-
Hassan getting raped
Assef pinned down Hassan agains the wall and "unzipped his jeans dropped his underwear [and] he positioned himself behind Hassan" (Hosseini 75). Assef is doing this because Hassan is a Hazara and Assef is a Pashtun. In Afghanistan Pashtun are upperclass then Hazara so Assef treats Hassan with no respect. -
Hassan and Amir stop talking
After Amir watch Hassan getting raped they start to drift apart. Amir can not bear the guilt of watching it so "[Amir] didn't speak to Hassan until the middle of the next week"(Hosseini 86). Amir and Hassan use to be best friends and talk everyday but now Amir avoids Hassan. Amir can not speak to Hassan without feeling guilt so he decides not to talk to him. -
Amir frames Hassan
For Amir's 13th birthday he received many gifts such as money and a very nice watch from Baba. The next morning Amir "lifted Hassan's mattress and planted [his] new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it"(Hosseini 104). Amir did this so he could try to get Ali and Hassan fired. He is trying to get them fired so Amir does not have to look at Hassan and have guilt. -
Ali and Hassan leave
After Baba asks if Hassan stole the money and watch and Hassan lies and says yes, Baba still forgives him. Even though Baba forgives Hassan Ali says, "'We can't live here anymore'"(Hosseini 106). Even though Baba forgives Hassan they still leave because Hassan knows Amir saw the rape and have guilt. Hassan has show that he will do anything for Amir as he leaves. -
Mohammed Daoud Khan is killed
President Khan is killed by a communist coup led by Nur Mohammed Taraki. He "takes control of the country as president" and puts Babrak Karmal as prime mister. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/ -
Adolph Dubs is murdered
The American ambassador, is killed and the US "cuts off assistance to Afghanistan." http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/ -
Amir and Baba leave
The Russian invade Afghanistan so "There were others, in all about a dozen, including Baba and me, sitting with our suitcases between our legs, cramped with these strangers in the tarpaulin-covered cab of an old Russian truck"(Hosseini 110). Many Afghanistan people decided to flee Afghanistan after the Russians invaded because they knew their life would bad. But you had to escape so many people hide people across the border to become safe. -
People leaving Afghanistan
Because of the war "Some 2.8 million Afghans have fled from the war to Pakistan, and another 1.5 million have fled to Iran," and the Soviet troops take control of the urban areas -
Fremont
After Baba and Amir escape Afghanistan they decide to move to America because "Baba loved the idea of America"(Hosseini 125). After escaping Afghanistan Amir and Baba move to California to live the american dream. America was a common place where the Afghans went to after escaping the Russian invasion. -
Baba has cancer
Baba had a bad cold and it was getting worse so Amir took him to the doctor and found out he had "'Oat Cell Carcinoma'", a type of caner(Hosseini 156). With Baba having cancer, Amir thinks about how much he has effected his life. The cancer ends up being the cause that Baba dies. -
Amir and Soraya get married
Amir asks Baba to "'I want you to go khastegari. I want you to ask General Taheri for his daughter's hand"(Hosseini 161). This happens so soon because knowing that Baba will die soon Amir wants Baba to be at their wedding. Baba ends up dying right after the wedding but at least he got to seen Amir get married. -
Baba dies
After the one night Baba does not take his medicine he dies. Amir remembers "They filled the parking spots at the mosque Hayward...people had to drive three or four blocks north of the mosque to find a spot"(Hosseini 173). For some reason one night Baba says he does not have pain so he does not take his medicine which is required that he takes every night. Baba could have done this because he felt like his life was fulfilled and he could pass away now. -
Help from US
The US comes in and starts "supplying mujahideen with Stinger missiles" to us against the Soviet Union. These missiles were used to shoot down USSR helicopters. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Hassan and his wife live in Baba's house
Rahim Khan is living in Baba's house and needs help so he finds Hassan and asks him to live with him. Hassan and his wife say "'We'll go with you. We'll help you take care of the house"(Hosseini 207). Rahim Khan asks Hassan and his wife to live with to help him but also to atone for what he has done. I think Rahim asked Hassan to live with him because Hassan deserves to live in the nice house with him because of what happened when Hassan left as a child. -
Sanaubar goes to Hassan's house
An old woman comes up to Baba's house, where Hassan is living and asks for him. No one has seen Sanaubar "since she had eloped with a band of signers and dancers in 1964, just after she had given birth to Hassan"(Hosseini 210). No one had seen Sanaubar is such a long time and just as Hassan's wife gets pregnant again she shows up. Even though what happened in the past Sanaubar and Hassan mange to have a good relationship and Sanaubar with Sorab. -
Amir finishes his first book
Amir finishes his first novel which is about "a father-son story set in Kabul, ... I sent query letters to a dozen agencies and was stunned one August day when I opened our mailbox and found a request from a New York agency for the completed manuscript."(Hosseini 182). The novel that Amir wrote is about his life in Kabul before he left. I think writing has always been a way for Amir to express his feelings and to never forget his past. -
Signing Peace records.
After the invasion of the Soviet Union, with help from other countries Afghanistan kicks out the USSR. The "Afghanistan, USSR, the US and Pakistan" all sign peace records. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
War not over
Even though the Soviet Union has fully left Afghanistan, the war continues as the "mujahideen push to overthrow Najibullah." http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Taliban
The Taliban takes control of Kabul and shows everyone there very strong belief in Islam. They start " banning women from work, and introducing Islamic punishments, which include stoning to death and amputations." http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Rulers
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are almost fully taking control by the Taliban. They control about "two-thirds of country." http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Osama bin Laden
The US launches missiles at the so called base of Osama bin Laden. They try to bomb him because he is "accused of bombing US embassies in Africa." http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
US actions
The US puts an air embargo on Afghanistan to stop all the trade in Afghanistan. They also " force Afghanistan to hand over Osama bin Laden for trial." http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Amir goes to Pakistan
Amir tells Soraya "I have to go to Pakistan...Rahim Khan is very sick" and that he needs to see him before he dies. Amir has good morals to know that he needs to leave his good life in America to visit Rahim Khan. Rahim Khan has meant so much to Amir that seeing him before he dies is a must. -
Amir fights Assef
Amir fights Assef for sorab, Hassan's son. Sorab had been captured by the Taliben which Assef is now in. The only way Amir can get Sorab is if Amir fights Assef so before the fight Assef says, "'If it's him, then he's earned his freedom and you let him pass, do you understand'"(Hosseini 287). This fight is very important to Amir because by fighting he atoned for what he did when he was a child. That guilt that Amir was holding had effected his life very much so this fight relieved Amir. -
Sorab smiles
At the end of the book Amir and Sorab are flying a kite and talking about when Amir and Hassan flew the kite. After they got the kite in the air "[Amir] looked down at Sorab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so a smile"(Hosseini 370). After bringing Sorab to America he has not talked a lot to Amir or have shown any happiness. By he smiling at the end it shows that he will have a good life with Amir and Soraya in America and he will be happy.