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The Kite Tournament
The kite tournament was held '[i]n the winter of 1975", and that was the year Amir "saw Hassan run a kite for the last time" (Hosseini 55). The kite tournament is a very important point in the novel because it is the same night that Amir watches Hassan get raped. Furthermore, this moment changes Amir forever because his relationship with Hassan completely falls apart. -
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Kite Runner & The History of Afghanistan
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Amir's 13th Birthday
Amir "turned thirteen that summer of 1976" (Hosseini 93), and he received many gifts including a new watch from Baba. The next day, Amir "lifted Hassan's mattress and planted [his] new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it" (Hosseini 104). Amir's birthday was a turning point in the novel because after the money and watch are discovered, Hassan and Ali are forced to leave Kabul. This encounter would be the last time Amir saw Hassan and Ali alive. -
Gen. Doud is Overthrown
In 1978, " General Daud [was] overthrown and killed in a pro-Soviet coup. The People's Democratic Party c[ame] to power but [was] paralyzed by violent infighting and faces opposition by US-backed mujahideen groups" (BBC News) -
Troops Parachuted Into Kabul
On December 27, 1979 "[t]he first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul... to assist Babrak Karmal, who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership." (New York Times) -
Amir and Baba escape Kabul
In March of 1981, Amir and Baba escape out of "Shorawi-occupied Kabul to the relative safety of Pakistan" ( Hosseini 111). After the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Baba and Amir are forced to flea to Pakistan which is important because it shows how dire the situation was in Afghanistan. After fleeing Kabul, Amir and Baba move to Fremont, California to begin a new life. -
Baba and Amir move to America
After escaping Kabul, Baba and Amir move to America despite the fact that "living in America gave [Baba] an ulcer" (Hosseini 125). Amir and Baba's move to America is significant because it changes their socioeconomic status forever. For example, Baba goes from being one of the richest men in Kabul to managing a gas station and receiving welfare stamps in America. -
Amir graduates from high school
At the age of twenty, and the oldest senior by far, Amir "graduated from high school" (Hosseini 131). This event is significant because Baba is finally proud of Amir. Furthermore, graduating high school is the first step Amir takes into becoming an adult. -
Amir meets Soraya
During one of Amir and Baba's visits to the flea market, they encounter General Taheri whom Baba knew from Afghanistan. The general introduces Amir to his daughter Soraya, whose "eyes, walnut brown and shaded by fanned lashes, met [Amir's]" (Hosseini 140). The introduction of Soraya into the novel is very important because she later becomes Amir's wife. Furthermore, Soraya's appearance signifies Amir's life finally going right. -
Mujahideen meets in Pakistan
In 1985, Mujahideen forces "c[ame] together in Pakistan to form alliance against Soviet forces. Half of Afghan population now estimated to be displaced by war, with many fleeing to neighbouring Iran or Pakistan" (BBC News). -
Baba is diagnosed with cancer and dies
Amir takes Baba to the doctor where they discover that Baba has '''Oat Cell Carcinoma.' [which is] advanced [and] inoperable" (Hosseini 156). Baba's cancer is what kills him a few months later. Furthermore, Baba's death is significant because Amir has to finally learn to take care of himself. -
Nations Sign a Peace Accord
In 1988, a peace accord was signed by "Afghanistan, USSR, the US and Pakistan" (BBC News). -
Amir finishes his first novel.
In the summer of 1988 "[Amir] finished [his] first novel, a father-son story set in Kabul" (Hosseini 182). Amir finishing his first novel is significant because he finally achieves the dream he's had since he was eleven. Moreover, this event adds to the main idea of the chapter that Amir is finally becoming his own person. -
USSR Leaves
In 1989, the " [l]ast Soviet troops [left]" (BBC News). -
Taliban gains control of Afghanistan
The Islamic group "had seized control in 1996 after years of civil war" ( New York Times 1) -
US Launches Missiles
In 1998, the US "launche[d] missile strikes at suspected bases of militant Osama bin Laden" (BBC News). -
Amir meets with Rahim Khan
After hearing that Rahim Khan is sick, Amir travels to Pakistan to see him. When Amir knocked "a thing made of skin and bones pretending to be Rahim Khan opened the door" (Hosseini 197). Amir's encounter with Rahim Khan is extremely important because Amir learns that Hassan, who was his half brother, died at the hands of the Taliban. Furthermore, Rahim Khan convinces Amir to trave to Kabul to find Hassan's son which would serve as atonement for the actions that Amir committed when he was 11. -
Al Qaeda and the Taliban are dislodged and removed from power
The invasion of 2001 "succeeded in dislodging Al Qaeda and removing the Taliban from power, but not in eradicating either group." (New York Times) -
Amir returns to Kabul
When Amir goes to Kabul to find Sohrab, he discovers that "[r]eturning to Kabul was like running into an old, forgotten friend and seeing that life hadn't been good to him, that he'd become homeless and destitute" (Hosseini 246). Amir's description of Kabul depicts the hopelessness of Kabul. Furthermore, traveling in the new Kabul makes Amir feel like a tourist in is own country because everything he knew about Kabul has been destroyed by the Taliban. -
Amir and Assef's fight
Amir discovered that the Taliban official was Assef, the man who had raped Hassan. Assef was clearly sexually abusing Sohrab as well, but he said that if Amir walked out alive "he'[d] earned his freedom" (Hosseini 287). After Amir failed to fight back to Assef, Sohrab saved Amir by shooting Assef in the eye with a brass ball. The fight is significant because it is a continuation of the encounter the Amir had with Assef when they were kids, except Sohrab did what Hassan couldn't. -
Amir asks Sohrab to come to America
After discovering that the couple in Peshawar who was going to adopt Sohrab does not exist, Amir asks if Sohrab would "like to come live in American with [him] and [his] wife" (Hosseini 320). This moment is significant because Amir is able to atone for the mistake he made when he was eleven. Furthermore, Amir and Soraya will finally have the child they have been hoping for since they got married. -
Amir tries to get Sohrab a visa
After deciding to adopt Sohrab, Amir takes him to an adoption agency where he is told that "the INS [will likely not] issue [Sohrab] a visa" (Hosseini 331). The difficulty that Amir will face in adopting Sohrab depicts the relationship between America and Afghanistan at the time. Furthermore, Amir learns that he may have to send Sohrab to an orphanage so they he can return to America. -
Sohrab tries to kill himself
Upon discovering that he might have to go to an orphanage, Sohrab tried to kill himself and Amir saw "the blood-soaked razor sitting on the toilet tank- the same razor [he] had shaved with the day before" (Hosseini 348). Sohrab's actions show how terrible his life in Kabul had been without Amir because he preferred dying over returning to an orphanage. Furthermore, Amir feels that he cannot lose Sohrab because he is already to blame for Hassan's death. -
September 11 Attack
The United states got militarily involved in Afghanistan "after the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" (New York Times 1) -
Fight Against the Taliban Begins
In January of 2002, NATO began "Deployment of [the] first contingent of foreign peacekeepers... marking the start of a protracted fight against the Taliban." (BBC News) -
Amir and Sohrab bond over a kite tournament
After Amir and Sohrab had been living in silence for over a year, Amir takes Sohrab to a kite tournament and when they cut down the final kite, Amir runs to get it and says, "for you a thousand times over" (Hosseini 371). In this moment, Amir can feel the beginning of the end of his troubles with Sohrab. Moreover, Amir is finally able to led go of the guilt he has held since the winter of 1975. -
New Constitution
In January of 2004, "Loya Jirga adopt[ed] [a] new constitution which provides for [a] strong presidency." (BBC News).