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Baba builds an orphanage in Kabul
Baba was a very important man in his society because of the great things he did. One of them includes when, "Baba decided to build an orphanage" (Hosseini, 13). This shows how Baba is strong minded. That's why Amir looks up to him and tries to earn his respect. His neediness to earn Baba's respect however is going to cost him a lot later on. -
Hassan gets raped by Assef.
After winning the Kite Tournament, Amir finds Hassan in an alley with Assef and his friends. While witnessing Hassan get raped, he thinks to himself, "Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba" (Hosseini, 77) The evidence suggests that Amir is willing to sacrifice his friend in order to gain acceptance from Baba. In doing so, he shows his initial values which he'll later regret. -
Hassan and Ali leave Baba's house
According to Hosseini, "Then I saw Baba do something I had never seen him do before: He cried" (Hosseini, 107). This shows that Baba was extremely sad to see Hassan and Amir leave. This is foreshadowing Amir being Hassan's brother because it shows how devastated Baba was when Hassan left -
Pomegranate scene
One day, after Hassan got raped, him and Amir are near a pomegranate tree and Amir asks Hassan to throw one at him and instead he throws it at himself and says, "Are you satisfied? Do you feel better?" (Hosseini 93). Amir tries to get rid of his guilt by trying to make Hassan hurt him. Hassan, however, would never hurt Amir and throws the pomegranate at himself. In doing so, he makes Amir feel even more guilty. -
Soviet Union arrive in Kabul
In the novel, Amir says, "in December 1979, when Russian tanks rolled into the very same streets where Hassan and I played" (Hosseini 36). This foreshadows that the war is going to start in Afghanistan. In doing so, it also foreshadows that some things are going to change, which we see later how Amir and Baba moved. -
Afghanistan before 1979
In the article, from the New York Times, it says, " Three decades ago, Afghanistan was a stable, relatively prosperous and relatively secular country" (New York Times). -
The Soviet Union invasion.
According to an article from New York Times, "The turmoil and extremism that have dominated its history since then can be traced to the 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union and the reaction both by Afghans and by their allies in the United States and Pakistan" (New York Times). -
Baba and Amir move to America
Baba and Amir escape from Kabul and seek refugee in Fremont, California. As they start to adjust to the American life, Amir says, "For me, America was a place to bury my memories. For Baba, a place to mourn his" (Hosseini, 129). Amir and Baba has very different perspectives on America. To Amir, America is a place where he can forget about the past and focus on the present, while, for Baba, America is a strange place that doesn't feel like home. -
Amir graduates from high school in America
In 1983, Amir graduates from high school and Baba says, “‘I am moftakhir, Amir,’ he said. Proud. His eyes gleamed when he said that and I liked being on the receiving end of that look” (Hosseini,131). Here, Amir feels relieved that Baba is finally recognizing him for his accomplishments. In doing so, we can see how Amir and Baba's relationship has become better and how they have bonded. -
Soraya and Amir get married
Before the engagement ceremony, Amir asks Baba if he feels up to this, and he responds with, "'Up to this? It's the happiest day of my life'" (166). This shows how Baba is better communicating and expressing his feelings towards Amir. In doing so, they develop a bond between them that wasn't there in the beginning. -
Baba dies from cancer
One night, Amir and Soraya put and Baba to sleep and as Amir says, "We closed the door. Baba never woke up" (Hosseini 173). Even though they had their highs and lows, Baba was a huge figure on Amir's life. He was like Amir's rock and who he could count on. Baba dying is extremely important because it shows how Amir will be forced to become more independent and start living his own life. -
Air force
According to The New York Times, "After 1986, the Soviet Air Force was also rendered largely useless by advanced Stinger anti aircraft missiles supplied by the United States to the rebels" (New York Times). -
Last Soviet Troops left Afghanistan
"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 withdraw" (New York Times) -
Sanaubar returns
One day, after Hassan and Farzana moved into Baba's house, Saunabar reappears and says, "I have walked long and far to see if you are as beautiful in the flesh as you are in my dreams" (Hosseini, 210). Sanaubar's unexpected return leaves Hassan in shock. However, he takes her in and helps her. This shows how Sanaubar came back to atone for leaving Hassan when he was a baby. -
Amir finds out he can't have kids
When Amir and Soraya find out they can't have kids,they try to consider adoption but then decides not to.Amir thinks,"We all had our reasons for not adopting...I had this:that perhaps something, someone,somewhere,had decided to deny me fatherhood for the things I had done.Maybe this was my punishment and perhaps justly so"(188).Amir does not insist on adoption because he thinks that maybe this is his punishment for his sins.This shows that he still feels guilty and he tries to atone for it -
Afghanistan gets divided into Islamic extremists groups
When Afghans thought they were finally getting peace after the Soviet Union left, Afghanistan gets dominated by Islamic extremists. According to the New York Times, "After Soviet forces departed, Afghanistan descended into vicious internecine strife; by the summer of 1994, anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms. But one group would eventually gain control" (New York Times). -
The Taliban gains followers
According to The New York Times, "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" (New York Times). -
Taliban gets control of Afghanistan
After the Soviet Union left Afghanistan, Islamic extremists started to gradually gain control of Afghanistan. According to the New York Times, "Buoyed by Pakistani aid, the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalists Islamic law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-enveloping burka clothing" (New York Times). -
Amir finds out Hassan was his brother
When Amir finds out Hassan has actually his half brother, he thinks to himself,"As it turned out,Baba and I were more alike than I'd ever known. We had both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for us. And with that cam the realization:that Rahim Khan had summoned me here to atone not only for my sins but for Baba's too" (226). Here,Amir realizes how both him and Baba had betrayed people that would do anything for them.He also sees getting Sohrab as a way to atone for his mistake -
Amir realizes he was privaledged
When Amir gets to Afghanistan he is shocked by what he sees, claiming that is not the Afghanistan he knew. Farid, however, says, "That's the real Afghanistan, Agha sahib. That's the Afghanistan I know. You? You've always been a tourist here" (Hosseini, 232). Amir has always been a privileged kid and doesn't know the true struggles of his people. This reveals how Amir was always a "tourist" in his own country and never really experienced hardships. -
The Taliban are taken away from power
According to The New York Times, "The 2001 invasion succeeded in dislodging Al Qaeda and removing the Taliban from power, but not in eradicating either group" (New York Times). -
Amir and Sohrab arrive at America
After a lot of work, Amir and Sohrab arrive at the United States and Amir says, "We arrived home about seven months ago, on a warm day in August 2001" (Hosseini, 357). By taking Sohrab in, Amir feels atoned for his sins and he gets to fulfill his dream of being a father. Even though Sohrab is still traumatized, he is finally going to get a chance to a normal life. -
Amir fights Assef for Sohrab
Assef challenges Amir to a fight over Sohrab. During the fight, Amir starts laughing and thinks to himself, "For the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because... I've even been looking forward to this" (Hosseini, 289). Here, Amir finally feels that he has atoned for his sins by being beaten by Assef, which makes him feel relieved. This reveals that Amir has been holding the guilt of allowing Hassan to be raped his whole life. -
9/11 Attack
According to an article from the New York Times, "After the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sep. 11th, 2001, President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. Bin Laden" (New York Times). -
The combat forces leave Afghanistan
According to an article from The New York Times, "American combat forces to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in the summer of 2011, saying the United States could not afford and should not have to shoulder an open ended commitment. " (New York Times).
