that monster ... that was the night I became an insomniac" (Hosseini 86). Amir becomes an insomniac at the thought of his failure of being a good friend. Amir is overwhelmed with guilt, leading to an inability to sleep. -
Amir asks Baba for new servants
Amir asks, "have you ever thought about getting new servants" to which Baba replies with "I've never laid a hand on you, Amir, but you ever say that again..." (Hosseini 89-90). Baba takes this comment so seriously that he threatens to hurt his own son. As shown clearly, Baba takes this extremely personally and will threaten his own son to make sure that Hassan and Ali stay with him. -
Amir throws pomegranates at Hassan
Amir, looking for Hassan to hit him back, wishes "he'd give [him] the punishment [he] craved, so that maybe [he'd] finally sleep at night" (Hosseini 92). Overwhelmed with guilt, Amir attempts to make Hassan retaliate through throwing pomegranates at him. As made obvious, Amir is desperate for atonement, and he seeks this through pain he would get from Hassan attacking him. -
Amir recieves a present from Assef
After denying Assef's request to play volleyball, Baba has to apologize for Amir, and he thinks "That stung, his apologizing for me" (Hosseini 96). Amir is hurt by Baba's apologizing for him. This is because of the pressure of being like his dad, with any apology coming from Baba is a mistake. -
Amir frames Hassan for stealing his money and watch
Amir tells the last in what he hopes to be in "a long line of shameful lies" when he "[lifts] Hassan's mattress and plants [his] new watch and a handful of Afgani bills under it" (Hosseini 104). Amir frames Hassan for stealing his birthday presents, hoping to have him kicked out. Amir's goal is to remove Hassan from his life, due to his very presence reminding him of his mistakes. -
Ali and Hassan leave
When Ali and Hassan request to be dropped off at the bus station, Amir " say Baba do something [he] had never seen him do before: He cried ... Fathers weren't supposed to cry" (Hosseini 107). Amir sees Baba cry for the first time in his 13 years with him. Obviously, Baba almost never cried, but he does when Ali and Hassan leave, showing how much he really does care for them. -
Khan is killed in a communist coup
Sometime between 4-5 a.m. "General Daud is overthrown and killed in a pro-Soviet coup" and "the People's Democratic Party comes to power" (Afghanistan profile - Timeline). -
The guerrilla movement Mujahideen is created
In June, the US supports the Mujahideen, which is a guerilla movement "created to battle the Soviet-backed governments" (A Historical Timeline of Afghanistan). -
The USSR invades Afghanistan
When communism was losing popularity, the Soviets invade Afghanistan "to bolster the faltering communist regime" (A Historical Timeline of Afghanistan. -
Babrak Karmal installed as ruler
After invading Afghanistan, the soviets install "Deputy Prime Minister Babrak Karmal [to become] prime minister" (A Historical Timeline of Afghanistan). -
Amir and Baba leave the country
As Baba and Amir leave the country, Amir explains that "you couldn't trust anyone in Kabul any more – for a fee or under threat, people told on each other, neighbor on neighbor, child on parent, brother on brother, servant on master, friend on friend" (Hosseini 112). Amir is leaving the country because of the terrible society that has come in replacement of the home he once knew. Obviously, Amir can not live in this city anymore, which leads him to escape to Pakistan and eventually America. -
Millions flee from Afganistan
In fear of the new Afghanistan, "Some 2.8 million Afghans have fled from the war to Pakistan, and another 1.5 million have fled to Iran" (Afghanistan profile - Timeline). -
US begins to supply Mujahideen groups
In order to eradicate communism, the "US begins supplying mujahideen with Stinger missiles, enabling them to shoot down Soviet helicopter gunships" (Afghanistan profile - Timeline). -
Afghanistan, USSR, the US and Pakistan sign peace accords
Afghanistan, USSR, the US and Pakistan sign peace accords, "guaranteeing Afghan independence and the withdrawal of 100,000 Soviet troops" (A Historical Timeline of Afghanistan). -
Taliban rises to power and conquers kabul
The Taliban rises to power and takes control of Kabul, establishing a new "hard-line" kind of Islam "banning women from work, and introducing Islamic punishments, which include stoning to death and amputations" (Afghanistan profile - Timeline). -
UN establishes an air embargo
In order to force Afghanistan to hand over Osama bin Laden for trial, the "UN imposes an air embargo and financial sanctions" (Afghanistan profile - Timeline).