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Hassan Is Violated by Assef
Amir thought to himself, "I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan- the way he's stood up for me all those times in the past- and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run" (77). Amir's hesitation about helping Hassan proves he wouldn't do anything to protect him, even though that's what Hassan would do for him. Amir cares more about what will happen to him, than pretecting Hassan. -
Amir Wins Kite Fight
After Amir wins the kite fight, he sees "Baba on our roof. He was standing on the edge, pumping both of his fists. Hollering and clapping. And that right there was the single greatest moment of my twelve years of life, seeing Baba... proud of me at last" (66). Amir yearns for Baba's approval of him, and the day that he wins something Baba loves, he earns it. To Amir, there is nothing more important than the approval of his father, and he will do anything to get it. -
Ali and Hassan Leave Amir and Baba
Ali tells Baba, "Life here is impossible for us now, Agha sahib. We're leaving" (106). Baba is extremely devastated when Ali announces this news, and he is also thrown off-guard. He has no idea what happened in the alley and what happened to the friendship of Amir and Hassan. Ali was trying to protect Hassan by removing them from the family, but Baba can't see this. Baba cares for both Ali and Hassan very much and the thought of loosing them is life loosing Amir -
Soviet Union Invasion
This was the day that changed Afghanistan from a peaceful country to a warzone "when the Soviet Union invaded" (NYT). -
Amir and Baba Move to Pakistan
Amir and Baba must evacuate Kabul because of the invading Soviet troops. Amir thought to himself, "I should have been in my bed, under my blanket, a book with dog-eared pages at my side. This had to be a dream" (113). Moving to Pakistan came as a shock to Amir, and he still couldn't process it. Living anywhere other than Kabul seemed wrong to him. He didn't understand that his father was protecting and caring for him by making them evacuate a war zone, which used to be their home. -
Amir and Baba Move to America
Baba tells Amir that he, "loved the idea of America", so they decide to move again (125). When Baba arrives in America, he quickly learns he is not rich or powerful like he was in Afghanistan. He lost a lot of his power, which caused him to act out because things weren't the same. Whereas, Amir gained power by moving to America because it was more of his environment than Baba's. -
Amir Graduates High School
Amir "graduated from high school at the age of twenty" in America (131). This was a big milestone in Amir's life because high school was the foundation of his successful writing career. Graduating from high schooled proved Amir was capable of being successful in Baba's eyes. -
Amir Gets a Car
For Amir's high school graduation present, Baba "reached in his coat pocket and handed me a set of keys" (133). Baba giving a car to Amir is an act to show how proud he his of his son. Although most of the time Baba doesn't show how proud he his of Amir, this is one of those key moments that changes Baba's relationship with Amir. This proves to Amir that he is worthy of Baba. -
Baba is Diagnosed With Cancer
Amir learned that "cancer had many names. Baba's was called Oat Cell Carcinoma" (156). After they both learn this shocking news, Baba becomes stubborn and defensive towards Amir. He denies that anything is wrong with him and trys to avoid the inevitable that he might die. Baba's fear blinds him from the help that Amir trys to offer. -
Amir and Soraya Get Married
During Amir and Soraya's wedding ceremony, he told "her for the first time that I loved her" (171). Amir marrying Soraya proves his kindness and love for others. As Amir grows up, he learns more morals which we see portrayed through his love for Soraya. -
Baba Dies
Amir learns that Baba's cancer is spreading and he won't have much longer to live, then one morning "Baba never woke up" (173). Because of the repect that Baba earned from others, many people remembered him as a great man. Especially Amir, he had always looked up to Baba and now he was on his own. The relationship between Baba and Amir can be seen through Baba's death because we see the love and respect Amir has for him. -
Amir Begins College
Amir got accepted "at San Jose State that summer and declared an English major" (181). This was a sign for him that he was becoming successful and heading in the right direction. Amir had followed his childhood passion of being a writer. -
Hassan Is Murdered
Rahim Khan tells Amir that they took Hassan out on the street "and shot him in the back of the head" (219). This devastates Amir, especillay because him and Hassan were brothers. The grief that Amir has is also coupled with the guilt he has for never telling Hassan sorry. -
Amir Publishes His First Book
Amir found out he "was going to be a published novelist" after only writing one book (183). Amir's hope of always writing had become reality. It proved to others that he was successful even though he wasn't the typical Afghan boy. -
Soviet Union Troops evacuate
The United Nations intervened in the on-going war between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union, they forces "the last Soviet troops" to leave to try and restore peace in the country. (NYT). -
Taliban In Control
By this time in Afghanistan history, the leader of the Taliban ,"Mullah Omar, had nearly 12,000 followers and was rollling up the warloads to the north and east" (NYT). This was the time period when U.S. was on the same side as the Taliban. -
Taliban enforces strict rules
At this time in Afghanistan, "the Taliban had taken control of Afghanistan imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law" (NYT). -
Taliban Sides with Osama Bin Laden
After the Taliban takes control of Afghanistan, they "provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden... and for Al Qaeda" (NYT). This is when the Taliban turned bad, and against the U.S. -
Amir Finds Out He Has to Go Back to Pakistan to Help Rahim Khan
Amir tells Soraya, "I have to go to Pakistan" because Rahim Khan was very sick and needed Amir's help (191). This shows that Amir cares even though he hasn't speaken to Rahim Khan since he left. One of Amir's strongest values is caring and helping for others. -
Attack on Twin Towers
On this tragic day, Al Qaeda "led an invasion" in New York that knocked both of the twin towers over and killed millions of people. (NYT). -
Hamid Karzai Named Chairman Interim Government
After the 9/11 attack, "Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah,... was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the Taliban, making him the leader of the country" (NYT). -
Amir Adopts Sohrab
Amir tells Sohrab that he has "a visa to go to America, to live with me and my wife" (355). After Sohrab tried to kill himself, Amir constantly tries his hardest to connect with him. He wants to be that father figure in Soharb's life since he no longer has a real father. -
Hamid Karzai Elected President
Once the interim government was established, "Mr. Karzai was elected to a five year term as president" of the country. (NYT). -
Obama Hires General to Take Down Afghanistan Warlords
After a heated debate, Obama puts General Petraeus in "charge of the United States Central Command" in order to take down the on-going war in Afghanistan. -
Obama Announces Deployof Troops in Afghanistan
Once the U.S decides to involve themselves in the war in Afghanistan, "Mr. Obama announces his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (NYT).