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Amir Wins the Kite Fighting Tournament
Amir was desperate to win the kite fighting competition due to the fact that he "had a mission now. And I wasn't going to fail Baba. Not this time (57). After wanting Baba's attention for so long, Amir finally gets his chance to impress Baba. All throughout the novel, all Amir wants is Baba's pride because Amir craves lost attention from his mother as well as his father. -
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Hassan Gets Raped
After Amir experiences Hassan being raped by Assef he is, "grateful for the early-evening shadows that fell on Hassan's face and concealed mine. I was glad I didn't have to return his gaze" (78). Already Amir is starting to feel extremely guilty for being a bystander while Hassan was violated. This event was the beginning of the deminishing relationship between Amir and Hassan. Furthermore, the guilt that Amir felt about Hassan carried on into his adult life as well. -
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Ali and Hassan leave Baba's Household
When Ali informs Baba that himself and Hassan were leaving, he explains that "life here is impossible for us now, Agha sahib. We're leaving" (106). Even though Ali is not Hassan's biological father, he recognizes Hassan's needs and acts upon them as if Hassan was his own son. It shows that blood has nothing to do with the love and care between family members. -
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The Communist Coup D'Etat
When the communist coup d'etat first happened, Amir described it as "the beginning of the end" (36). In 1978, anmilitary coup d'etat occured, resulting in the murder of Mohammad Daoud Khan who was president of Afghanistan prior to the Saur Revolution. After this event, Amir was positive that his former way of life was over because his country was now a republic. Furthermore, this coup d'etat was the start of a series of events that lead to Amir and Baba moving to America. -
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The Russians Arrive in Afghanistan
According to Amir, after the Russians went to Afghanistan, they caused "the death of the Afghanistan I knew, and [marked] the start of a still ongoing era of bloodletting" (36). When the Russians invaded Afghanistan, they caused a very long period of violence that still continues today. It also destroyed the very town that Amir grew up in, which upset him. Since Afghanistan had such a sense of community that all had to do with where they lived, the Russian invasion created chaos. -
The Soviets Invade
On December 27th, 1979, "The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul... to assist Babrak Karmal who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist Leadership" (The New York Times 2). -
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Amir and Baba leave Kabul
When Amir and Baba are in the car Amir's "innards had been roiling since we left Kabul just after two in the morning" (110). After the Russians invaded Afghanistan, Baba and Amir immediately left the country in order to go to America. Even though Amir was leaving a place that reminded him of traumatic childhood memories, he still felt sick. -
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Amir Meets Soraya
The night after Amir met Soraya he, "[lay] awake in bed that night, [and] thought of Soraya Taheri's sickle-shaped birthmark, her gently hooked nose, and the way her luminous eyes had fleetingly held [his]" (142). To Amir, Soraya represented all of the good things in his life and the person that he wished he could be. For example, on their wedding night, she told Amir her experience with another man that she had been with when Amir still hadn't told the truth about Hassan. -
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Baba Get's Sick
When Amir explains to Baba what options Baba had to treat his cancer, Baba insists upon "'no chemo medication for me.' He had the same resolved look on his face as the day He'd dropped the stack of food stamps on Mrs. Dobbins desk" (156). Due to the fact that Baba is from Afghanistan, he is extremely independent and therefore rejects charity being given to him. Instead of seeing chemo therapy as something that could give him more time with loved ones, he interprets it as unwanted charity. -
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Amir and Soraya Get Married
During the wedding ceremony between Amir and Soraya, while Amir "[looked] at Soraya's smiling face in that mirror, in the momentary privacy of the veil, [he] whispered to her for the first tie that [he] loved her" (171). Although Amir had a troubling past, Soraya was a symbol of everything that he had done right. He was brave enough to have wanted to marry her due to her experiences with another man and he was very happy with his decision. -
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Baba Dies
When Soraya attempted to give Baba pain medication the night that he died, 'not tonight' he said. 'There is no pain tonight'" (173). It seems as if Baba knew that he was going to die on that night and he had accepted his fate. This was Baba's last act of bravery. -
The United States Give Weapons to the Rebels
In 1996, the Soviet Army's airforce was greatly weakened due to the "advanced Stinger antiaircraft missiles suppplied by the United States to the rebels" (New York Times 2). -
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Amir Finishes his First Novel
In the summer of 1988 Amir is thrilled due to the fact that he "finished [his] first novel, a father-son story set in Kabul, written mostly with the typewriter the general had given [him]" (182). Ever since Amir was a child, he aspired to be a writer due to the support he received from Rahim Khan. The topic of his book suggests that he misses his father and his hometown, and that he is still loyal to Afghanistan despite him living in America. -
The Soviets Depart From Afghanistan
After the Soviets left in February 1989, "they left behind a country that was not only devastated by the war but that had become a beacon to Islamic extremists" (The New York Times 2). -
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Mullan Omar Gains Power
Mullan Omar, who was a Pashtun had "nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east" (New York Times 2). by 1994. -
Pakistan Influences the Taliban
Due to the fact that "Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms. money, and supplies to Mullah Omar's men" the Taliban was able to continue their efforts in Afghanistan. -
Osama Bin Laden Arrives in Aghanistan
In May 1996, Mr. bin Laden arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport" (New York Times 3) due to the fact that the Taliban created a haven for him in Afghanistan. -
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Amir Finds that Hassan is Amir's Half Brother
When Rahim Khan hints that Amir and Hassan are brothers, he asks, "He and Sanaubar had Hassan, didn't they? They had Hassan-" to which Rahim Khan replies, "No they didn't" (222). Even after Baba has told Amir not to lie since he was a small child, he still ended up betraying his own philosophy, In this moment, Amir lost a significant amout of respect for his father. -
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Amir Discovers that Hassan is Dead
When Rahim Khan tells Amir that Hassan is dead, "all [he] could manage was to whisper 'No. No. No.' over and over again" (219). Even though Amir had not seen Hassan in decades, he still felt a deep connection to his childhood friend. Due to the fact that they were so close, it still hurts Amir to know that Hassan was gone forever. Furthermore, Amir felt as though he'd never be able to atone for what he had done for Hassan. -
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Amir and Sohrab Travel Back to America
When Soraya meets Sohrab, Amir observes that "her eyes [tear] over a little, [and he] had a glimpse of the mother she might have been, had her own womb not betrayed her" (358). In a way, Sohrab was the child that Soraya couldn't have ever had. He is the perfect child for her due to the fact that he carries Afghan blood and is related to Amir. -
The 9/11 Terrorist Attack
President George W. Bush attacked the Taliban through a ground and air campaign "after the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001" (New York Times 3). -
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Rahim Khan Calls Amir
Over the phone, Rahim Khan says, "Come. There is a way to be good again" (192). This suggrests that Rahim Khan knows what Amir had done to Hassan when Amir did not stop Assef from violating Hassan. However, Rahim Khan still had faith in Amir's ethics and urged him to go to Pakistan. -
The Election of Mr. Karzai
Mr, Karzai, who wanted to stablize Afghanistan "was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004" (New York Times 3). -
President Obama's Speech
In 2009, President Obama "announced his pla to deploy 30,000 addition troops [in Afghanistan]" (New York Times 4). -
President Obama Takes Gen. McChrystal out of Afghanistan
President Obama removed General McChrystal from Afghanistan due to "contemptous quotes from the general and his staff about senior administraion officials [which] appeared in an article in Rolling Stone magazine" (New York Times 4).