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Baba Builds an Orphanage
When Amir was quite young, "...Baba decided to build an orphanage"(Hosseini 13). Baba probably felt by giving back to the community he could atone for his sins. Without his wealth and generosity, he would have a terrible reputation for having an affair and he would lose all his respect. -
Hassan is Born
When Hassan was born, "[he] was true to his nature: He was incapable of hurting anyone"(Hosseini 10). This quote clearly emphasizes such a kind-hearted person Hassan was. The way Amir describes his life when he was just a baby foreshadows that Hassan was Amir's brother. Amir talks about how they fed from the same breast, and they were so close that they could be brothers, which turns out to be the case. -
Amir and Hassan Win the Kite Fighting Competition
When Amir and Hassan win the competition, Amir sees Baba, "...standing on the edge [of the roof], pumping both of his fists"(Hosseini 66). Amir finally feels like his father accepts him for his accomplishment. All that mattered to Amir was that Baba finally felt proud of Amir, and that he was not a burden that killed his wife. -
Hassan is Raped
Hassan is cornered by Assef and his followers and is raped, while Amir watches and had, "One final opportunity to decide who [he] was going to be"(Hosseini 77). Amir's decision to run away shows his true personality. Amir is a selfish person who does not do the right action in order to achieve approval from Baba. -
Amir Frames Hassan
When Amir tried to get Hassan fired, he was surprised that Baba forgave him because according to Baba, "...theft was the one unforgivable sin..."(Hosseini 106). Baba's reaction foreshadows that Hassan was Baba's son because no father would ever make their child leave. This also explains why he was so distraught when Ali said he would no longer be working for Baba, because his son would be leaving him. -
The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan
Afghanistan has had been in a state of chaos since,"...1979, when the Sovit Union invaded" (NYT). -
Baba and Amir flee Kabul
When Baba and Amir are enduring the long trip to immigrate to America Amir hopes that this whole experince had, "...to be a dream. Had to be"(Hosseini 113). Even though Amir wanted to be as far away from Hassan as possible, he still wishes everything was back to normal in Afghanistan. Throughout his life, Amir has always been privilaged and is not used to pain. -
Amir Returns to Afghanistan
Amir travels back to Afghanistan because, "...[he] was lonely"(Hosseini 203). Amir is very naive if he thinks that showing up a decade later to meet up with Hassan like nothing ever happened will be completly normal. He may as well be wasting his time. Amir is still trying to stay in the past. -
Amir Finds Out Hassan is his Brother
When Rahim Khan reveals that Hassan was Amir's brother, Amir is shocked at the fact that he, "...had a brother"(Hosseini 225). Amir would have been a completly different person if he knew that Hassan was his brother. He was also mad at Baba for being a hypocrite for saying that theft was the worst sin, for he had stolen a brother from Amir. -
Hassan Dies
In 1988, Hassan and his family died in a tragic way, the Taliban, "...massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif"(Hosseini 213). The way Hassan died shows how corrupt the government of Afghanistan was during the time. Hassan and his family were killed just because they were Hazaras, deemed shameful. -
Baba Dies
When Baba died, Amir realizes he has no one to guide him through life anymore and that he'd, "have to find it on [his] own"(Hosseini 174). This quote shows that Amir has matured from his past experiences. Amir no longer has to depend on Baba to make the right choices and he must use his past experiences to deal with new challenges. -
Amir Publishes First Novel
A little before the Soviets fled Afghanistan, "...[Amir] had finished [his] first novel"(Hosseini 182). Amir became what he had always dreamt as a child, a writer. From becoming an author, Amir grew in socioeconomic status. -
Soviets left Afghanistan
In 1989, "...the last Soviets troops left Afghanistan..." (NYT). -
Taliban armed by Pakistani intelligence officers
As early as 1994, "...Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisers to help guide them in battle" (NYT). -
Mullah Omar gathers 12,000 followers
The early Taliban leader Mullah Omar, "...had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the war lords to the north and east" (NYT). -
bin Laden arrives in Afghanistan
The Taliban gave Mr. bin Laden a safe place for him in Afghanistan and he, "...arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996" (NYT). -
Taliban take control of Afghanistan
With help from arms given from Pakistani,"...the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan" (NYT). -
Amir Fights Assef
Assef challenges Amir to a fight to the death in order to see who keeps Sohrab, and now, "it was [Amir's] turn"(Hosseini 286) to stand up for Hassan. Amir felt his determination to stand up for Hassan and his son was his final way to atone for his biggest mistake of his life. He did not care whether he came out alive, for all that mattered was that it was his turn to return the favor for Hassan's bravery for Amir. -
Rahim Calls Amir
After so many years, Amir recieves a phone call from, "...Rahim Khan...He asked [Amir] to come see him"(Hosseini 1). Amir finally finds out what Rahim Khan's current state is after so many years. Also, Amirs finds out Hassan is his brother, and many other new things when he meets up with Rahim. -
Terrorist attack on US by Taliban
The Taliban made the US turn into a frenzy when there was, "...an attack on the World Trade Center in New York..." (NYT). -
US invades Afghanistan and gets rid of Taliban rule
In 2001, the US, "...succeded in doslodging Al Qaeda and removing the Taliban from power" (NYT). -
Sohrab Tries to Commit Suicide
When Amir finds Sohrab's bleeding body, he was, "Screaming until [he] thought [his] throat would rip out and [his] chest explode"(Hosseini 343). Amir's reactions shows how deeply he cares about Sohrab. Amir was so obsessed with atoning for his sins, that his persistance and hard work may disappear was an utter shock to him. -
Sohrab Smiles
When flying a kite with Sohrab, Amir notices that, "One corner of his mouth had curled up just so"(Hosseini 370). It was the first sign that Amir had atoned for his sins. It was the first time Amir has felt proud of his actions. -
Obama announces deployment of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan
In his speech, President Obama annouced his plan, "...to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (NYT). -
Soviet Union Air force delcared useless
After 1986, "...the Soviet Air Force was also rendered largely useless by advanced Stinger antiaircraft missiles supplied by the United States to the rebels" (NYT).