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The Big Kite Tournament
Winter comes, which is "every kid's favorite season in Kabul" (Hosseini, 48). For Amir, it meant "the end of long division and naming the capital of Bulgaria... And kites, of course. Flying kites. And running them" (Hosseini, 49). Winter signifies the start of the kite tournament, which Amir wins this year. The kite tournament then becomes the rock that could break down this barrier between him and Baba, and this pushes him to perform well in the tournament. -
Amir Turns Thirteen
Hosseini writes, "[Amir] turned thirteen that summer of 1976, Afghanistan's next to last summer of peace and anonymity" (Hosseini, 93). Amir's birthday is significant as it is the last time Amir sees Rahim Khan, Hassan, and Ali all together. It almost also is the last summer before Afghanistan gets invaded by Russia, which happens in 1979. -
Invasion of The Soviet Union
As Afghanistan became a stable country, "the turmoil and extremism that have dominated its history since then can be traced to the 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union" (New York Times, 2011). -
Soviet Troops Go To Kabul
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. -
Amir and Baba Escape Kabul
The story fast forwards to Baba and Amir going to Jalalabad. Amir says that "there [were] others, in all about a dozen, including Baba and [him]... in the tarpaulin-covered cab of an old Russian truck. [His] innards had [also] been rolling since [they'd] left Kabul just after two in the morning" (Hosseini, 110). Because of Kabul's dangerous situation, Amir and his father had to escape, and find a better place to live in. This marks a new beginning in their lives as they move to a new place. -
Amir Graduates High School
Hosseini writes, "that summer of 1983, [Amir] graduates from high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarboard on the football field that day" (Hosseini, 131). This event in Amir's life strengthened the bond between him and his father. This transition to college also made Amir understand and accept his responsibilities as a man. -
Baba Gets Into A Fight in America
As Amir goes into a store, Baba goes to the grocery store across the street. After a while, Amir hears screaming, and he finds "the Nguyens behind the counter, all the way against the wall" (Hosseini, 127). Baba got angry because "he'd written Mr. Nguyen a check and Mr. Nguyen had asked for an ID" (Hosseini, 127). Baba having to adjust to a different culture makes it difficult for him to cope with people. Because of this, Amir has the role to help him get used to life in America. -
Amir Turns 21
Hosseini writes, "the summer of 1984 - the summer I turned twenty-one - Baba sold his Buick and bought a dilapidated '71 Volkswagen bus for $550" (Hosseini, 137). For Amir's birthday, he and Baba go on a trip around California and spend time in flea markets. In this trip, he meets Soraya, the girl who will become his wife later in the book. -
Rahim Khan Tries To Find Hassan
Because of Rahim Khan's condition, he needed to "[go] to Hazarajat to find Hassan in 1986" (Hosseini, 203). After years of taking care of Baba's property, Rahim Khan needed assistance, and he thought of Hassan. Loneliness and arthritis were consuming his life and Rahim Khan could not bear with it anymore. -
The US Supplies Advanced Missiles to Rebels
According to the New York Times, "after 1986, the Soviet Air Force was also rendered largely useless by advanced Stinger antiaircraft missiles supplied by the United States to the rebels" (New York Times, 2011). -
Amir Finishes His First Novel
Using the typewriter General Taheri gave Amir, he finishes his first novel "in the summer of 1988, about six months before the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan" (Hosseini, 182), which was about a father and son relationship. Amir finally achieves a milestone in his career as a writer. Even though he's been doubted by many, he overcame all these and started writing, with his relationship with Baba as an inspiration. -
Amir's Novel Gets Published
A year later, Amir gets his first novel published, which "was released in the summer of that [year] 1989, and the publisher [sends him] on a five-city book tour" (Hosseini, 183). Amir gets another milestone in his career and becomes a celebrity in the Afghan community. Aside from that, he gets flashbacks and also remembers a statement Rahim Khan said before, which became his inspiration to start a writing career. -
Amir and Soraya Try to Have A Baby
After Amir's novel was published, Amir says that "[it] was also the year that Soraya and I began trying to have a child" (Hosseini, 184). For Amir, this was an important event in his life as he was about to enter fatherhood. However, year after year, there seems to be no effect, which makes them believe that they are not able to have one. -
Soviet Troops Leave Afghanistan
As "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989" (New York Times, 2011), the country they left fell to war and also became victims of Islamic extremists. -
Farzana Becomes Pregnant Again
After conceiving a stillborn girl, Hassan's wife, "Farzana [becomes] pregnant again" (Hosseini, 209). The second child Hassan and Farzana conceive is named Sohrab, which was Hassan's favorite hero. After Farzana becomes pregnant, Hassan's mom comes back and helps deliver their child. In a way, Sohrab becomes the receiver of Amir's atonement for Hassan after he dies. -
Division of Power
As Afghanistan went into conflict and the Soviet Union departed, "power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms" (New York Times, 2011) in the summer of 1994. -
Mullah Omar's Movement
As the Taliban grew, the Afghan folklore says that the first action was made by a Pashtun made by Mullah Omar. It was said that he "had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east" (New York Times, 2011) by the end of 1994. -
The Taliban Takeover
The Taliban soon began to gain power and "had [already] 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, 2011). -
Bin Laden's Arrival
In addition to the Taliban's rapid increase of power, they also "provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden, who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996" (New York Times, 2011). Bin Laden then founded al-Qaeda, which was a group that organized terrorist attacks all around the world. -
Hassan And Farzana Die
Hosseini writes, "a few weeks later, the Taliban banned kite fighting. And two years later, in 1998, they massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif" (Hosseini, 213). After rumors spread about Hazaras living in Baba's house, the Taliban had taken action and killed both Hassan and Farzana, orphaning Sohrab. This gives an opportunity for Amir to atone for his mistakes through Sohrab. -
Rahim Khan Gets Injured By A Patrol
As Rahim Khan and Amir catch up, Rahim Khan talks about the scar above his eye and says that "[he] was at a soccer game in Ghazi Stadium in 1998" (Hosseini, 198), and after the guy next to him screams, the patrol comes up to him and hits him. This incident shows the midst of how Kabul is right now with all the soldiers and patrols around the area. Rahim Khan describes it as a place where people are not allowed to be human anymore. -
Amir Finds Out That Rahim Khan is Sick
As Amir gets a phone call about Rahim Khan, he says to Soraya that he "[has] to go Pakistan" (Hosseini, 191), because "Rahim Khan is very sick" (Hosseini, 191). Rahim Khan wants to see Amir before he passes, which is why Amir is going to Pakistan. When Amir arrives, that is where he becomes enlightened and there, he will start his journey to atonement. -
Amir and Sohrab Come Back to America
Hosseini writes, "[Amir and Sohrab] arrived home about seven months ago, on a warm day in August 2001" (Hosseini, 357). After Sohrab recovered from the incident, Amir takes him to America for them to settle. This gives Sohrab a new opportunity for him to start new with a family that will care for him. -
Involvement of United States with Afghanistan
According to The New York Times, "the United States [had] been militarily involved in Afghanistan since 2001, when it led an invasion after the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" (New York Times, 2011). -
Hamid Karzai Becomes Chairman
The Taliban, after they were defeated, was then replaced by a government that named "Hamid Karzai, a supporter, and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the exiled former king of Afghanistan" (New York Times, 2011) chairman of that government, which made him leader.