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Hassan's First Word
It is no secret that Amir and Hassan have a special bond. They were there for each other when they took their first steps and spoke their first words. But while Amir's first word was Baba, Hassan's was "Amir. My name" (Hosseini 11). At this point, Hosseini is sort of foreshadowing the love and respect that Hassan has for Amir. This line already shows the imbalanced relationship between Amir and Hassan. -
Hassan threatens Assef with a slingshot
After seemingly making their leader uneasy, Assef's friends are in awe of Hassan. As explained in the text, "Someone had challenged their God. Humiliated him. And, worst of all, it was a skinny Hazara" (Hosseini 42). Hassan's threat to Assef is significant due to the role that socioeconomic roles play. Since Hassan is a lowly hazara servant, Assef felt immasculated and less powerful, especially since he was actually afraid of Hassan's slingshot. -
Amir Frames Hassan
After failing to help Hassan during/after his traumatic event, Amir could not stand the guilt. It was because of this guilt that Amir decided to get rid of Hassan by framing him for stealing. As described in the text, “[Amir] lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted [his] new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it” (Hosseini 104). By making it look like Hassan had stolen his watch and some of his money, Amir hoped that Baba would kick Ali and Hassan out of the house. -
Baba Cries
The first time Amir ever saw his father cry was when Ali announced that he and hassan were leaving for Hazarajat. At this moment, Amir is taken aback. Up until then, he had believed that “fathers weren’t supposed to cry” (Hosseini 107). The fact that such a dignified man such as Baba broke into tears showed how much he cared for Ali. Baba was so sad to see Ali go that he allowed himself to cry in public. -
Soviet Troops Parachute into Kabul
In order to help the then president, Babrak Karmal, "the first Soviet troops parachueted into Kabul" (NYT 2). -
Baba and Amir escape Kabul
In the spring of 1981, Baba and Amir escape Kabul. They left without telling anyone, since “[one] couldn’t trust anyone in Kabul anymore” (Hosseini 112). Amir is now 18, and russian soldier have been occupying the streets of Kabul for 5 years. This event demonstrates how war can damage a country’s moral. People began escaping the country that they grew up in from the fear of the soldiers. -
Baba Throws a Tantrum at Grocery Store
One day while shopping at a local grocery store, Baba forgot money for his items, and failed to produce an ID when he wrote a check for them. Not ever needing to have an ID since everyone knew who he was in Kabul, Baba became angry at the request. This anger fueled him to cause a mess in the store, consisting of [spilled] oranges, an over turned magazine rack, a broken jar of beef jerky, and shards of glass [on the floor]” (Hosseini 127). This event demonstrates Baba’s loss of socioeconomic stat -
Amir Talks to Soraya for the 1st Time
After a couple of weeks of fawning over Soraya from a far, Amir gets the nerve to talk to her. Their first little chat is short and mostly just about books and Amir’s writing. As the conversation continued, "Would you like to read one of my stories? I would like that" (Hosseini 147). At this point, the two are alone. Amir did this on purpose because he knew that General Taheri would not approve of them talking by themselves. -
Baba is diagnosed
It is clear that after he is diagnosed with cancer, Baba does not care. His nonchalance can be seen after he found out, when “he smoked all the way to the car and all the way home” (Hosseini 156). Even after finding out that he had a terminal disease, Baba continued to partake in activities that would deter his health. Not bothering to take better care of himself showed that Baba did not have the willpower to try and get healthier, especially since his disease was inoperable. -
Baba Asks General Taheri for Soraya's Hand
Before Baba is gone for good, Amir wants him to do one last thing for him: “to ask General Taheri for his daughter's hand" (161). This is a significant event in the novel since this was one of the last times that baba was able to look after Amir. After being diagnosed, Baba knew that he did not have a long time left in the world. Asking the permission of General Taheri to give his daughter away to his son is like Baba guiding Amir for the last time. -
Last Soviet troops leave Afghanistan
On what was an independent escape, "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan" (NYT 2). -
Power is Divided Amongst Warlords
With the absence of the Soviet troops, "power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms" (NYT 2). -
Mullah Omar has 12,000 followers
Mullah Omar was the commander of the Taliban, and "by the end of 1994...(he) had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to north and east" (NYT 2). -
Osama bin Laden arrives at Jalalabad airport
The Taliban, an islamic fundamental group, "provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden" (NYT 3). -
Rahim Khan Calls Amir
In June of 2001, Amir gets an unexpected phone call from an old friend-Rahim Khan. In the phone call, Rahim Khan mentions that he has fallen ill, and more importantly, that “there is a way [for amir] to be good again” (Hosseini 192). This event reveals that Rahim Khan knew what misdeed Amir committed when he was 13. This phone call also shows that Rahim Khan wants to help Amir atone for his sin by giving him an opportunity to redeem himself. -
Amir Finds Assef
Shortly after arriving at the orphanage, Amir finds out that Sohrab had been taken by a Taliban official. Determined, Amir heads to the official’s office...only to find that the official is Assef, the bully from his childhood. As Assef said when Amir was rendered speechless at the discovery, “what did you think? That you’d put on a fake beard and I wouldn’t recognize you?” (Hosseini 280). This quote illustrates how Assef never forgot about Amir and what happened with Hassan. -
Assef Beats up Amir
Assef allows Amir to take Sohrab-with one condition. He wants a fight with Amir. Amir loses miserably. As he narrated afterward, “my body was broken-just how badly I wouldn’t found out until later-but I felt healed” (Hosseini 288). Amir had felt extremely guilty of what he had done so many years ago. Getting beaten up by his childhood bully at least made him feel like he had atoned for his sins. Amir felt that being physically broken would somehow be equal to the mental damage done to Hassan. -
Sohrab Attempts Suicide
Sohrab attempts suicide by cutting himself in a bathtub of water. When Amir finds him covered in blood, he “[suddenly got on his] knees, screaming. Screaming through [his] clenched teeth” (Hosseini 343). Amir was immediately aghast at what he saw, but he understood that Sohrab’s actions were not due to his feelings toward him, but instead the dreadful experiences that he has endured. This event shows that life during war time was so awful, it made children want to give up and end their lives. -
Sohrab Goes with Amir to the US
Amir promised Sohrab that he could come live with him in America. After briefly speaking with Sohrab about his suicide, Amir “went looking for another hotel-unaware that almost a year would pass before [he] would hear Sohrab speak another word” (Hosseini 356). The reason for Sohrab’s silence is that he didn’t really want to live in the US. Most children would prefer to resume a regular life with their parents in their own homes, but due to circumstance, Sohrab had no choice but to go with Amir. -
US invasion of Afghanistan
The US's military invovlement in Afghanistan began "when it led an invasion after the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" (NYT 1). -
Hamid Karzai becomes leader of Afghanistan
Hamid Karzai was named the leader of Afghanistan because he "was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban" (NYT 3). -
Hamid Karzai takes office as interim president of Afghanistan
With a plan to restore Afghanistan to it's peaceful state and supply it with aid, Hamid Karzai "took office as interim president" (NYT 3). -
Amir and Sohrab Run a Kite
At the end of the book, Amir & Sohrab run a kite. Even after several years, Amir is still great. Afterward, Amir offers to run the kite for Sohrab. When Sohrab nods, Amir utters the words, “for you a thousand times over” (Hosseini 371). This quote is very significant, as it shows the main character’s revelation. Amir, who had always had everything done and handed to him, was finally doing something for another person. Whether or not Amir has redeemed himself is not disclosed in the novel. -
Karzai becomes actual president
After 2 years of serving as Afghanistan's interim president, "Mr. Karzai was elected to a five-year term as president" (NYT 3). -
General Petraeus takes charge of US Central Command
After being given the job of manning the US Central Command, General Petraeus had the "responsibility for military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and across the nation" (NYT 4).