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Hassan's Birth
Amir reminisces back to his youth on events and thinks, "It was there, in that little shack, that Hassan was born in the winter of 1964, just one year after my mother died giving birth to me. " (Hosseini 6). Hassan is one of the most important characters in the book, so his birth is an important event. The quote also reveals that Amir's mother has died, which is important later in the book. -
Rebellion
Amir remembers when the king was overthrown and thinks, "The shootings ... lasted less than an hour, but they had frightened us badly, because none of us had ever heard gunshots in the streets ...Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any notion that a way of life had ended. Our way of life" (Hosseini 36). When Amir thinks back on the rebellion, he realizes that his life had indirectly been changed forever. -
Hassan Protects Amir
"'This isn't the end for you either, Amir. Someday, I'll make you face me one on one.' Assef retreated a step. His disciples followed" (Hosseini 43). This event shows the power dynamic between Amir and Hassan. When the goings get tough, Hassan protects Amir but Amir does not reciprocate. -
Hassan's Lip is Fixed.
"The swelling subsided, and the wound healed with time. Soon, it was just a pink jagged line running up from his lip. By the following winter, it was only a faint scar. Which was ironic. Because that was the winter that Hassan stopped smiling" (Hosseini 47). This quote foreshadows what is to come because after Hassan is raped, he becomes depressed. Also, the fact that Baba cares enough is also foreshadowing that he has a significant relationship with Hassan. -
Period: to
Kite Runner & the History of Afghanistan
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Asef Rapes Hassan
Amir sees Hassan get raped and thinks, "That's what I made myself believe. I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right ... Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay ... to win Baba" (Hosseini 77). Amir decides to not say anything about the rape because he needs approval from his dad. Because he was deprived of all praise and kindness for so long, when given a chance to receive it, he took it no matter the consequences. -
Hassan and Ali Leave
When Baba forgives Hassan for allegedly stealing Amir's watch, Amir thinks, "[H]ow could he just forgive Hassan? And if Baba could forgive that, then why couldn't he forgive me for not being the son he'd always wanted? Why--'We are leaving, Agha sahib,' Ali said" (Hosseini 106). Here, Amir is asserting his need for Baba's affection by trying to weed out Hassan as a competitor. This shows his underlying need to be recognized and appreciated by his father. -
Soviet Union Invades Afghanistan
Afghanistan was thrown into war when "the The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979" (New York Times). -
Amir and Baba move to America
Amir and Baba leave Afghanistan and move to Fremont, California. Amir thinks, "For me, America was a place to bury my memories. For Baba, a place to mourn his" (Hosseini 128). When Amir moves to America, he is able to live a normal life and pursue his dreams. However, Baba is not able to adjust to the new culture and ends up trying to sustain Amir with a minimum wage job. -
Amir graduates High School
"I looked from him to the car. 'You'll need it to go to college,' he said" (Hosseini 133). This quote shows that Baba still controls Amir's future because he already planned for him to go to college. However, when Amir decided to become a writer, Baba rejected the idea because it did not follow his plans. -
Amir Marries Soraya
" I see Baba between us on the sofa, smiling ... I remember wishing Rahim Khan were there. And I remember wondering if Hassan too had married. And if so, whose face he had seen in the mirror under the veil? Whose henna-painted hands had he held? " (Hosseini 171). When Amir gets married, he sees Baba happy for him, which is a rare occurrence. However, his thoughts drifted to Hassan, showing that he dwells about the past and still feels regret about his past actions. -
Soviet Air force made Useless
The Soviet Air Force also became useless because of "advanced Stinger antiaircraft missiles supplied by the United States to the rebels" (New York Times). -
Baba Dies
"Listening to them, I realized how much of who I was, what I was, had been defined by Baba and the marks he had left on people's lives. My whole life, I had been "Baba's son." Now he was gone. Baba couldn't show me the way anymore; I'd have to find it on my own" (Hosseini 174). Here, Amir realizes that Baba can't do everything for him anymore. Because of this, he is able to forge his own path as a writer outside of Baba's shadow. -
Soviet Union Withdraws from Afghanistan
Afghanistan was free of the Soviet Union when "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989" (New York Times). -
Pakistan Aids the Taliban
As stated in the article, the Taliban would have died off if "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" (New York Times). -
Turmoil After Soviet Withdrawl
After the Soviet Union left Afghanistan, "by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms" (New York Times. -
Taliban Take Control of Afghanistan
The article states that "the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan" (New York Times). -
Osama Bin Laden Seeks Refuge in Afghanistan
After the Taliban gained power, "The Taliban also provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden, who arrived ... in May 1996" (New York Times). -
Hassan is Killed
"I KEPT THINKING OF THAT DAY in 1974, in the hospital room, Just after Hassan's harelip surgery. Baba, Rahim Khan, Ali, and I had huddled around Hassan's bed, watched him examine his new lip in a handheld mirror. Now everyone in that room was either dead or dying. Except for me" (Hosseini 219). When Amir realizes that Hassan has died, he loses a crucial link to his childhood. Because of this, he is more inclined to adopt Sohrab. -
Sohrab Attempts Suicide
"I pushed the door open. Stepped into the bathroom. Suddenly I was on my knees, screaming. Screaming through my clenched teeth" (Hosseini 343). When Amir breaks his promise to Sohrab, it shows that he still has not changed much. However, his reaction to the situation shows that he felt remorse and cared about Sohrab. -
Amir Meets Rahim Khan
When Amir learns that Hassan is his half-brother, the first thing he asks is, "'Did Hassan know?" I said through lips that didn't feel like my own. Rahim Khan ... Shook his head ... Stood up. 'You goddamn bastards!' I screamed. 'All of you, you bunch of lying goddamn bastards!'" (Hosseini 223). Here, Amir voices his frustration because he has been lied to his whole life, and because his betrayal to Hassan goes reaches another level. However, this pushes him to the point to help Sohrab. -
Twin Tower Attack
This attack orchestrated by Al Qaeda lead to "the United States [being] militarily involved in Afghanistan since 2001, when it led an invasion after the Sept. 11 attacks" (New York Times). -
Amir stands up for Sohrab
When the General asks why Amir brought back a Hazara boy, he replies with "General Sahib," I said. "You will never again refer to him as 'Hazara boy' in my presence. He has a name and it's Sohrab'" (Hosseini 361). This shows that Amir really cares about Sohrab and has grown, as he stood up for Sohrab as he did not do for Hassan. This act of atonement displays that Amir has finally gotten closure for his actions and changed for the better. -
Hamid Karazi Takes Control of Afghanistan
In 2001, after the Taliban was defeated, "Hamid Karzai, a supporter ... [of] the exiled former king of Afghanistan, was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban" (New York Times). -
Sohrab smiles
When Amir flies a fighting kite with Sohrab, "I looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided. Hardly there. But there ... I blinked and the smile was gone. But it had been there ... 'Do you want me to run that kite for you?'" (Hosseini 370). This is a full circle ending, as Amir runs a kite for Sohrab just as Hassan did for Amir. Also, connecting back to Afghanistan helped both Amir and Sohrab truly feel better after their actions. -
Obama deploys more troops
Afer a resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, "[i]n a speech delivered on Dec. 1, 2009, at West Point, Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 more troops" (New York Times).