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Kabul's monarchy is overthrown
The night after hearing the roaring gunshots outside, Amir finds out "that the monarchy was a thing of the past," (36). -
Hassan gets surgery to get his harelip fixed
As a birthday gift for Hassan, Baba gave him a "present [that] will last forever," (46). This major present from Baba shows how his relationship with Hassan is very similar to his relationship with Amir. After finding out why Baba gives Hassan such valuable presents for his birthdays, Baba's relationship with Hassan is clear because Baba feels guilty that Hassan doesn't have the same life as his other son, Amir. -
Amir wins the kite race
After winning the long and tiring kite race Amir tries to exclaim "We won! We won!" (66) to Hassan who helps him throughout the race. This event demonstrates Baba's power over Amir and how it affects him. Amir constantly feels the need to prove to his father his greatness and winning the kite race shows Baba how Amir is trying to be the son he wants. -
Hassan gets raped by Assef
As Hassan runs to catch the kite that ran off, he is confronted with Assef and his gang who tell him that they will "[teach] a lesson to a disrespectful donkey," (75). This upsetting event demonstrates the power dynamic in Kabul. Kabul's power is very unequal because the Pashtuns have a large amount of power of the Hazara's due to their higher socioeconomic status. -
Ali and Hassan leave Baba and Amir
After Hassan is framed for stealing Amir's birthday money and watch, Ali tells Baba "We are leaving, Agha sahib," (106). This event is significant because Baba's emotions are later explained when we find out that Hassan was his son. Even though Ali knew that Hassan was Baba's real son, he still decided to leave Baba and Amir because he felt intimidated by Baba's high socioeconomic status. -
The Soviet Union invades Kabul.
Soviet troops "parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979" (New York Times) to help Babarak Karmal, the newest president. -
Baba and Amir leave Kabul
After leaving their home in Kabul at two in the morning, Baba and Amir "[sit] with [their] suitcases between [their] legs, cramped with strangers in the tarpaulin-covered cab of an old Russian truck," (110). Because of Baba's high socioeconomic status, they had the advantage of fleeing Kabul and going to America. Unlike Baba and Amir, the majority of the Kabul population were forced to be under the power of the Taliban for the rest of their lives. -
Amir graduates high school
Two years after leaving Kabul, Amir "[graduates] from high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior" (131). This event illustrates the power shift between Baba and Amir when they move to America. In Afghanistan, Baba had a higher socioeconomic status than Amir, but when they move to America, Amir has the higher socioeconomic status because he knows English and graduated high school. -
Amir marries Soraya
During Amir and Soraya's wedding, Soraya's father tells Amir, "I welcome you to my home as a son, as the husband of my daughter," (168). Even though Amir and Soraya met in America, their relationship is very traditional to their religion and culture. This shows how even though the setting changed, their religious beliefs carried with them as they moved to America. -
Baba dies
A month after Amir and Soraya's wedding, Baba is put to bed by Soraya, but "[he] never woke up," (173). This very important event signifies Amir finally having all the power in his life. He no longer needs to look to Baba to approve his decisions, but instead guides Soraya and himself to make their own decisions. -
The last of the Soviet troops leave Afghanistan
In February 1989, "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989" (New York Timesafter multiple peace talks which were moderated by the U.N. -
The Taliban following starts to increase
Mullah Omar, one of the founding member of the Taliban, "had nearly 12,000 followers" (New York Times) by the end of 1994 -
Pakistani intelligence officers fund the Taliban
In early 1994, Mullah Omar's men were supplied with "funneling arms, money and supplies" (New York Times) from Pakistani intelligence officers to help them succeed -
The Taliban takes control of Afghanistan
By 1996, "the Taliban...had taken control of Afghanistan" (New York Times) and started implementing strict laws such as banning movies and music and forcing women to leave schools. -
The Taliban is given an ultimatum
After the 9/11 attacks by Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, "President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden" (New York Times). -
Amir returns to Pakistan to visit Rahim Khan
After Rahim Khan calls Amir, Amir tells Soraya, "I have to go to Pakistan," (191). This event demonstrates the start of Amir attempting to atone for his actions towards Hassan. He is finally faced with his past life, which he avoided when he moved to America. -
Amir learns that Hassan is his half-brother
After finding out Hassan is his half-brother, Amir says to himself "[I have] the right to know I had a brother," (225). This very significant event explains why Baba treated Hassan as if he was Amir because Hassan was also his son. This also illustrates how poorly Amir treated his half-brother even though he had no idea that they were related. -
Hassan and Farzana are killed by the Taliban
During Rahim Khan and Amir's conversation about Hassan and Farzana, Amir learns that the Taliban "shot [them] in the back of the head," (219). This event illustrates the large amount of power that the Taliban has over the population of Afghanistan. They control and kill people just because they don't believe in certain ideas or concepts, which highlights the importance of power and its affects. -
Amir and Sohrab return to the U.S.
After spending two months out of the country, Amir and Sohrab "arrived home on a warm sunny day in August 2001," (357). This final event in the book is the beginning of the end to Amir's atonement. He has taken in Sohrab as his own and continues to care for him once they return home. This shows how he really wants to atone because he could have left Sohrab in an orphanage, but instead, he continues to fight to take Sohrab to America. -
Amir finds Sohrab
Immediately after first seeing Sohrab in person, Amir sees "the Chinese doll face of [his] childhood," (279). After Amir finds out about Sohrab, he hesitates to find him, until he is informed that Sohrab is his half-nephew. When Amir finds Sohrab, he is faced with the child of his former "friend" and half-brother, which challenges him to really atone by taking care of Sohrab. -
Sohrab attempts suicide
Soon after learning he has to be placed in an orphanage, Sohrab "[lowered] himself into the water, [and laid] there for a while, his eyes closed," (350-351). Sohrab attempt at ending his life opens Amir's eyes to see that he really needs to care for Sohrab. This act of kindness contributes to his attempt to atoning for his sins towards Hassan. -
9/11 Attacks
Ever since the "Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" (New York Times), the U.S. military has been immersed in Afghanistan. -
Hamid Karzai is made the leader of Afghanistan
The new leader of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, "took office as interim president in June 2002" (New York Times). -
General Petraeus takes charge of the U.S. Central Command
In October of 2008, "General Petraeus, the Iraq commander who received much of the credit for the success of the surge there" (New York Times) took charge of the U.S. Central Command and gained responsibility for the military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and across the area. -
Obama announces deployment plan
On December 1, 2009, "Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (New York Times) and promised to start deploying troops in the middle of 2011.