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Hassan gets Lip Surgery
Hassan gets surgery for his harelip and Amir said "I wished I too had some kind of scar that would beget Baba's sympathy. It wasn't fair. Hassan hadn't done anything to earn Baba's affections; he'd just been born with that stupid harelip." (Hosseini 47) This is important because this is the start of Amir's underlying resentment for Hassan for getting more attention and love than him from Baba. -
Hassan is Raped by Assef
Amir is hiding as he watches Assef rape Hassan. He says: " I could hear Assef's quick, rhythmic grunts"(Hossieni 77). This quote shows the most tragic event in the story. It shows that Assef is getting back at Hassan by raping him. -
Amir wins kite contest
After Hassan and Amir win the kite competition Hassan says: "You won!Amir Agha!You won!"(Hosseini 66). This quote shows that Hassan and Amir are celebrating. Their victory is winning the very big kite competition -
Period: to
Afghanistan Events
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Hassan And Ali Leave
Amir is describing the day Hassan and Ali left. He says: " But it rained the afternoon Baba took Ali and Hassan to the bus station"(Hosseini 108). This shows that Hassan and Ali are leaving Baba and Amir. They are leaving because Ali didn't want to live in a place that was traumatizing to Hassan. -
Soviet Troops Invade Afghanistan
Before this earth shaking event, Afghanistan was doing fairly well as a country, but "The turmoil and extremism that have dominated its history since can be traced to the 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union" (New York Times). -
Amir and Baba Come to the US
After experiencing a few setbacks getting to the US, Amir and Baba finally arrive. Baba, however, has difficulty adjusting to America, with new technology such as credit cards. Amir points out that they did not have credit cards, instead "[they] snapped a tree branch and use it as a credit card" (128). The technological differences demonstrate how different the two countries are. It is perfectly logical for Baba to have trouble adjusting. -
Amir Graduates High School
At the age of 20, Amir graduates high school in the US. At graduation, Baba is incredibly happy with his son's achievement, telling Amir that he is, "'...Moftakhir, Amir,' he said. Proud" (Hosseini 172). Baba's pride over Amir's graduation demonstrates the admiration and love that Amir finally gets from his father, something he had been craving since childhood. This shows that even people that show apathy towards their children, most likely have love for them, shown through pride. -
Amir meets Soraya
In 1984, Amir is working at a flea market and finds Soraya, his wife. At the time, the two did not know each other, but Amir kept the thought of her and how, "her luminous eyes fleetingly held mine" (Hosseini 142). Amir basically had love at first sight. Amir and Soraya, later on talked and began to realize their true feelings for one another. -
Amir Falls for Soraya
Every weekend, Amir and Baba go to the flea market to sell goods, meeting up with several Afghani families in the process. It is there where Amir sees Soraya. He quickly falls for her, his heart, "stuttered at the thought of her. Soraya Taheri...Swap Meet Princess." (Hosseini 142). Amir's first love demonstrates a part of growing up that had yet been shown in Amir, falling in love. This is important because it is a ritual of growing up, and it signifies that Amir is no longer a child. -
Baba is Diagnosed with Cancer
When Baba discovers that he has cancer, "'That's a clear answer, Dr. Amani. Thank you for that,' Baba says, 'But no chemo medication for me.'" (156) This takes a massive toll on both Baba and Amir. -
Baba Dies
Baba is tired of taking his medications and that very same night, he dies. Amir even said that he, "even dreamed about it. And in those dreams I couldn't tell Baba from the bear" (Hosseini 3). What makes this more sad is that Amir admired Baba dearly. Amir's admiration did not end with his death though. -
Amir Publishes His First Novel
Amir wrote a book and "A month later, Martin called and informed me I was going to be a published novelist." (Hosseini 213) this is important because Amir finally feels like he is worth something to Baba. It made him feel much more valued and less like a failure. -
Soviet Troops Finally Leave Afghanistan
In February 1989, peace talks happened and "the last soviet troops left" (http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/Feb/On-this-Day--Soviet-Troops-Leave-Afghanistan.html) leaving a country wrecked by war. That is important because that made the government very unstable impacting the characters in Kite Runner in a negative way. -
Soraya Finds Out She is Infertile
After discovering that Soraya is infertile, they must break the news to the her father. When the topic of adoption comes up, Soraya's father feels that, "...This adoption [is not]...for us Afghans" (187). The General's stance against adoption shows cultural stigma against certain ideas. This is important because it explains why some families of different cultures have certain political stances, societal views, etc. -
Sanaubar Returns to Hassan
In his time caring for Baba's house, Sanubar returns and "He became the center of her existence. She sewed clothes for him, built him toys from scraps of wood, rags, and dried grass. When he caught a fever, she stayed up all night" (211) She also helped to deliver Hassan's baby. She atoned for her negligence finally. -
Taliban Takes over Afghanistan
After years of civil war between factions, in 1996 the Taliban "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" (New York Times). -
Pakistan Assists Pashtuns
The Taliban helped the Pashtuns by "funneling arms, money, and supplies to Mullah Omar's men." (New York Times) -
Hassan and Farzana are Killed by Taliban
Hassan and Farzana are sadly killed by the Taliban. The author writes how, "he died and the guard [Taliban] threw him from the window" (Hosseini 32). The Taliban killed Hassan first, saw Farzana and killed her as well. Amir is obviously, heart broken, because this is when he realized Hassan and him were really best friends, he feels he found that out too late. -
taliban Houses Bin Laden
The Taliban protected Bin Laden. They "provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden, who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996." (NPR) -
Sohrab Attempts Suicide
Sohrab, Amir's friend, attempts at suicide because he felt as if he would never be adopted by Amir for several reasons. When Amir finds Sohrab attempting suicide he simply screams, "NO" (Hosseini 363). Afterwards, Sohrab is cared for. But what is really important about this quote is how it really defines Amir well, how he shows his care towards Sohrab, because it is his "way to be good again", since he was not always there for Hassan. -
Taliban Ressurgence
America was focused on Iraq, so the Taliban used that advantage to regroup and "extend its influence in the southern part of Afghanistan." (NPR) The got a lot of money from the drug trade. The Taliban also went to Pakistan, which raised concerns about stability. -
9/11 Attacks
In 2001, the "attacks by Al Qaeda" happened, making the Taliban much less important. The Taliban was very powerful but after the 9/11 attacks, they were just an afterthought compared to Al-Qaeda.The Taliban plays a very important role later in the book with Assef.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/moments-remembrance-16th-anniversary-911-terror-attacks/story?id=49773696 -
Kazari is Elected President of Afghanistan
Kazari gave the People of Afghanistan hope by "saying he hoped to secure peace for Afghanistan and win the country much-needed international aid" (New York Times). -
Obama Sends Troops Home
Though President Obama declared the deployment of thirty-thousand more troops, he "vowed to start bringing home American forces home from Afghanistan in the middle of 2011, saying the US could not afford and should not have to shoulder an open-ended commitment" (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=7188585). -
Obama Sends More Troops to Afghanistan
At a speech at West Point in late 2009, "Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (New York Times).