-
Amir flashbacks on Baba's appreciation.
When Sohrab wins the kite flying competition, Amir is beyond excited and thinks to himself, "just after I had cut the last kite, I saw Baba, clapping, beaming" (Hosseini 370). Amir had the chance to feel like he is in Baba's shoes. Amir felt the importance of Baba clapping when Amir won. -
Ali and Hassan quit their job
Amir falsely accused Hassan of stealing his birthday money, but Hassan still took the blame for it. Ali saw exactly what Amir was doing, and told Baba "We won't work for you anymore" (107). This was a huge shock to Baba, and he begged the two servants to stay. Baba thought of Ali and Hassan more as friends, and didn't want them to leave his company. -
Hassan is raped
After the kite flying competition, Assef and his two friends follow Hassan into an ally. The three boys have been planning to rape Hassan, but non eof them wanted to be the ones that did it. Assef tries to console his friends by saying "It's just a Hazara"(Hosseini 75). This is important because it explains throughout the whole book, Hazaras have no rights. -
Soviet Invasion
Afghanistan was a prosperous, stable country, until 1979- the Soviet troops invaded. Western analysists say their reason for invading to "replace Hafizullah Amin, the Afghan leader, who had lost theirtrust." -
Period: to
Kite Runner & the History of Afghanistan
-
Soraya tells Amir about her past.
Right before Soraya and Amir marry eachother, Soraya feels the need to get a secret she has been hiding off of her chest. Soraya has a guilty and scared look on her face, and tells Amir "I ran away with an Afghan man. I was 18 at the time...rebellious[.] He was into drugs"(Hosseini 165).Considering Amir's past, he felt no obligation to judge Soraya for hers. Amir believes to treat others the way you want to be treated, and in his case, he does not want to be treated as someone whom Soraya judge. -
Amir gets his book published
When Amir gets a call from a publishing company, he is beyond ectstatic, but thinks to himself, "I wonder if I deserve any of this" (Hosseini 183). Although everyhting was going the way Amir planned, something did not feel right to him. Because of his past, and being an awful person, Amir feels guilty and doesn't think he deserves this. -
Soviet troops leave Afghanistan
The United States discussed peace with the Soviet troops, and "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1898, in what was in effect a unilateralo withdrawl." Afghanistan was demolished, as well as brainwashed to believe in Islamic extremism. -
Bad news for Soraya and Amir
Amir and Soraya go to a fertility doctor, because their concievement of a baby is keep failing, due to "Unexplained Infertility," (Hosseini 185), the doctor tells her. Soraya feels ashamed and embarrassed. Soraya takes a drug called clomiphene, but it fails to fertilize her eggs. -
Adoption
Soraya and Amir have dinner with Soraya's parents to break the awful news of the unexplained infertility, and they talk about adoption. General Taheri does not believe in adoption, and says "adoption ... I'm not so sure it's for us Aghans" (Hosseini 187). General is a very old school type of guy. It is either his way or the highway. If Soraya adopts, General Taheri will not support her decision. -
Afghanistan turns violent
After the Soviet troops left the country, Afghanistan took a turn to extreme violence, and "by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms." I believe this happened because the Soviet troops were spreading the word of their beliefs, the people of Afghanistan had to learn to like it, or die. -
Pashtun
The Pashtun's seemed to believe in standing up for the right thing, because "Mullah Omar gathered a small band of men and attacked a group of warlords who had raped a girl and shaved her head." I am not saying the Pashtun leader, Mullah Omar was nonviolent, but he stood up for what he morally believed in. He had 12,000 followers from his idea that he will return the peace of Islam. -
Taliban Takeover
The Taliban took over Afghanistan, enforcing new laws such as "banning movies and music and forcing women out of achools and into all-developing burqa clothing." Women had no rights or say in absoluetly anything. -
Rahim Khan's experience at a soccer game
Amir asked why Rahim had a scar above his right eye, and Rahim said "He struck me on the forehead with the butt of his Kalashnikov" (Hosseini 199). This was due to the person sitting next to him at the soccer game cheering loudly, which was against the rules. A vicious man thought Rahin Khan was the man who was cheering, so he delievered the scar above his eye. -
Sohrab gives Assef a taste of his own medicine
Amir was fighting Assef for Sohrab, but Assef unexpectedly brings out brass knucles and beats Amir with it. Sohrab was watching the entire fight, and brings out a slingshot. Sohrab uses the slingshot against Assef and "the slingshot made a thwiiit sound when Sohrab released the cup"(Hosseini 291). Hassan's bravery definately passed down to Sohrab because Hassan has slingshotted Assef in the past. -
Sohrab attempts suicide
Amir has exciting news of Sohrab not needing to live in an orphanage, and walks into the bathroom where Sohrab is to tell him. Later, a doctor tells Amir that "the boy had cut himself deeply and lost a great deal of blood"(Hosseini 348). Thankfully, Sohrab is still alive. His reasing for attempting suicide is because he thought he would not be able to live in America with Amir. -
Amir and Assef come in contact again
Amir quest to save Sohrab results in Amir and Assef coming in conact again. Amir and Assef were having a heated discussion, not knowing who eachother were at the time, about Amir taking Sohrab, when he says "Assef"(Hosseini 281). This whole idea of sexually harrassing a child, making him dance, and entertain a grown adult completely fits the personality Assef has. No other man would get joy out of this, except Assef and his two workers. -
Rahim Khan becomes ill
Rahim Khan calls Amir telling him to visit him in Pakistan, and says, "Come. There is a way to be good again" (Hosseini 192). It seems that Rahim Khan is ten times more optimistic than Amir is about Rahim becoming sick. Amir is scared out of his mind. -
Amir and Sohrab come home
When Amir and Sohrab come back home to the US, they are greeted by Soraya. When Amir and Soraay hug eachother, Amir says "You're still the morning sun to my yelda"(Hosseini 357). Amir and Soraya have not seen eachother in a very long time, and they are so relieved to see eachother safe. This is because true love never dies. -
Al Qaeda Attacks the US
A Muslim Extremist group, Al Qaeda attacks the US by attacking the World Trade Center in NY. -
Post 9/11 Invasion
Bush offered Taliban to give Osama bin laden, and they refused. This lead to "the USA joined forces with rebel groups that never accepted the Taliban rule, and drove out the major Afghan cities." -
Amir's atonement pays off
From all the gult Amir has been carrying on his back for years, due to his relationship with Hassan, Amir feels relieved when he asks Sohrab if he can run his kite for him, and Sohrab says, "For you, a thousand times over" (Hosseini 371). In this moment, Sohrab sees how much Amir cares for him and the great feeling it is to have someone care for him like that, considering his parents have passed away. This is crucial because this shows that people can really change their identity, like Amir. -
The Karzai Government
Hamid Karzai took control of Taliban as president, saying "he hoped to secure peace for Afghanistan." Karzai was a very genuine man and was elected a five year term in 2004 -
Change in the USA war generals
In June 2012, Obama fired General McChystal as war general, due to "contemptuous quotes about the senior administration officials appeared in the Rolling Stone magazine." General Petraeus replaced McChystal. -
Obama changes date when troops come home
At the last minute, Obama changes the deadline of when the troops leave Afghanistan to the end of 2014, because "the American military would be successful enough in fighting the Taliban." Also, administation was trying to convince Afghanistan that the US would not back down, and to warn Taliban that their violent acts of the country will not stop. -
Hotel manager kicks Amir out
Due to Sohrab attempting suicide in a htoel bathroom tub, the manager of the hotel says "I am asking you to leave my hotel please. This is bad for my business(Hosseini 351). Amir seemed to understand and left the hotel. The manager seems very relentless and has no feelings for Amir nor Sohrab.