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Amir is Born
Amir is born to Baba and his mother dies during childbirth. Amir feels guilty about this and that his father might still resent him for taking his mother's like stating he, "had killed his beloved wife, his beautiful princess". (Hosseini, 19) This feeling made Amir's craving for Baba's love even stronger because Amir feels he needs to live up to Baba's expectations or his father will see him as a waste of his wife's life. -
Hassan is Born
Hassan is born to Sanaubar and Ali. When Sanaubar spots his cleft lip she said, "now you have your own idiot child to do all your smiling for you!" (Hosseini, 10) Hassan was aware of this and because his own mother didn't even want to claim him, he felt even worse about his social class and place in society. This contributed to him feeling worthless and objectified. -
Hassan's Surgery
Baba gifts Hassan a surgery to fix his cleft lip for his birthday. When it was done there, "was only a faint scar." (Hosseini, 47) This was foreshadowing for the reveal that Baba was Hassan's father as well as Amir's. Masters don't typically spend so much money on their servants and here readers see that maybe Hassn,means more to Baba than just a servant. -
Hassan is Raped
Hassan and Amir win the kite running tournament and Assef, jealous, rapes Hassan. He thinks this is completely acceptable saying to his friend, "there's nothing sinful about teaching a lesson to a disrespectful donkey." (Hosseini, 75) Assef commits this sin in order to feel powerful and build himself back up after losing the competition.His judgement is so clouded that he can't even see that wrong in his actions. -
Amir's 13th Birthday Party
Amir turns thirteen and steals Baba's watch. He lets Hassan take the blame for it for which he inevitably feels a large amount of guilt. When Hassan lies and tells Baba that he was the one who stole his watch, Amir feels, "like (he)'d been slapped." (Hosseini, 105) Amir is still to immature and young to cope with the original guilt he felt for letting Hassan be raped. However, this guilt for letting Hassan pay for his sins piled on top of that becomes overwhelming. -
Start of the War
The first soviet troops landed by parachute into the capital city, Kabul. This was to assist Babrak Karmel who had recently become president. -
Amir and Baba Escape Afghanistan
Amir and Baba evacuate Afghanistan and flee to Jalalabad. From Jalalabad they then go to Peshawar, Pakistan. They left secretly and didn't even tell their servants because, "people told on each other, ... child on parent, brother on brother, ... friend on friend." (Hosseini, 112) This show the circumstances people were living under in this time. The fact that people couldn't trust their friends and parents couldn't trust their children show the control the Taliban had over the Afghani people. -
Amir Meets Soraya
Amir meets Soraya at the flea market and is stunned by her beauty. His, "heart stuttered at the thought of her." (Hosseini, 142) Amir calls her his princess, like his father once called his mother. Amir hopes to have a love like his parents and to wed a woman as wonderful as his mother had been. -
Amir and Soraya Get Married.
Amir and Soraya has a beautiful wedding with their friends and family surrounding th2e. However even then Amir found himself thinking of Hassan. He remembered, "wondering if Hassan too had married." Hosseini, 171) Even throughout his growth as a person and the changes in his life, Amir's thoughts always lead back to Hassan. This shows the unbreakable bond between these two characters that follows them wherever they go. -
Baba's Death
Amir was terrified by Baba's Death. He realized that, "Baba couldn't show (him) the way anymore" and that "(he)'d have to find it on his own." (Hosseini, 174) Amir realized that he had let his whole life be defined and guided by Baba and he couldn't do that anymore. After Baba's death he realized that it was time for him to find his own path and become the person he wanted to be. -
Rahim Khan Goes to Find Hassan
Rahim Khan felt very lonely in his house so he drove to Hassan and his wife to convince them to come back and live with him. Hassan did not want to go at first claiming that his village was his home, but the next morning he had told Rahim Khan, "he and Farzana had decided to move to Kabul with (him)." (Hosseini, 207) Rahim Khan did this as a way to atone for his own sins. He kept Baba's secret and it seems that giving Hassan and his wife a safe place to raise their child was his atonement. -
Amir's Book is Published
Amir's book is accepted by a publishing company and he goes on a book tour shortly hereafter. Amir thought of Hassan and how he had said, "some day you will be a great writer ... and people all over the world will read your stories." (Hosseini, 183) Even in his happiest times, Amir thought of Hassan. This shows that even after all the years that have passed, Amir still values his relationship with his brother and longs for him. -
Rendered Useless
After a long, unsuccessful fight for Afghanistan, the Soviet Air force was rendered useless which destroyed the image of invincibility the Soviet forces has sustained for so long. -
Leaving the Country
The last Soviet troops evacuated Afghanistan after peace discussions moderated by the UN. They were leaving behind a country that had been completely obliterated by the war and was vulnerable to any person of power that takes the initiative to take charge. -
Sanaubar Returns
Hassan's mother returns and collapsed in Hassan's driveway. She apologized for giving him us pleading, "Allah forgive me, I wouldn't even hold you." (Hosseini, 209) The author did this as a way to close up this part of the story. Hassan needed closure with his mother and she needed him to forgive her. Her return was a way to heal for both of these characters. -
Taliban Takeover
Mullah Omar gathered a small band of men to beat up a group of men who had raped a young girl and shaved her head. These group grew and grew and by the end of 1994, Mullah Omar has approximately 12,000 followers. -
Origins of the Taliban
After the war, groups of Muslin extremists who called themselves "purifiers" took power and it was originally divided up between these groups but inevitably, one took power. This group is known as the Taliban. -
Bin Laden
The Taliban take control of Kabul and offer Bin Laden refuge within their group. -
Taliban Control
Taliban become primary rulers of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. They control about two-thirds of country at this point in time. -
Attacks
Attack issued on the world trade center in New York and The Pentagon. -
UN chooses interim government
Hamid Karzai, an Afghan tribal leader, is chosen to head an interim government by the UN after a meeting in Bonn, Germany. -
Amir Meets with Rahim Khan
Amir meets with Rahim Khan to discuss Hassan's death and Amir agrees to go find his nephew and rescue him. Over the phone Rahim Khan states to Amir that, "there is a way to be good again." (Hosseini, 2) Amir still feels guilty for letting Hassan be raped all those years ago and Rahim offers him a way to redeem himself. Amir sees this opportunity and knows that he has to fine Sohrab and save him in order to fully forgive himself for his sin he committed during that winter. -
Sohrab Attempts Suicide
Sohrab hears he will have to go back to an orphanage and the trauma that he faced from previous experiences is so overwhelming that he attempts suicide. Amir found him and was, " still screaming when the ambulance arrived." (Hosseini, 343) This shows Amir has grown quite attached to Sohrab. He views him as his family and is heartbroken when he almost dies. Sohrab also symbolizes Amir's atonement for his sins and the fact that Amir almost lost that was traumatizing. -
Sohrab Smiles
Amir takes Sohrab to a park where he flies a kite like his father and he smiles. Amir compares this to snow melting in the spring stating, "when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe (he)... witnessed the first flake melting." (Hosseini, 371) Amir knows that this doesn't make everything right but he begins to see that maybe he and Sohrab could have a happy ending. The comparison to the snow expresses that he can finally see the bad times ending. -
President Obama
President Obama releases new strategies to deal with Afghanistan including boosting the number of troops from 30,000 to 100,000 but the troops will have withdrawn from Afghanistan by 2011.