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Sofia dies giving birth to Amir
Amir's endeavor begins "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). In a simplistic and smooth manner, Hosseini implies that Hassan and Amir have been linked since birth. Moreover, this sentence describes the beginning to Amir's epic journey. No timeline would be complete without the starting line of the novel. -
Hassan is born and Sanaubar runs away
Hassan's life gets off to a rough start, as "it was in that small shack that Hassan's mother, Sanaubar, gave birth to him one cold winter day in 1964. While my mother hemorrhaged to death during childbirth, Hassan lost his less than a week after he was born" (Hosseini 6). Although this is an obvious and seemingly unimportant event in the novel, it has major significance. Hassan was greatly affected by his mother's absence, and it only added to the long list of disadvantages Hassan was born with. -
Amir subtly deceives Hassan while reading him a story
While reading to Hassan, Amir "pretended I was reading from the book, flipping pages regularly, but I had abandoned the text altogether, taken over the story, and made up my own. Hassan, of course, was oblivious to this" (Hosseini 30). This event may fly under the radar, but the foreshadowing is unmistakable. Amir is taking advantage of Hassan's lower status. Although it may be innocent now, it will lead to much darker events later on. -
Period: to
Kite Runner & History of Afghanistan Ned Sigler
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Assef rapes Hassan
As Amir states, "I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975" (Hosseini 1). This is by far the most important event of the novel. This is the event that shapes Amir's character and life. As soon as Amir turned his back on his best friend, he spends the rest of his life trying to make up for that. That struggle manifests itself in the story that is The Kite Runner. -
Amir and Baba's relationship becomes tense
Soon after his comment to Baba about getting new servants "the scraping of spoon and fork against the plate had replaced dinner table chatter.... I kept the stories in a stack under my bed, keeping them just in case, though I doubted Baba would ever again ask me to read them to him" (Hosseini 93). The relationship between Baba and Amir is one of the closest followed and important aspects of the novel. This period represents the turning point in the relationship which is so relevant to the story. -
Amir frames Hassan for stealing
In an second dose of immoral betrayal, "[Amir] lifted Hassan's mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it" (Hosseini 104). In this scene Amir is making a lame attempt to get rid of the source of his guilt. The problem is that rather than taking the proper steps to atone for his first betrayal, he commits a second crime. This further exposes Amir's weak morals and selfishness, while exemplifying Hassan's selflessness when he took the blame. -
Soviet Union Invades 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). -
Baba and Amir leave Afghanistan- and Hassan
During the drive away from Kabul, Amir "thought of the way we'd left the house where I'd lived my entire life, as if we were going out for a bite" (Hosseini 112). Amir spent all of his defining years at Baba's estate in Kabul. As he watched the city disapear into the night sky, he was also watching everything he knew drift away from him. They had already start to see the Afghanistan they knew deteriorate, but when Amir would return, it will be unrecognizable. -
Baba finally reads Amir's writings
Amir surprises Soraya and Baba when coming home and they quickly hide Amir's leather bound book, then "Baba dragged his head off the pillow. 'I put her up to it. I hope you don't mind.'
I gave the notebook back to Soraya and left the room. Baba hated it when I cried" (Hosseini 131). Amir lived his entire life searching for validation for his career choice from his father. This event is huge for Amir. Baba has shown interest in his work for the first time in his life. -
Baba dies of cancer
Soon after Amir and Soraya's wedding, Baba passes away leaving Amir with the realization that "Baba couldn't show me the way anymore; I'd have to find it on my own. The thought terrified me" (Hosseini 174). Amir has lived in Baba's shadow his whole life. Baba shaped who he was more than anything else. Amir had always strived to make Baba proud, but now he could find the silver lining of his father's death in that he was now free to do what is true to his beliefs. -
Last Soviet troops leave Afghanistan
After the Soviet troops left, "they left behind a country that was not only devastated by the war but had become a beacon to Islamic extremists from across the globe that had come to assist in the fighting, including Osama Bin Laden and the group he helped found, Al Qaeda" (New York times). -
Mullah Omar and the Taliban Gain popularity
Mullah Omar made a promise of restoring Islam to the daily lives of Afghans, and in doing so "he created a genuinely popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality" (New York Times). -
Taliban Takeover of 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). -
Sohrob saves Amir from Assef
As Amir is in the face of death "the slingshot made a thwiiiiit sound when Sohrob released the cup. Then Assef was screaming. He put his hand were his left eye had been just a moment ago" (Hosseini 291). This interaction represents many of he themes presented throughout the novel. Sohrob is put into the same situation Amir was when he was twelve years old. Amir is now Hassan and Sohrob is Amir. Unlike Amir, Sohrob takes after his father and decides to act. Also, Amir trades an eye-for-an-eye. -
Amir tells Sohrob he may have to return to an orphanage
After Amir realizes how tough it may be to adopt Sohrob, he tells him he may have to go back to an orphanage, to which Sohroob respons "'You promised you'd never put me in one of those places, Amir agha,' he said. His voice was breaking, tears pooling in his eyes" (Hosseini 341). Along with Sohrob's consequential suicide attempt, this event is the time where Amir starts to loose his last link to Hassan. These crucial moments have an enormous effect on both Amir and Sohrob's characters. -
Assef beats Amir
While getting beaten to a pulp by his childhood enemy and his best friend's rapist, Amir doesn't [know at what point I started laughing, but I did. It hurt to laugh, hurt my jaws, my ribs, my throat. But I was laughing and laughing" (Hosseini 289). In the face of death, Amir feels healed. He feels that he has finally payed for what he did to Hassan. Hassan would never allow Amir to atone because he was too loyal a servant; however, Assef served as a perfectly ironic tool to release Amir's grief. -
Rahim Khan calls Amir to convince him to come back to Afghanistan
After a long silence "my friend Rahim Khan called from Pakistan. He asked me to come see him. Standing in the kitchen with the receiver to my ear, I knew it wasn't just Rahim on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins" (Hosseini 1). Rahim's call to Amir is more than just a call, it is a turning point in Amir's life. Amir had been struggling with those mentioned "unatoned sins" for some time, and this invitation was a way to finally address them. -
9/11 attacks on New York and resulting US invasion
The situation between the United States and Afghanistan escalted when the US "led an invasion after the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda. The group had been given safe haven in the country by the Taliban" (New York Times). -
Sohrob and Amir win a kite fight and Sohrob smiles
Just after Amir and Sohrob emerge victorious from their duel with the green kite, "[Amir] looked down at Sohrob. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile" (Hosseini 370). After such a stressed relationship between the two, it appears that the wounds have started to heal. Sohrob's slight show of joy inspires incredible joy in Amir. That small smile represents so much to him. That smile represents atonement. -
Rahim Khan reveals that Amir and Hassan were half-brothers
As soon as the big news is broken Amir is stunned, saying "I'm thirty-eight years old and i've just found out that my whole life is one big fucking lie! What can you possibly say to make things better? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing!" (Hosseini 223). As Amir comes to realize the truth, all of his worst fears are magnified. Not only has he betrayed his truest friend and his unconditionally loyal and loving servant, but also his blood. -
Hamid Kazari is elected as president of Afghanistan after Taliban is driven into hiding
Kazari gave the afghan people hope by "saying he hoped to secure peace for Afghanistan and win the country much-needed international aid" (New York Times). -
Obama sends 30,000 additional 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). -
General McCrystal removed and command given back to General Petraeus
General Petraeus, an Iraqi, had been demoted with the addition of General McCrystal, however "President Obama removed Gen. McCrystal after contemptuous quotes from the general and his staff about senior administration officials appeared in an article in Rolling Stone magazine" (New York Times). -
US starts to abandon 2011 goal and claims they will have troops in Afghanistan in late 2014
After Obama's 2009 speech in which he promises to start bringing home forces in July, 2011, "the Obama administration changed its tone to increasingly emphasize the idea that the United States will have forces in the country until at least the end of 2014" (New York Times). -
United States finally withdrawals troops from Afghanistan 5 years later than expected
After the situation in Afghanistan became more complicated with the Taliban resurgence, "the US postponed the withdrawal until December 2016 and decided to maintain a force of 8,400 troops in 4 garrisons" (Wikipedia- "the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan").