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KR: Amir is born
When Amir was born, his mother, Sofia Akrami, had passed. He always thought of this with regret and even thought "Baba hated me a little ... After all, I had killed his beloved wife."(19) This is important because it is an important point in Amir and Baba's relationship. -
KR: Hassan is born
Hassan was born to Sanaubar and she was too disgusted with the child to even hold him. She seemed to resent Hassan and "just five days later, she was gone."(10) The fact that Hassan grew up without a mother is important because it contributes to the fact that he had easily accepted her back into his life, showing the bonds of family and Hassan's kindness. -
KR: Hassan gets surgery from Baba for his cleft lip
When Hassan got the surgery to fix his cleft lip, Amir described it as "ironic, Because that was the winter that Hassan stopped smiling." (47) This is important because it shows some foreshadowing to what will happen and the irony serves as a plot point in the overarching story. -
KR: Amir and Hassan win the kite flying contest. Hassan later gets raped in an alley by Assef.
Amir was watching Hassan get raped and in the end, the choice he made was to run "because I was a coward."(77) This event shapes the entire rest of the plot and it shows what kind of characters Amir and Hassan are: the coward and the lamb. -
KR: Amir's 13th birthday is celebrated and Ali and Hassan leave.
After much torment, Amir's birthday finally arrives and is celebrated. Then, after Hassan falsely admits he stole Amir's watch, Hassan and Ali leave, to which Baba "did something I had never seen him do before: He cried."(107) That Baba did something so desperate and full of feeling is so important because it meant the loss of a brother and a son, something Amir didn't understand. -
NYT: Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
Afghanistan was invaded in 1979 by the Soviet Union, and has since "known little peace." (NYT) The first troops parachuted into Kabul on 12/7/1979 -
KR: Amir and Baba leave Afghanistan to Pakistan after the Soviets invade Afghanistan.
When driving to Pakistan, the car was stopped by Russian soldiers, and Baba was standing up for a woman being threatened, saying "Ask him where his shame is." Baba's actions describe one of the main themes of honor and respect. Honor and respect is important in the Kite Runner because it influences many character's decisions. -
KR: Amir and Baba move to California
When Amir and Baba moved to California, Amir thought as America as "someplace with no ghosts, no memories, and no sins."(136) This is important because it describes America as a setting in the novel. It was drastically different from Kabul and also was important to the story in the following events to come. -
KR: Amir and Baba start going to the flea market, where Amir and Soraya meet.
When Baba was describing what had happened in Soraya's past, he says "what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime."(142) What Baba said is important because it applies to many characters in the story. Amir and Hassan with the winter of 1975, Baba with his wife and Hassan, and Soraya with her boyfriend. -
KR: Baba is diagnosed with lung cancer
When Baba received his diagnosis, he said "no chemo medication for me."(156) Baba refused to get treatment and knew he would soon be gone. His refusal describes the main themes of honor and pride, in that he wanted no sympathy. -
NYT: Last of Soviet Troops Leave Afghanistan
After 9 years of hard war, which cost them large amounts of lives and money, the last of the Soviet troops left. In their wake, they left "Afghanistan descended into vicious internal strife."(NYT) -
KR: Amir publishes his first novel
At the time of his book being published, Amir thought "there was so much goodness in my life. So much happiness. I wonder whether I deserved any of it."(183) This quote shows that Amir is still haunted by his past, but he hasn't yet tried to atone. His wanting of just sweeping it under the rug characterizes him through how he acts. -
NYT: The Taliban Grows
Mullah Omar was a veteran of the recent war, and decided to gather a group of men to fight back against warlords. By the end of 1994 he had almost 12,000 followers and "was rolling up the warlords to the north and east."(NYT) His movement was genuinely popular because of his promise to restore the centrality of Islam to daily life. -
NYT: The Taliban Takes Control
The Taliban takes control of Afghanistan, "buoyed by Pakistani aid."(NYT) -
NYT: Taliban Resurgence
Even though they were defeated in 2001, the Taliban "continued to wage a guerilla warfare from a base in the mountainous and largely lawless tribal area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. -
KR: Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan in Pakistan
In the novel Rahim Khan tells Amir "there is a way to be good again."(2) This has so much importance because it offers Amir a chance to finally atone for his sins. His atonement is the most major plot point in the entire second half of the book and affects the entire story. -
NYT: Background of United States in Afghanistan
The US has been fighting in Afghanistan since 2001, with the reason being retaliation "after the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda." (NYT) -
KR: After finding out their relation, Amir sets out to find Sohrab and ends up confronting Assef.
Farid had asked Amir why he had come to Afghanistan, and Amir replied "for the boy."(267) Amir sees Sohrab as a chance to be good again, a way to atone. This is important because it demonstrates one of the main themes of atonement and its rocky path, also described with Assef. -
KR: Sohrab, afraid of going back to an orphanage, tries to kill himself
When Sohrab is in the hospital, Amir prays for him to survive and he prays "God doesn't let [his hands] get stained with the blood of this boy, too."(346) If Sohrab were to die, it would almost be like his entire life and journey for atonement was worth nothing. It would be his number one sin. -
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NYT: After 9/11
The United States gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Osama bin Laden, but they refused. They then joined forces with local rebel groups and "drove the Taliban out of major Afghan cities by the end of the year."(NYT) -
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NYT: Mr. Karzai's Government
Hamid Karzai was named the chairman of the government after the Taliban was defeated and he was well received at first. His popularity plunged however as the people "blamed him for the manifest lack of economic progress and the corrupt officials...."(NYT) -
KR: 9/11 Happens
When 9/11 occurred, "the Twin Towers came crumbling down and, overnight, the world changed."(362) As the world changed, so did Amir and Soraya's life. They started doing community service works for Afghan, but Sohrab remained ever silent. -
Sohrab Smiles
After Amir had cut down the kite, he "looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so.. A smile."(370) Sohrab's smile symbolizes hope and a chance to fully, once and for all, atone. At this moment Amir knew it was all worth it, that this is what he had lived for. -
NYT: Obama Delivers a Speech
Obama wanted to further commit to the middle east, and he "announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops." (NYT) -
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NYT: Increased Emphasis
The United States decided to increase the amount of time in Afghanistan in an act "to warn the Taliban that aggressive operations against them would continue."(NYT)