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Sanaubar's Leave
Sanaubar betrayed her son, Hassan, when "she had eloped with a band of singers and dancers in 1962, just after she had given birth to Hassan,"(210). This terrible action done by Sanaubar left Hassan motherless and confused. Hassan always had a part of him missin due to his mother's depart. -
Hassan's Birthday
Hassan and Amir's friendship has been expressed many times throughout the novel "The Kite Runner". An example of this occurs when Amir remembers the, "winter of 1974. Hassan and I were playing in the yard one day, building a snow fort..."(44). This quote shows their innocent relationship with great depth. As a child, Amir saw Hassan as a friend before he knew that Hassan was a Hazara. -
Hassan's Harelip Surgery
The moment in the book in which everyone was the closest was "in 1974, in the hospital room, just after Hassan's harelip surgery. Baba, Rahim Khan, Ali, and [Amir] had huddled around Hassan's bed,"(218). Although this may not be the most important event in the novel, it shows a sense of family that is rarely illustrated in the story. As events play out, these five people split apart, but in this moment in time, everyone is there for eachother. -
The Kite Winning
Amir had always wished to please his father, and that is exactly what he did in the Winter of 1975. After the kite running competition had ended, Amir exclaimed, "We won! We won!"(66). In this moment, Amir and Hassan had won the kite competition, along with his Baba's respect. By winning, Amir was finally able to live up to his father's expectations for a son. -
Amir's Betrayal
After gloriously winning the kite competition, Amir is shocked by the situation that Hassan finds himself in. After watching Hassan get raped by Assef, Hassan "ran because [he] was a coward. [He] was afraid of Assef and he would do to [him]. [He] was afraid of getting hurt,"(77). This shows Amir acting selfishly and completely betraying Hassan. Instead of taking initiative and saving his friend, he went the safe route and allowed Hassan to be hurt. -
Amir's 13th Birthday
The age thirteen is a big stepping stone in becoming an adult. In Amir's case, this was a time of losing respect from his father. In Amir's words, "I turned thirteen that summer of 1976...things between me and Baba were finally cooling off again...I think what started it was the stupid comment I'd made the day we were planting tulips, about getting new servants,"(93). This quote shows how easily it is to get the cold-shoulder from Baba. The suggestion of getting new servants got Amir in trouble. -
Soviet Troops Parachuting
After a new government was in place "the first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979 to assist Babrak Karmal,"(2) -
Baba's Grocery Misunderstanding
Baba was used to being trusted in his old city, so transitioning into an American man took some effort. An example of this difficult transition occurs when Baba doesn't have money to pay for oranges and exclaims "Does he think I'm a theif?...What kind of a country is this? No one trusts anybody!"(128). This illustrates the differences between life in the MidEast vs. life in America. Baba has grown used to being trusted, so when someone asks for his ID card, he gets very upset. -
Amir's Graduation
An important day of Amir's life is moving on from high school. Amir recalls his graduation day by saying, "That summer of 1983, I graduated high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his motarboard on the football field that day,"(131). His graduation is important because it marks the day he can move on and make a life for himself. Now, Amir can make plans for whatever future he wishes to have. -
Air Force Useless
Although there was generally a firm grip on cities placed by the Kabul Government "after 1986, the Soviet Air Force was also rendered largely useless by advanced Stinger aircraft missiles supplied by the United States to the rebels," (2). -
Amir's First Novel
A major point in Amir's life was when he decided he loved to make stories. He takes a step in the right direction regarding writing when, "[He] finished his first novel, a father-son story set in Kabul, written mostly with the typewriter that the general had given [him],"(182). This is a huge accomplishment of Amir's, considering he had always wanted to be a writer. This book could be thought as a story in which he could tell about himself and Baba. -
Unilateral Withdrawl
Instead of fighting for their country, "after peace talks moderated by the United Nations, the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawl,"(2) -
Farzana's Second Pregnancy
After sadly having a stillborn in previous years, "In the early 1990, Farzana became pregnant again,"(209). This pregnancy is a glimmer of hope to Hassan's family. They had finally been given the chance to be happy, and this new baby is the start to a lot of news. -
Hassan's Mother's Return
The same year as Farzana's new pregnancy, a strange, badly injured woman comes looking for Hassan. This woman is his mother, Sanaubar. Sanaubar says, "Where is Hassan?...I have walked long and far to see if you are as beautiful in the flesh as you are in my dreams. And you are. Even more,"(209-210). This is the shocing return of Hassan's mother who vanished in the days after Hassan is born. This is yet another glimmer of hope for Hassan's family, as they will grow together. -
Mullah Omar's Followers
After promising Islamic citizens many new developments, "Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warloads in the north and east"(2) -
Taliban In Control
With the help of Pakistani, "the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan,"(3) -
Taliban Haven
The Taliban started taking action when they "provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden, who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May, 1996, and for Al Qaeda"(3). -
Amir and Sohrab's Return To America
After a very successful visit to the middle-east, Amir recalls coming home, "We arrived home about seven months ago, on a warm day in August 2001,"(357). This day marked their freedom, and being able to live freely. Amir finally saved Sorab, and was able to somewhat atone for his disgression so many years back. -
9/11 Attacks
For the past few years, "The United States [have] been involved in Afghanastan since 2001, when it let an invasion after the 7/11 attacks by Al Qaeda,"(1) -
George Bush's Ultimatum
After the horrible incident on 9/11, "President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden [and] it refused"(3). -
Finding Peace
When confronted by Assef, Amir claims that, "for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace...I'd even been looking forward to this,"(289). In this moment, Amir is being physically violated in ways that Hassan was in past year, so he finally feels free. In Amir's mind, this attack by Assef is what should have happened in 1975, and so he finallu feels like he can let go. -
New Reign
After being overthrown "Hamid Karzai...was named chairman of an intern government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country"(3). -
Hospital Opening in Rawalpindi
The spring surrounding the Afghan New Years Day was a time of much joy for Amir. Amir says, "Kabir, Soraya, and I had an additional reason to rejoice: Our little hospital in Rawalpindi had opened the week before"(364). This time brought a lot of happiness for Amir and his family. With a new Afghan year comes many things to rejoice for. -
30,000 Troops Deployed
Mentioned in Obama's speech, "[he] announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops...[bring] American troops back from Afghanistan,"(4) -
Rahim Khan's Sickness
Amir decides to go to Pakistan once he learns that, "Rahim Khan is very sick...and wants to see [him],"(191). Hearing of Rahim Khan's sickness depresses Amir greatly and influences his decision to go to Pakistan. It is the exact motivation that Amir needed to go back and get closure.