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Baba was born and Ali was adopted
Amir says, "Ali and Baba grew up as together as childhood playmates-at least until polio crippled Ali's leg- just like Hassan and I grew up a generation later" (Hosseini 23). Baba was born in 1933 and Ali (an orphan at the time and a Hazara) was adopted by Baba's dad, the two became good friends. It shows how similar Baba and Amir's early life was since a Hazara boy was both of their friends. -
Baba's Orphanage was built
Rahim Kahn told this story to Amir, "In the late 1960's, when I was five or six, Baba decided to build an orphanage, Baba had drawn the blueprints himself despite the fact that he'd had no architectural experience at all" (Hosseini 13). This event was when Amir started to really look up to his father, and see what a great man he was. It also showed Amir how well respected Baba was, how successful he was, and that Amir wanted to be like him. -
Hassan's Birthday and Cleft lip surgery
''Baba met Hassan's wary-and puzzled- eyes, 'I have summoned Dr. Kumar from New Dehli, Dr. Kumar is a plastic surgeon'" (Hosseini 45). Hassan was born with a cleft lip and had been made fun of for it. Baba gave Hassan the big gift of getting it fixed, and this shows how important Hassan is to Baba, and how much he cares for him. -
The Kite Running Competition
Amir said, "In the winter of 1975, I saw Hassan run a kite for the last time, Usually each neighborhood held its own competition, but that year the tournament was going to be held in my neighborhood" (Hosseini 55). This tournament is important to Amir because he can finally prove to his father he is worth something and he can be proud of him. All of the pressure relies on Hassan and Amir, and luckily they win. -
Hassan Is Raped
Amir said to himself, "I watched Hassan get raped, a part of me was hoping someone would wake up and hear, so I wouldn't have to live with this lie anymore" (Hosseini 86). Amir has this constant regret that he didn't do something when Hassan was getting raped. A part of him wished he wasn't there just so he wouldn't live with this guilt, he will now deal with forever. -
Amir Accused Hassan for Stealing His Watch
Baba brought in Hassan and Amir, and said to Hassan, "did you steal that money, did you steal Amirs watch Hassan" (Hosseini 105)? Amir made up a lie that his watch was gone, and told his father Hassan took it. Hassan, being a good friend said yes because he wanted the fighting and tension to stop between them. Sadly because of Rahim Kahn finding out that Hassan was raped and decided it wasn't safe for them to live there anymore. -
The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.
On Dec 27, 1979, "The first soviet troops parachuted into Kabul to assist Babrak Karmal who had become president in a coup within the Afghan communist leadership" (The New York Times 2). -
Baba And Amir Leave for Jalalabad
Amir was in the car when he said, "my innards had been rolling since we'd left Kabul just after two in the morning, Baba never said so, but I knew he saw my car sickness yet another example of my array of weaknesses'' (Hosseini 111). After Kabul had been split into Two parts, people who evesdropped and people who didn't Kabul became dangerous. Baba and Karim had decided Karim's brother would meet them in Jalalabad with a truck to get them to America safely. -
Amir Graduates from High school
Amir said, "that summer of 1983, I graduated high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarboard on the football field that day" (Hosseini 131). Amir had a large setback when starting the American school system because it was different from Afghanistan's. Amir told Baba he wasn't sure about going to college yet and that he wanted to get a job, help out, and save up money. -
Baba and Amir Get Settled in Fremont, California
Amir said in the book, "most of our neighbors in Fremont were bus drivers, policemen, gas station attendants, and unwed mothers collecting welfare" (Hosseini 126). So far, Amir is enjoying America. Baba and Amir go on walks in the park, and Baba got a job at a gas station. Baba is the only Republican in the building, which probably makes him feel like an outsider more than he already does. -
Amir went to Hazarajat
Amir was feeling the guilt come back to him. "There were a lot of reasons why I went back to Hazarajat to find Hassan in 1986, the biggest one, Allah forgive me, was that I was lonely" (Hosseini 203). Amir wanted to atone for his actions, and wanted to see Hassan again, he missed his friend. Growing up, Hassan was always there for him and when Hassan got raped it was Amir's chance to save him, and he didn't take it. -
Amir Finished his Novel
Amir said, "Six months before the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, I finished my first novel, a father-son story set in Kabul" (Hosseini 182). After the death of Baba, and Amir and Saraya's marriage, A lot has gone on in Amir's life and fast. He took the time to write this novel and is proud of his work. He would get the word out there to Agencies, hoping one would send a letter back that would pick up his work. -
Soviet Troops leave Kabul
In Febuary of 1989, "Eventually, after peace talks moderated by the United Nations, the last soviet troops left Afghanistan" (2) -
Sanauber delivers Hassans son, Sohrab
Rahim Kahn had told Amir about Hassan. "It was Sanauber who delivered Hassan's son that winter of 1990" (Hosseini 211). When Sanauber returned to see Hassan she lived with him and his wife for a little. Hassan and Farzana helped Sanaubar become healthy again after she came to the house almost falling at the gates from being so weak. It took Hassan awhile to come to terms that his mother had returned, but after a while their relationship became stronger. -
Power among warlords divided
When Soviet forces left, "by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms. But one group would eventually gain control" (2-3) -
Mullah Omar created a popular movement in order to restore the Centrality of Islam
Mullah Omar was a Pashtun who gathered together men to attack warlords who committed a rape, "By the end of 1994 Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east. With his promise of restoring the centrality of Islam to daily life, he created a genuinely popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality"(4). -
Taliban Takes Control of Afghanistan
Pakistan interfered with The Taliban, "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. Buoyed by Pakistani aid, the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict - enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-enveloping burqa clothing'' (5) -
The Karzai Government was created
In December of 2001, "Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the exiled former king of Afghanistan, was named the chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country'' (5). -
The Taliban continued Attacking
The Taliban would not stop at any cost, "Despite their defeat in 2001, the Taliban continued to wage a guerrilla warfare from a base in the mountainous and largely lawless tribal area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border" (6). -
Amir Gets a Call from Rahim Kahn
After not hearing from Rahim Kahn for years Amir gets an unexpected call, On the phone, Rahim Kahn said, "Come, there is a way to be good again'' (Hosseini 192). He said it before hanging up, leaving Amir on edge. Amir knows he needs to go back to Afghanistan to relieve the guilt he has felt after all of these years from Hassan and needs to see Rahim Kahn before he passes from Cancer. -
Amir Tells Sohrab he Can Come Back to America
In the hospital, Amir said to Sohrab, "That was what I was coming in the bathroom to tell you, you have a visa to go to America, to live with me and my wife" (Hosseini 355). After Sohrab tries to kill himself because Amir was going to break his promise that he was going to take him back to an orphanage, he is in the hospital. Amir gets a call from his lawyer that they can come back safely. -
Amir Runs the Kite for Sohrab
After Amir bought a kite for Sohrab, Amir wanted to fly it. He was competing against a green kite, and after trying out Hassan's trick he did it perfectly and won. Amir saw Sohrab to something he's never done before, ''It was only a smile, nothing more, it didn't make anything all right, only a smile, a tiny thing" (Hosseini 371). Amir ran the kite for Sohrab, but also for Hassan. This was Amir's gift to Hassan in a way, this was Amir giving back to him after all of these years. -
Karzai became President
With everything going on in Afghanistan, "Mr. Karzai was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004.
During the Bush administration, Mr. Karzai – a celebrity in flowing cape and dark gray karakul cap – was also a White House favorite. His popularity, though, steadily plunged, at home as well as abroad, as Mr. Karzai faced an Afghan population that blamed him for the manifest lack of economic progress and the corrupt officials who seem to stand at every doorway of his government''(5). -
Obama strikes back
Barack Obama comes out to say something about the constant fighting, "In a speech delivered Dec. 1, 2009, at West Point, Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (6) -
Post 9/11 invasion
After 9/11 In New York, ''Sept 11, 2001, President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden'' (5).