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Baba's birth
Baba, one of the main characters, was born in 1933, "...the year Zahir Shah began his forty-year reign of Afghanistan..." (24). Baba is an extremely important character and was raised by a wealthy, yet giving family. Baba is the father of Amir and Hassan. The year he was born in strongly impacted his attitudes towards others and helped fuel his generosity. -
Hassan gets plastic surgery on his lip
Baba's gift for Hassan was very thoughtful and kind. ""It's an unusual present, I know... And probably not what you had in mind, but this present will last your forever'" (46). Baba's present strongly shows his favoritism towards Hassan. Amir is extremely jealous of Baba's kindness towards Hassan. -
Hassan's rape
While witnessing Hassan's rape, Amir "...ran because [he] was a coward. [He] was afraid of Assef and what he would do to [him]" (77). After running away from Assef and not standing up for Hassan, Amir became overwhelmed with guilt and distanced himself from Hassan, causing him to feel even more upset and guilty.Hassan becomes extremely distant, ultimately leading in Ali and Hassan leaving Amir and Baba. -
Amir wins the kite running contest
Amir, who is so eager to win Baba's pride, is extremely happy when he wins the kite running contest. The event was "...the single greatest moment of [his] twelve years of life, seeing Baba on that roof, proud of [him] at last" (66). The kite running contest meant a lot to Baba, and Amir's winning of the contest made him really proud of him. Amir finally got the acknowledgement he'd always wanted from his father. -
Amir's 13th birthday
On Amir's 13th birthday, Baba threw him a huge party. His "...birthday bash was a huge success [and he'd] never seen the house so packed" 94). This shows that Baba really splurged on Amir for his 13th birthday. Baba only threw Amir a huge party because Amir won the kite running contest. -
Ali and Hassan leave Baba and Amir
After Hassan told Ali the truth about what happened with Amir, Ali decided told Baba that "[they were] leaving... [and couldn't] live here anymore..." (106). This shows that Ali is extremely protective of Hassan. Furthermore, Baba is really upset with Ali and Hassan leaving, considering Hassan was his son and Ali was like a close brother to Baba. -
Soviet Union invasion
Afghanistan was stable before the "...invasion by the Soviet Union..." (NYT) "...dominated its history..." (NYT), showing how Afghanistan fell into turmoil and extremism after the Soviet Union invaded them. -
Firsts of the Soviet Union
The Soviet troops first invaded Afghanistan to "... assist Babrak Karmal, who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership." (NYT). Furthermore, "Moscow insisted that the troops came in response to a plea for help..." (NYT). This shows that Afghanistan became a country of ruin and poverty after the Soviet Union's invasion. -
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Timespan
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Amir and Baba move to America
While leaving Afghanistan and moving to America, Baba "...kissed the dirt. Poured it into the box. Stowed the box in his breast pocket, next to his heart" (121). Amir and Baba are extremely reluctant to leave Afghanistan, but have no other choice but to move to America. They become a lot closer when they're in America. -
Amir meets Soraya
General Taheri introduced Amir to his daughter Soraya. After meeting Soraya for the frst time, Amir "...fought the urge to look toward [her]" (141). Amir eventually marries Soraya shortly after their encounter. They also ultimately adopt Sohrab. -
Amir marries Soraya
Amir eventually marries Soraya. At their wedding, they were "...set on the stage like a throne Soraya's hand in [his]" (171). Soraya and Amir are a happy and in love couple. They also end up adopting Sohrab. -
Baba dies
Baba died from cancer. Soraya brought his morphine to him, but "[he] never woke up" (173).Baba, who is one of the most important characters in the novel, was very well known and many went to his funeral in America. Amir never got to confront Baba about him being the father of Hassan. -
Soviet Union leaving Afghanistan
The Soviet troops left Afghanistan in what was "... in effect a unilateral withdrawal" (NYT). -
Sohrab is born
Sanaubar helped deliver Sohrab when Farzana was pregnant. "The named him Sohrab, after Hassan's favorite hero..." (211). Sohrab is Hassan's son and Amir's half-nephew. So, Amir goes back to Afghanistan to look for him. -
After the Soviet Union's invasion
Afghanistan descended into "vicious internecine strife..." (NYT) after the Soviet Union ended their invasion. This shows the negative impact of the Soviet Union's invasion. -
The Taliban (pt. 2)
The Taliban "... attacked a group of warlords..." (NYT), and the leader of the group promised to "... restor[e] the centrality of Islam to daily life... [by creating]... a genuinely popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality." (NYT) -
After the Soviet Union's invasion (pt. 2)
Even though "... power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms" (NYT), everyone knew that only one group would "eventually gain control." (NYT) -
The Taliban
The Taliban group "... grew out of a student movement dedicated to purifying the country..." (NYT). They all thought they were doing the right thing by "purifying the country," especially when they weren't. -
The Taliban (pt. 3)
The Taliban had "... taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law..." (NYT), showing how vicious they were and how Afghanistan became a country ruled upon through fear and ruin. -
Hassan and Farzana are killed
After the Taliban ordered Hassan and Farzana to leave their home, Hassan was "...shot... in the back of the head [and]... Farzana came screaming and... [was] shot..." (219). Amir, who tried so hard to atone for his actions towards Hassan, is unable to apologize to him anymore because Hassan is dead. As a result, Amir adopts Sohrab. -
Amir fights with Assef for Sohrab
When Amir learns Sohrab is his half-nephew, he has to fight Assef for Sohrab. When fighting, Assef told his gaurds that "'When it's all done, only one of us will walk out of this room alive'..." (287). This shows that Assef and Amir's fight will be to the death and how hard Amir has to try to get Sohrab. Amir eventually adopts Sohrab. -
Amir goes back to America with Sohrab
When Amir took Sohrab back to America with him to be with Soraya, Soraya said to him, "'Salaam, Sohrab jan, I'm your Khala Soraya. We've all been waiting for you'" (358). Soraya is really welcoming to Sohrab and cares and is willing to care for and adopt him. This shows Soraya's kindness and openness to others. -
United States military & Afghanistan
The United States "... led an invasion after the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" and "... made Afghanistan the central military focus..." (NYT). They got involved with the Afghan military after the Taliban attacked America's World Trade Center. -
The Afghan military
The Afghan military "...and police remain lackluster and given to widespread drug use..." (NYT). Even after the United States' help, the Afghan military and police are still not doing well. -
9/11 invasion
President George W. Bush had "... joined forces with rebel groups that had never accepted Taliban rule..." (NYT) after he "gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden..." (NYT) and the Taliban refused. -
Amir and Sohrab run a kite
Amir finally ran a kite for Sohrab, just as Hassan ran a kite for Amir. Amir was a "grown man running with a swarm of screaming children. But [he] didn't care" (371). Kite running is extremely important and sentimental to Amir, for Hassan ran and won the kite running competition for Amir. Amir ran a kite for Sohrab and was really happy while doing so.