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Baba is born and Ali is adopted
Ali and Baba grew up together as childhood playmates, but "Baba [never] [referred] to Ali as his friend"(25). This shows that there's discrimination towards Hazaras. Even though they were best friends, Baba didn't admit it because Ali was a servant. -
Hassan is born
Hassan had lost his mother "less than a week after he was born"(6). Hassan did not receive the affecton from his mother, so he appears more independent. He is mentally pained because his mother had left him, and he thinks that she had never wanted him. -
Hassan gets lip surgery
Amir was jealous of Hassan because "Hassan hadn't done anything to earn Baba's affections; he'd just been born with that stupid harelip" (46). Amir tries very hard to receive affection from Baba, but Hassan doesn't even have to try to get Baba's affection. The real reason why Baba is so caring towards Hassan is because he is Baba's son. -
Amir and Hassan win the kite tournament
Hassan told Amir that he would do anything, "'for [Amir] a thousand times over!'" (67). Hassan is always loyal to Amir, even though Amir might not return his loyalty. Amir accepts Hassan's loyalty because Hassan is his servant, therefore he doesn't return it. -
Amir's 13th birthday
When it was Amir's birthday, Baba invited a lot of people," but [Amir] knew who the real star of the show was" (94). Baba cares more about his reputation than Amir's birthday. Baba loves Amir, but they just don't have much in common. -
Russians invade Afghanistan
Amir looks back to his childhood, and reflects that once the Russians invaded, "[it brought] the death of the Afghanistan I knew and [marked] the start the of a still ongoing era of bloodletting" (36). This quote is a foreshadow for a very violent and gruesome period in Amir's life time. His entire life changed after that, and he learned about the horrors of reality. -
Amir and Baba escape from Kabul
When a Russian tried to take away the young lady, Baba said, "'Tell him I'll take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place'"(116). This shows the irony between Baba's and Amir's actions. Amir stood and watched when Hassan was violated, and Baba prevented the indecency from taking place. -
Baba makes a scene in public
When the manager wanted to see his ID, Baba yelled, "'Does he think I'm a thief?"(128). Baba is still adjusting to his new life in America. Amir had already adjusted, and he has to help his father out. -
Amir graduates from high school
After Amir graduated, Baba's "eyes gleamed and [Amir] liked being on the receiving end of that look" (131). Amir finally got what he had wanted, Baba's approval. He had learned that his father's approval will come one day. -
Amir spoils the ending of a movie
Amir tells the ending of a movie to a man because "in Afghanistan, the ending was all that mattered" (357). Afghans want to know if the ending was happy, so they can have some hope in their own lives. It was a really tough time in Afghanistan, so they did not know what happy was like, therefore, they rely on the ending of movies. -
Amir finishes his first book
Amir finishes his first novel, which was "a father-son story set in Kabul"(182). He is still hung up on his previous childhood because it was a life of good memories. Amir wrote this book to pay a tribute to his father, since Baba had just passed away. -
Taliban occupies Afghanistan
Rahim Khan tells Amir "how [they] all celebrated in 1996 when the Taliban rolled in and put an end to the daily fighting" (213). Rahim Khan had been excited when he thought that Afghanistan was going to be in peace. Little did Rahim Khan know, there was going to be more fighting. -
Hazaras were massacred
The Taliban "massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif" (213). Hassan gets killed because he is a Hazara. There is discrimination towards Hazaras, even though most people have moved on from racial discrimination in other parts of the world. -
Rahim Khan wants to see Amir
Rahim Khan wanted Amir to go back to Afghanistan because there was a "way to be good again" (192). Rahim Khan wanted Amir to atone for his mistake, as well as for his father's. He knows that Amir would do anything to make it up to Hassan. -
Amir and Sohrab arrive in America
When Soraya tried to talk to Sohrab, he just "shifted on his feet and looked away" (358). Soraya and Amir have wanted a child so badly, but were so disappointed when Sohrab would not be their dream child. They were expecting Sohrab to replace their nonexistent child, but Sohrab would not talk to any of them.