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Hassan born
Hassan's mom "gave birth to him one cold winter day in 1964" (6). He was born in the shack he grew up in, on Baba's land. He had his mother for only a week, and then she was gone. -
Sanaubar leaves
Sanaubar "ran off with a clan of traveling singers and dancers" (6). Once Sanaubar gave birth, she left her child and his father one week later to pursue her dreams and leave them behind. This left Ali alone to take care of their son, with the help of Baba's wealth of course. -
Amir's writes his first story
Out of inspiration from Hassan, Amir "wrote [his] first short story" (30). It was a story about greed and how it could drive people to do things they normally wouldn't. He craved his father's attention but received the praise he wanted from Rahim Khan. -
Hassan raped
On the day of the kite flying competition, Assef and his crew see Hassan and Assef "put his hands on Hassan's hips and lifted his bare buttocks ... He unzipped his jeans. Dropped his underwear [and] positioned himself behind Hassan" (75). This event has a big impact on who Amir is and how he feels about himself. After the rape, Amir is constantly thinking about Hassan; the guilt consumes him. It eventually leads to big hurdles for Amir. -
Amir and Hassan win kite race
In the cold winter, the boys won the annual kite tournament; Amir had hoped it would make his father proud of him. Hassan promised he would "run that blue kite for" (66) Amir. While chasing after it, he ran into the rapist, Assef, and his crew of minions that would change both Hassan's and Amir's lives for the worst. Hassan refused to celebrate their victory until he had the kite in his hand, safe and sound; they never got to celebrate. This demonstrates Hassan's loyalty and honor for Amir. -
Khan suggests new constitution and becomes strict with rivals.
Khan "cracks down on opponents" at this time, as well as force out the people who aren't supporters of him from the government. He also amends the Constitution to accommodate women's rights.
(http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/) -
Hassan and Ali leave Baba and Amir
In the summer of 1976, Ali and Hassan left Baba's house. This caused a great pain for Baba, as "the pain in his plea, the fear" (107) was something Amir would never forget. He was sad, as he felt like he was losing a brother, and he was losing one of his sons, which Amir would later find out. The two were family, but they were not always treated as such; this is what drove them out. Amir's unforgivable actions were the last straw for Hassan and Ali and that's why they left. -
Khan's death
One of the main members of the Afghan Communist Party, Nur Mohammad Taraki, takes over when "Khan is killed in a communist coup." Taraki becomes president and claim independence from Soviet influence.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/ -
War on Afganistan's turf
Soviet troops invade and "prop up communist government."
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Amir graduates high school in America
After reaching America, Amir attends high school and is able to graduate by age 20, which made him "by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarboard on the football field that day" (131). He achieved one of his goals, to get an education, and it just so happened to be in his new country. -
Amir and Soraya get married
After foregoing the traditional long engagement period, the two marry within weeks of receiving Soraya's father's blessing. General Taheri was very welcoming of Amir and said to him at the wedding, "'I welcome you into my home as a son, as the husband of my daughter'" (168). General was very open to Amir and allowed him to be part of the family, which ends up great for Baba as well. The two families came together and became one. -
Baba dies
After Baba is diagnosed with cancer and suffers for a long while, one night, he went to sleep but "never woke up" (173). This ended up being a type of freedom for Amir. His father had been holding him back for a really long time, and now was his time to be independent and not rely on Baba. -
Al-Qaida is formed.
Osama bin Laden forms a group with 15 other Islamists to "continue their jihad ... against the Soviets ... who they say oppose their goal of a pure nation governed by Islam." Though al-Qaida wins their first battle, they adjust their target from Afghanistan to America. Their ultimate goal is power which is something America obtains.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/ -
Civil war
The Mujahadeen want to overthrow Najibullah. This causes a "devastating civil war."
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Najibullah dies
The Taliban finally gets what they'd wanted and publicly "executed Najibullah."
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mohammad-Najibullah -
Taliban gains control
The Taliban obtains power while the civil war is commencing. For civilians, this means "banning women from work, and introducing Islamic punishments, which include stoning to death and amputations."
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Missile strikes by US
By this time, the Taliban is considered, "legitimate rulers [of Afghanistan] by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia." America releases missile strikes at bin Laden's bases as revenge for potentially bombing US embassies in Africa.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Amir returns home
After receiving the call from Rahim Khan which consequently turns Amir's life around and makes him see everything differently, within a week he arrives in Peshawar to speak to him. Everything had changed since he'd seen it last, especially Rahim Khan, who had turned into "a thing made of skin and bones" (197). Rahim Khan told him about his journey to Hazarajat and what had happened to Hassan, who Amir now knows as his half brother. -
Amir fights Assef for Sohrab
Assef grants Amir the opportunity to fight for the right to his nephew. Assef "fished out... stainless-steel brass knuckles" (287). Though Amir did get badly hurt, he was able to survive the beating long enough so that Sohrab was able to hit Assef with a pebble in the eye. This bought the pair time to escape. They left the Taliban headquarters and never went back. -
Amir's health progesses
Though Amir was very badly hurt, he made slow progress. Doctors and nurses worked to ensure Amir could leave the hospital soon. One day, "they removed the chest tube... [and] let me sip apple juice" (303). It took a lot of time for Amir to become well again but he eventually recovered. He left the hospital in one piece and was able to start taking care of Sohrab. -
Sohrab cuts himself
After receiving news that the only chance he might have at leaving for America was going to an orphanage, Sohrab cuts himself with blades in the bathroom. This really terrified Amir, as he was "still screaming when the ambulance arrived" (343). This shows how much he cares for his nephew. Anyone seeing a child this way would be more than shaken up; however, Amir was horrified to his core. He prayed for the first time in 15 years. He cried. He cursed. He promised God anything for Sohrab's life. -
Sohrab and Amir enter America
After being away from the US for so long, Amir returns happily with his nephew. He says the moment he hugged her he "realized how much [he] had missed her" (357). This demonstrates how much Amir sacrificed for Sohrab. He missed his wife for about so long just to care for him and get him to safety. -
Attacks in US
Now widely known as '9-11', planes are hijacked and used to fly into the World Trade Center Towers in New York, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field. These attacks "killed thousands" of innocent Americans.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/ -
Sohrab smiles for the first time in months
Amir took his family to a park; they had kite flying competitions going on. After setting their kite in the sky, Amir asks Sohrab if he'd like him to retrieve their kite. Sohrab smiles and nods and Amir yells back "for you, a thousand times over" (371) and runs to get it. This shows Amir's love for his nephew. He loves him and would do anything for him. It also represents irony, because this is the last thing Hassan said to Amir before the rape. -
Osama bin Laden dies
The al-Qaida leader is killed when American forces "overtake a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan."
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/