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Gen. Daud becomes prime minister and installs new reforms
According to BBC.com "General Mohammed Daud becomes prime minister. Turns to Soviet Union for economic and military assistance. Introduces social reforms, such as abolition of purdah (practice of secluding women from public view)." -
Hassan Gets Surgery
Baba says to Hassan, “‘meet your birthday present.’...’Dr. Kumar is a plastic surgeon’” (45). Hassan’s birthday present from Baba was surgery for his cleft lip. Because this was such an issue in Afghanistan and seen as something to be ashamed about, Baba buying this surgery for Hassan proves that Baba cared deeply about him. -
Hassan gets raped
Assef “knelt behind Hassan, put his hands on Hassan’s hips and lifted his bare buttocks. He kept one hand on Hassan’s back and undid his own belt buckle with his free hand. He unzipped his jeans. Dropped his underwear. He positioned himself behind Hassan” (75). Here, Amir witnesses Hassan’s rape, but In this moment of conflict instead of intervening Amir goes back to celebrate his kite flying victory with Baba. This shows that Baba’s affection was more important to Amir than saving Hassan. -
Amir wins Kite Flying Contest
As the crowd and Hassan cheers for Amir’s victory, Amir “saw the blue kite spinning wildly like a tire come loose from a speeding car” (66). This moment was a milestone for Amir, because it is an accomplishment that Baba would be proud of. Since the only thing Amir wants is Baba’s recognition, Amir is overjoyed and waits for Baba’s praise. -
Amir's 13th birthday
Amir thinks, “I remember scanning over the invitation list a week before my birthday party... It was my birthday, but I knew who the real star of the show was” (94). Amir spends his entire party upset, especially after Assef’s arrival. This shows that Amir fells guilt for not stopping Hassan’s rape and he doesn’t know how to handle it. -
Amir throws pomegranates at Hassan
Upset, Amir “hit [Hassan] with another pomegranate, in the shoulder this time. The juice splattered his face. ‘Hit me back!’ [Amir] spat” (92). Amir is frustrated and feels guilty about witnessing Hassan’s rape. He takes out his guilt on Hassan, and throws pomegranates at him, begging Hassan to hit him back as punishment. -
Amir frames Hassan
As Amir carries out his plan to frame Hassan, he “lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it” (104). Amir’s shame drives him to attempting to drive HAssan out of his life. This shows that without trying to atone for one’s sins, the options for dealing with the guilt can force them to trying to ignore it. -
Hassan and Ali leave
Ali tells Baba, “‘We are leaving Agha sahib,” (106). When Ali finds out about Hassan's rape, he decides to move away to Hazarajat. This was what Amir wanted, but he now feels guilt for separating a 40 year old friendship between Ali and Baba. -
Soviet Union invades Afghanistan
According to The New York Times, "Afghanistan ... has known little peace since 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded." -
Soviets Start their Invasion In Kabul
The Soviets attacks started as "the first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979, to assist Babrak Karmal, who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership." (The New York Times) -
Baba and Amir flee
Baba and Amir are being smuggled on a truck as Amir thinks, “we’d left Kabul just after two in the morning” (110). Amir and Baba leave their rich, famous lives in Kabul because of the dangerous life there. This shows that living in Afghanistan is so dangerous that even the very rich and powerful are forced to leave their entire life to keep safe. -
Amir graduates high school
Amir recalls that he “graduated from high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarboard on the football field that day” (131). This is a proud moment for both Amir and Baba, since education is very important in their culture. In addition, it shows that Amir is moving on from his past life and starting to adapt to American culture. -
Baba is diagnosed with cancer
When Baba becomes sick, Amir takes him to the doctors and he finds out that "it turns out that, like Satan, cancer had many names. Baba's was called 'Oat Cell Carcinoma.'" (156). Since childhood, Amir always thought of Baba as a strong and invincible figure, so when Baba got cancer Amir started to realize that his father can become weak and the image of an almost god-like father started to fade. This shows that even the most resilient of people can become dependent. -
Amir meets Soraya
When Soraya was bringing tea to her father, Amir sees that “she was standing behind us, a slim-hipped beauty with velvety coal black hair... [Amir] blinked, [his] heart quickening” (140). This moment shows that Amir and Soraya had “love at first sight”. It also reveals that Amir is moving on, and developing his life in a new country, away from Hassan. -
Afghan population is dividing and becoming displaced
In 1985, "Mujahideen come together in Pakistan to form alliance against Soviet forces. Half of Afghan population now estimated to be displaced by war, with many fleeing to neighbouring Iran or Pakistan." (BBC.com) -
Amir marries Soraya
During the ceremony, Amir and Soraya “said [their] oaths. Signed the certificates” (170). Here, Baba is overjoyed to see his only son finally married to a family of honour. In addition, Soraya and her family are very happy because they were skeptical that anyone of honour would want to marry their daughter, who was no longer a virgin. -
Baba dies
The night Baba died, he refused pain killers and the next morning “Baba never woke up” (173). Baba’s death was the end of their relationship, which started out rocky as Amir was desperate for his attention. Eventually Amir found closure with Baba when he accepted Amir as a writer and not an exact image of what he wanted him to be. -
Soviets Leave Afghanistan
According to Then New York Times, "Eventually, after peace talks moderated by the United Nations, the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal." -
Hassan’s mother returns
Rahim Khan “found a toothless woman with stringy graying hair and sores on her arms.” When they cleaned her up, she whispers, “‘Where is Hassan?’” Since Sanaubar left after Hassan’s birth, he initially feels upset towards her but later forgives her. Sanaubar’s return shows her attempt to atone even after Hassan’s abandonment and also reveals Hassan’s kind personality. -
Taliban is Created
Mullah Omar was the Taliban's first leader, and "by the end of 1994 Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east. With his promise of restoring the centrality of Islam to daily life, he created a genuinely popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality." (The New York Times) -
Taliban Takes Control
Al Qaeda "had been given safe haven in the country by the Taliban, the extremist Islamic group that seized control in 1996 after years of civil war" (The New York Times) -
US launches missiles at Osama bin Laden
In 1998, "US launches missile strikes at suspected bases of militant Osama bin Laden, accused of bombing US embassies in Africa." (BBC.com) -
Hassan is killed
Rahim Khan said, “‘Hassan protested again. So they took him to the street’... ‘and order him to kneel’... ‘and shot him in the back of the head’” (219). When Amir finds out that Hassan is killed, he is overwhelmed because he knows that he will never have the chance to fix his mistakes, or apologize to him. He also realizes that he missed the majority of Hassan’s life just because he was to cowardly to own up to his guilt. -
U.S. Invades Afghanistan
Since the September 11th attacks, "the US has been militarily involved in Afghanistan ...The 2001 invasion succeeded in dislodging Al Qaeda and removing the Taliban from power, but not in eradicating either group" (The New York Times) -
Hamid Karzai becomes the leader of Afghanistan
The New York Times says, "in December 2001, Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the exiled former king of Afghanistan, was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country." -
Leader of the opposition of the Taliban is assassinated
In September of 2001, "Ahmad Shah Masood, leader of the main opposition to the Taliban - the Northern Alliance - is assassinated." (BBC.com) -
Amir goes back to Kabul
Amir says to Soraya, “‘I have to go to Pakistan’” (191). Amir makes this decision because Rahim Khan is falling ill. Since Rahim Khan was very close with Amir, Amir wanted to see him once more before he died. -
Amir finds Sohrab
When Amir comes to where Sohrab was being kept, a guard went to get Sohrab and a he came back, “behind him, a boy dressed in a loose, sapphire blue parham- tumban followed” (279). When Amir finds Sohrab, he realizes that Assef had raped him too, just like he did with his father. Seeing this makes Amir certain that in order to atone for what he did to Hassan he must save Sohrab. -
Amir breaks Sohrab's trust
When Amir finds out that the best way to bring Sohrab to America is to put him in an orphanage, which he promised not to do, Sohrab says, “‘You promised you’d never put me in one of those places, Amir agha,’” (341). Here, Amir must break his promise to Sohrab. Since Sohrab is very against places like orphanages, he becomes very upset. -
Sohrab attempts suicide
When Amir sees Sohrab and the results of his attempted suicide, he “was on [his] knees, screaming. Screaming through [his] clenched teeth” (343). Sohrab so so distraught about going to an orphanage that he tries to commit suicide. When Amir finds him, he becomes very upset, because he saw saving Sohrab as a way to atone for not defending Hassan. -
Amir and Sohrab go Kite flying
Amir says to Sohrab, “‘Do you want to help me fly this?’” (368). Here, Amir is trying to connect with Sohrab through a sport that was present in both of their childhoods. This action started to create a bond between Amir and Sohrab that was lost earlier. -
Bush sends US troops to Afghanistan
In September of 2008, "US President George Bush sends an extra 4,500 US troops to Afghanistan, in a move he described as a "quiet surge"." (BBC.com) -
Obama Plans to deploy more troops
The New York Times says, "in a speech delivered Dec. 1, 2009, at West Point, Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops." -
Obama Removes Gen. McChrystal
According to The New York Times, "in June 2010, President Obama removed Gen. McChrystal after contemptuous quotes from the general and his staff about senior administration officials appeared in an article in Rolling Stone magazine. Mr. Obama tapped Gen. Petraeus to lead the war effort there." -
US forces start to withdraw.
Plans were made for the "American combat forces to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in the summer of 2011" (The New York Times)