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Hassan and Amir are Born
Hassan was born in a "little shack... in the winter of 1964, just one year after my mother died giving birth to me."( Hosseini 6) The first important event in the book is the birth of the two main characters, Amir and Hassan. This quote also gives information about Amir's mother. -
Hassan Gets Surgery for his Cleft Lip
For his birthday present, Baba gets Hassan surgery for his cleft lip and "The surgery went well. We were all a little shocked at first..." (Hosseini 38) The surgery fixed Hassan's cleft lip. This is an important event because Hassan can smile now, and before he physically could not. -
Amir and Hassan win the Kite Fighting Contest
When Amir defeats his final opponent, Hassan yells "You won, Amir agha! You won!" Every winter, Amir's neighborhood hosts a kite fighting contest. Winning the contest was not an easy feat because Amir's kite had to be the last one standing, and the winners are looked up to because of their skill. -
Hassan Gets Raped
After the Kite Fighting Contest, Hassan runs into Assef and his posse and "Assef knelt behind Hassan, put his hands on Hassan's hips and lifted his bare buttocks." (Hosseini 64) This event is the most important event in the entire book because it completely changes Hassan. Since rape is such a traumatizing event, both Hassan and Amir act much differently towards each other after the rape. -
Russians invade Afghanistan
While Hassan and Amir are hiding in their house because of the gunshots, Amir foreshadows something much worse "Russian tanks would roll into the very same streets where Hassan and I played, bringing the death of the Afghanistan I knew..." (Hosseini 29) The Russian invasion of Afghanistan drives Amir and Baba out of their homeland. This is a very emotional time for Amir because everything he has known is being destroyed in the invasion. -
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History of Afghanistan
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First Soviet Troops Enter Afghanistan
The first soviet troops parachute into Kabul, Afghanistan to start the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan -
Amir and Baba get to San Francisco
Chapter 11 sets the scene with " Fremont, California. 1980s Baba loved the idea of America" (Hosseini 105) This is a very important event in the book because the setting changes from Afghanistan to Fremont, California. Baba and Amir have to adjust to living in a completely different country, and Baba needs to get used to being a small man in a big city instead of a big man in a small city. -
Amir Graduates High School
1 year after coming to California in the "Summer of 1983, I graduated from high school at the age of twenty..." (Hosseini 110) Amir has reached a milestone in his life; graduating high school. Had Amir stayed in Afghanistan, it is very likely that this would not have happened, but since they moved to America, this is possible. This proves that the setting can play a big role in the characters actions and life. -
Amir and Soraya get Married
After Amir and Soraya meet, they decide to get married and Baba "spent $35,000, nearly the balance of his live savings, on the awroussi, the wedding ceremony" (Hosseini 145) Amir has decided to spend the rest of his life with the woman he loves. They have a wedding, and it is so important to Baba that he spends almost his entire life savings on the ceremony. -
Baba Dies
After Baba got in bed, " [Amir] closed the door. Baba never woke up." (Hosseini 149) The loss of his dad took a huge toll on Amir. He lost his dad and his role model he looked up to all his life. -
Soviet Troops Leave Afghanistan
The last Soviet troops are pulled out of Afghanistan after peace negotiations monitored by the UN. The war cost the Soviets around 15,000 lives and billions of rubles. -
Amir's Book is Published
Amir's dream is finally fulfilled when "Martin called me and informed me I was going to be a published novelist" (Hosseini 157) Although this does not effect the plot very much, this is an important event because Amir has finally fulfilled his lifelong dreams of being a writer. This was made possible because he moved to America. Had he still been in Afghanistan, this would not have happened. -
The Taliban is Formed
In 1994, Afghanistan was split between warlords and factions fighting for controls. The Taliban was formed by Mullah Omar and by the end of 1994, Mullah Omar had almost 12,000 followers. His group fought off warlords, forcing them to retreat. Omar promised to restore the centrality of Islam to daily life. -
The Taliban Takes Over
During 1994-1995, the Taliban received arms, money, soldiers and supplies from the neighboring country, Pakistan. Because of the Pakistani aid, the Taliban was able to take over Afghanistan in 1996. Mullah Omar's regime also provided a safe haven for Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. -
Hassan and Farzana Die
While Amir is talking to Rahim Khan, Rahim says "and shot him in the back of the head... shot her too." (Hosseini 186) Amir wants to visit Hassan and Farzana, but unfortunately, they were murdered by the Taliban. This comes as a huge shock to Amir, because he just found out his best friend and his family has died, and the information leaves him in disbelief -
Taliban Fight Back
After being beat by the American forces, the Taliban retreated to thier outpost and continued to wage war. The US was forced to cede parts of the countryside to the Taliban. -
Rahim Khan
Amir gets a call from Rahim Khan to visit him in Pakistan. When he finally arrived, Amir noted that the visit was awkward "elephant in the room...correctly describe[s] the initial moments of my reunion with Rahim Khan" (Hossieni 169) The call from Rahim Khan shocked Amir becuase Amir thought he would've been gone by now. The reunion with his former role model is a very important event in the book because he learns about Hassan's family. -
Sohrab Attempts Suicide
Amir is telling Sohrab about the good news, and he "Stepped into the bathroom. Suddenly I was on my knees screaming." (Hosseini 305) Sohrab attempted suicide by slitting his wrists because Amir had told him there was a chance he would have to go back to an orphanage for a little bit. This is a very important event and Sohrab is never the same after this. -
9/11
On September 11, 2001, the Taliban carried out an attack on the World Trade Center in New York. After this incident, President George Bush forced the Taliban to give them Bin Laden. When the Taliban refused, America went to war against the Taliban with other rebel groups in the area. America successfully occupied many Afghan cities. -
Sohrab attacks Assef
While Amir was getting Sohrab, he has to meet the Taliban director to get him. The director turns out to be Assef, and Assef starts a fight but "Sohrab released the cup. Then Assef was screaming. He put his hand where his left eye had been..." (Hosseini 250) Assef starts the fight because of a threat from years ago when they were young and promised to fight both Amir and Hassan. Sohrab attacks Assef with his slingshot, exactly as his father, Hassan had before. -
Amir and Sohrab Fly Kites
During Afghan New Years, Sohrab wants Amir to run his kite and he says "For you, a thousand times over." (Hosseini 328) This event is a very symbolic event for two reasons. First of all, Amir's quote is what Hassan said when they were kids running the kites. Also, Amir is delighted because this is the first time he has gotten Sohrab to open up to him. -
Obama's Plan
Barack Obama took office in 2008. He planned to increase the American involvement in the war in Afghanistan. While his Vice President warned against it, many people supported Obama's plan. -
Increased Involvement in Afghanistan
Obama unveiled his plan to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan during a speech he delivered at West Point on December 1, 2009. He promised that American troops would be withdrawn from the war by the middle of 2011 because he did not want the US involved that long. -
Ending the War
Despite President Obama's promises, the US continued to fight in Afghanistan well past 2011. Government officials attempted to stop the Taliban by warning them that operations would continue to target them. The White House then said that troops would be pulled out of Afghanistan by 2014, assuming that America would succeed in fighting the Taliban by then