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Baba's father takes Ali into care after his parents were killed in a car crash
While telling the story of how Ali's parents were killed in a car crash, he adds that "as for the orphan, [his] grandfather adopted him into his own household and told the other servants to tutor him, but to be kind to him" (24-25). Already, this bond between Baba's father and Ali has become strong because of what happened to the orphan's parents. His sympathy for Ali persuaded him to take him into his household and raise him, as there would be no other place for him to go. -
Gunfire and explosions are heard in the streets of Kabul
Amir describes how after the shootings heard throughout Kabul, they "awoke the next morning to find that the monarchy was a thing of the pass... in his absence, his cousin Daoud Khan had ended the king's forty-year reign with a bloodless coup" (36). This event marked the end of a monarchy-based government and the transformation into a republic, where power is evenly distributed among the citizens and elected representatives. That night foreshadows the numerous changes that will occur later on. -
Baba pays a doctor to fix Hassan's upper lip
One day, Amir and Hassan are called inside, and are suprised to see a doctor standing in the room. The doctor describes how his "job is to fix things on people's bodies. Sometimes their faces" (45), which Hassan reacts by "touch[ing] his upper lip" (46). This gift reveals Baba's feelings for Hassan, and how he treats him as a friend rather than a servant. At the beginning of the story, Amir is never given much praise, and envies Hassan. -
Hassan is violated by Assef
As Assef is preparing to assault Hassan, his friend Wali says, "my father says it's sinful" (75), to which Assef replies, "there's nothing sinful about teaching a lesson to a disrespectful donkey" (75). His companions, Wali and Kamal, disapprove of violating Hassan, but show no intent to convincing Assef not to. From this quote, Assef's actions reveal his ignorant and disrespectful personality, as he doesn't think through his actions and does what he thinks is morally right. -
The annual kite flying competition takes place
As Amir steps outside, he makes the observation that he "had never seen so many peple on our street... Kite fighters were huddling with their spool holders, making last-minute preparations. From adjacent streets, I could hear laughter and chatter" (60-61). This time marks one of the most memorable events of these kids' childhoods. Amir notes he has never seen this many people on their street, and this is because of the significance of this day, where people attend from everywhere in the area. -
Amir celebrates his thirteenth birthday at a huge party
When Assef arrives at Amir's party, he greets him and hands him his present, to which Amir "[takes] the box... and lowered [his] gaze" (97). He thinks about how he "[wishes] he could be alone in [his] room, away from these people" (97). The incident when Assef violated Hassan has scarred Amir, and has placed a long-term effect on his life. His attitude towards Assef is angry, yet fearful, which prevents him from moving on from what happened the year before. -
Ali and Hassan depart from Amir and Baba's lives
When Ali revealed the news that he and Hassan were leaving due to it being to difficult for them to live there, Amir notices "Baba do something [he] had never seen him do before: He cried" (107). Obviously, from this quote, it is extremely out of the ordinary for Baba to be crying, but this action emphasizes how much Baba loved and cared about Ali and Hassan, even though they were just servants. He thought of them as family, and to see them go made it impossible for him to control his emotions. -
Russian forces invade Afghanistan
During chapter five, Amir illustrates the drastic changes occuring in Afghanistan by emphasizing the date "December 1979, when Russian tanks would roll into the very same streets where [he and Hassan] played, bringing the death of the Afghanistan [he] knew and marking the start of a still ongoing era of bloodletting" (36). Throughout the story, the Taliban soldiers are portrayed as brutal, and this day marked the day when this invasion began. These soldiers would change the citizens' lives. -
The Soviet Union invades Kabul
This invasion began when "the first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979" (2). -
Baba is kicked out of a grocery store
When Baba buys some oranges, he has no cash, so he gives a check instead, to which the owners reply by asking for identification. Baba is angered by this, and exclaims, "What kind of a country is this? No one trusts anybody!" (128). Back in Afghanistan, if someone didn't have cash, they would make a mark on a stick saying they would pay back later, but in America, you must pay right away. Baba, who has lived in Kabul his whole life, hasn't adjusted to this new life, and struggles to adapt. -
The Soviet Union leave Afghanistan at last
The troops continued to reside in Kabul until "eventually, after peace talks moderated by the United Nations, the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989" (2). -
Power became divided among warlords
The Soviets who had invaded the country had left, Afghanistan began to become out of order, and "by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms" (2). -
Osama bin Laden arrives in Afghanistan
The Talibans, who highly supported the terrorist group Al Qaeda, "provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden, who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport" (3). -
The Taliban take control of Afghanistan
Since the Taliban were assisted by the Pakistani, they, "by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan" (3). -
Hassan foreshadows a horrible future because of the Taliban
In 1996, everybody celebrated the Taliban control, because they ended the chaos, but when Hassan heard the news, he worriedly begs to Rahim Khan, "God help the Hazaras now, Rahim Khan sahib" (213), and "two years later, in 1998, they massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif" (213). Somehow, Hassan had a feeling the Taliban would cause more chaos than they had gotten rid of, even though seemed they were helping. He ended up foreshadowing a tragic event, which resulted in the death of many Hazaras. -
The Taliban massacre innocent citizens
As Amir is meeting with a Taliban official who had murdered two people during a soccer game, he asks the Talib about what happened at the game. The Talib responds by saying "you should have been with me in Mazar. August 1998, that is... Door to door we went calling for the men and the boys. We'd shoot them right there in front of their families" (276-277). This emphasizes how the Taliban officials enjoy their power over the citizens. They don't mind hurting them because they have the power to. -
Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan
Rahim Khan calls asking Amir to come back to Afghanistan, and just before hanging up, he states, "there is a way to be good again" (192). In other words, he is summoning Amir to help him with a difficult task. By saying this, Rahim Khan means there is a way for Amir to make up for his actions as a child, which is by rescuing Sohrab. Saving Sohrab would not only display his loyalty for Hassan, but it would prove to Rahim Khan and himself that he can stand up for himself. -
Soraya's parents come to Amir's house for dinner
During the dinner, General Taheri asks why there is a Hazara boy in living in the house, and Amir firmly states, "You will never again refer to him as 'Hazara boy' in my presence. He has a name and it's Sohrab" (361). Amir displays his affection and respect for Sohrab by demanding that he be treated like another human being, not a "Hazara boy". Ever since he rescued Sohrab, he quickly formed a strong bond with him, even though he hasn't spoken. -
Al Qaeda attacks the United States on September 11
The opening statement of the article explains how "the United States has been militarily involved in Afghanistan since 2001, when it led an invasion after the 9/11 attacks by Al Qaeda" (1). -
Afghans gather at a park for a little party
As Amir and Sohrab are flying a kite, Amir looks down to Sohrab and sees "one corner of his mouth [curl] up just so. A smile. Lopsided. Hardly there. But there" (370-371). Sohrab hasn't spoken a word yet, and hasn't displayed any emotion since he arrived in America, and Amir is desperate for some sign of life out of him. When they begin to fly the kite, Sohrab shows a small smile, which convinces Amir that things can only get better. -
Hamid Karzai is elected president of Afghanistan
After taking office replacing the Taliban, Karzai said "he hoped to secure peace for Afghanistan and win the country a much-needed international aid" (3). -
General Petraeus takes charge of the US Central Command
General Petraeus had been an Iraq commander and was involved with the surge there, but now has "taken charge of United States Central Command in 2008, with responsibility for military operations in Iraq" (4). -
Obama announces his plan to deplot more troops in Afghanistan
As Obama was eager to expand the nation's involvement with Afghanistan, "in a speech delivered Dec.1 2009, at West Point, Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (4). -
President Obama removes General Stanley A. McChystal
Though he was hired for his knowlege in counterinsurgency warfare, "President Obama removed [him] after contemptuous quotes from the general and his staff senior administration officials appeared in an artivle in Rolling Stone magazine" (4). -
Amir is attacked by Assef while trying to rescue Sohrab
While Assef is attempting to beat Amir to death, Amir begins to laugh. He thinks that "for the first time since the winter of 1975, [he] felt at peace... [he] felt healed" (289). Back when he was pelting Hassan with pomegranates, he ordered Hassan to hit him back, which he refused to do. Now that he is being beat up by Assef, he feels he is getting what he deserved, and what has desired his whole life: to make up for what he did to Hassan. He laughed because he felt free and fulfilled.