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Zahir Shah becomes king
The new king brings a semblance of stability to the country and he rules for the next 40 years. -
Baba is born
In the beginning of the book as chapter 4 began Baba's birth date was show in the writing saying,"Baba was born and Zahir Shah began his 40 year rain of Afghanistan. (24)" This shows who was in power during the time that Baba was born. It also demonstrates how powerful Zahir Shah is since he reigned for 40 years. -
Mohammed Daoud Khan becomes prime minister
He looks to the communist nation for economic and military assistance. He also introduces a number of social reforms including allowing women a more public presence. -
Hassan is born
Amir shares the event of Hassan's birth by saying, "It was there, in the little shack, that Hassan was born in the winter of 1964, just one year after my mother died giving birth to me.(6)" This shows what Hassan was born into. He was immediately born into his place in society as a Hazara because of the tiny shack his birth occurred in. -
Formation of Afghan communist party
The Afghan Communist Party secretly forms. The group’s principal leaders are Babrak Karmal and Nur Mohammad Taraki. -
The Orphanages Open Ceremony
Amir describes the events right before the open ceremony by saying, "Outside the orphanage, the next day, they ran out of chairs." He continues on to say, "A lot of people had to stand to watch the opening ceremony. (14)" This shows how important of an event that this ceremony is. It is of so much importance that there weren't even enough chairs for the crowd. It demonstrates how grateful the community is for the opening of the Orphanage. -
Amir tricks Hassan
Hassan is a Hazara, so he doesn't have the privilege of the education that Amir has. So, Amir played a trick on Hassan. When Amir was reading to Hassan, "He suddenly drifted from the written story, pretending to be reading from the book. (pg. 32)" This shows how one sided their relationship is. Amir plays a trick on Hassan that isn't very funny because Hassan never had heard the story so it was making fun of his lack of intelligence on the subject. This shows how Amir's thinking is self focused. -
Hassan Gets Rapped
After Hassan was rapped he came up to Amir," he stopped, swayed on his feet like he was going to collapse. The steadied himself. (78" This is of importance because it shows how much pain Hassan is in, he can barely even stand. It also demonstrates Hassan's strength, and even though he was rapped he was able to rise to his feet and steady himself. -
Womens Rights
As Khaled Hosseini shows what is occurring in Afghanistan in 1975 he writes,"Khan proposes a new constitution that grants women rights and works to modernize the largely communist state.(11)" This demonstrates how Kahn was a caring person, he wanted women to have rights which shows his true compassion. This also shows his want for new things and modernizing. -
Baba's Unforgettable present to Hassan
Amir states with extreme jealousy after the amazing birthday gift given to Hassan by Baba," I wished I too had some kind of scar that would beget Baba's sympathy" he continues on to say, " It wasn't fair. Hassan hadn't done anything to earn Baba's affections; he'd just been born with that stupid harelip. (46)" This demonstrates the extreme amount of jealousy Amir has due to the lack of acknowledgement from his father. It demonstrates Amir's need for his fathers affection. -
Amir Throws a Pomegranate at Hassan
Amir let out his anger at Hassan when he, "hurled the pomegranate at him. It struck him in the chest and exploded in a spray of red pulp. (92)" This quote is of significance because it shows the pain Amir is in for not stopping the rape of Hassan. He is so mad at himself that he doesn't know how to handle it and unfortunately makes the grave mistake of letting that anger out on the already scarred Hassan. -
Russian Tanks Roll In
As the territorial war continued in Afghanistan Khaled Hoseinni illustrates the events by saying, "Russian tanks roll into the very same streets Hassan and Amir played. (pg. 39)" This shows how the war was so close and personal to Amir and Hassan. So personal that it is taking place in their home, not only their home country but their neighborhood and the streets that they played on. -
Baba disguiested by the United States and their boycotting of the olympics
Baba after hearing the outcome of the announcement about the boycotting of the Olympics says," Wah! Wah!" the book then illustrates his reaction by saying," Baba explained in disgust. (126)" This demonstrates the intense feelings Baba has about this event. Moving to the U.S was very hard for him and hearing about the boycott frustrates him because he enjoys it due to the fact that it represents his country. -
Afghans Flee From war
Some 2.8 million Afghans have fled from the war to Pakistan, and another 1.5 million have fled to Iran. Afghan guerrillas gain control of rural areas, and Soviet troops hold urban areas. -
Amir meets general Sahib
As Babba motions Amir over on the early Sunday morning of July he says, "This is General Sahib, Mr. Iqbal Taheri. Amir then states his importance by saying," He was a decorated general in Kabul. He worked for the Ministry of Defense. (138)" This shows Baba's and Amir's importance. They are of such high class that they get to meet fancy decorated generals such as General Sahib. -
Mujahadeen Receiving Arms
The Mujahadeen are receiving arms from the United States, Britain and China via Pakistan. -
Amir's Novel
Amir talks about the novel he has recently written by saying," I finished my first novel, a father-son story set in Kabul, written mostly with the typewriter the general had given me. (182)" This shows Amir's good work ethic and. It demonstrates the love that AMir has for a good father and son relationship because after all that's what his book is based one. -
Amirs Novel is Released
Amir shares the events occurring shortly after the release of his novel by saying, "The publisher sent me on a five-city book tour. I became a minor celebrity in the Afghan community. (183)" This shows the success that occurred after Amirs hard work. It also demonstrates how intelligent Amir is because he wrote a very good novel. -
The Taliban publicly executes Najibullah.
Ethnic groups in the north, under Masood’s Northern Alliance, and the south, aided in part by Hamid Karzai, continue to battle the Taliban for control of the country. -
Hassan is killed
As Rahim Kahn tells Amir about the brutal end to Hassan's life he says, " They told Hassan they would be moving in to supposedly keep it safe until I return. Hassan protested again. So the took him to the street, and ordered him to kneel, and shot him in the back of the head. (219)" This shows Hassans true bravery. Even though he knew he could be killed he still stood up for himself and protested because he knew he couldn't give in to the Taliban. He died for his belief to stand up for himself. -
Taliban carry out their threat
Ignoring international protests, the Taliban carry out their threat to destroy Buddhist statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, saying they are an affront to Islam. -
Sohrab Smiles
Amir states during the flying of a kite between himself and Sohrab, " I looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided. Hardly there. But there. (370-371)" This shows that there is hope for Amir and Sohrab's relationship. After everything Sohrab had been through it seemed that he would never smile, but he did and that shows hope for his happiness in the future. -
NATO takes over security
Amid increased violence, NATO takes over security in Kabul in August. The effort is the security organization’s first-ever commitment outside of Europe. -
Nation Holds its first Parliamentary Elections
The nation holds its first parliamentary elections in more than 30 years. The peaceful vote leads to the parliament’s first meeting in December. -
Afghan Army Takes Over
The Afghan army takes over all military and security operations from NATO forces.
