-
Period: to
timeline of The Kite Runner
-
coup
the old afghan government is overthrown -
Hassan's Rape
When Amir thinks of Hassan's face he thinks "It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of a lamb." This Christian/Muslim symbolism shows that Hassan is making a sacrifice for Amir. He is "dying" in Amir's place to save him. -
kite tournament
During the kite tournament Amir thinks "The younger kids looked at me with an awestruck twinkle in their eyes; I was a hero. This shows that in Kabul winning the kite fighting competition is a great boost to your honor and that Amir is finally the hero that he wants to be. -
Ali and Hassan leave
when they are leaving Ali says "Don't make this any more difficult than it already is, agha sahib." that shows that Ali is still deadly loyal to Baba and Hassan is still loyal to Amir. Ali is choosing his loyalty to his son over his loyalty Baba. -
Soviet Invasion
In 1979 the Soviet union invaded Afghanistan and later claimed that they had sent their troops in response to a plea of help from the Afghan government. -
Period: to
Timeline of Afghanistan
-
Baba and Amir escape from Kabul
during the night that he is escaping Amir thinks "...sad for Baba. After everything that he'd built, planned, fought for, fretted over,dreamed of, this was the summation of his life: one disappointing son and two suitcases. -
Amir graduates from high school
when Amir is graduating from High school Baba says "I am moftakhit, Amir," and Amir reflects that he likes being on the recieving end of that look. That shows that Baba is very proud of Amir and that Amir has more power than Baba in this new country because of his High school education. -
Baba discovers that his doctor is russian
when Baba says "I don't care where he was born, he's Roussi." That relates back to Baba confronting the Russian soldier when he and Amir were fleeing Afghanistan, It shows that as a character Baba is very biased against Russians because of his love for his country. -
Baba has a seizure
After Baba has his seizure Amir runs to him and tries to sooth him saying "Shhh, Baba jan, I'm here. Your son is right here." This shows the power shift from Baba to Amir, Because of Baba's cancer he becomes more dependant apon Amir to take care of him. -
Amir and Soraya get engaged
When Amir thinks "I envied her. Her secret was out. Spoken. Dealt with. I opened my mouth and almost told her how I'd betrayed Hassan, Lied ..." This shows the level of guilt that Amir is carrying around with him, he is feeling incredibly guilty and carries this around with him. This quote shows his wish to unload. -
Amir and Soraya get married
At the wedding "Baba spent $35,000, Nearly his life savings balance, on the wedding ceremony." This shows that Baba is a true Afghan, A great believer in Customs. It also shows how much the wedding matters to him, it is the last thing that he gets to do before he dies. -
Baba dies of cancer
when Amir walks in on Soraya reading his book to Baba Soraya says "I can't believe you can write like this," and Baba adds "I put her up to it. I hope you don't mind." That shows that Baba is beginning to discover that his son is an incredible writer. That shows that Baba finally sees his son as a man worthy of his respect. -
Amir finishes his first novel
when Amir and Soraya celebrate the publishing of his book Amir says '"I know," Thinking of Baba, wishing he could have seen me.' The quote shows how Amir is still wishing he got more attention from his own father. As well as vastly boosting his confidence -
Soviet withdrawal
The Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan and left behind a shattered government. -
Anarchy
Power is divided up among various Warlords and fiefdoms. -
Taliban Rising
Mullah Omar (Taliban leader) had about 12000 followers and was taking over the northern Afghan territories. -
Taliban takeover
In 1996 the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and imposed strict fundamentalist law. -
Taliban resurgence
The Taliban resurfaced thanks to a thriving opium trade that helped them gather their funds. -
Amir goes to pakistan to see Rahim Khan
When Amir storms out of Rahim Khan's house he yells "I'm thirty-eight years old and I just found out that my life is one big fucking lie! what can you possibly say to make thigs better? Nothing. Not a Goddamn thing!" That shows how The knowledge that Hassan was his half brother fills Amir with guilt. He now knows that he betrayed his brother and will need to make up for it. -
Amir learns why he needs to find Shohrab
When Amir learns that Hassan is dead all he can say is "No. No. No" Over and over again. That quote shows the how much Amir truly cares about Hassan now that he is more mature. It also shows gives Amir a way to atone for his sins against Hassan, He can care for Hassan's orphan and do what he didn't for Hassan. -
Amir fights Assef
While Amir is fighting Assef he is thinking "My body was broken-just how badly I wouldn't find out until later- but I felt healed." The quote shows the effect of Amir's first step towards atonement, he is joyful, even in the worst of circumstances. It also shows that Amir will continue to attempt to make up for his betrayal of Hassan. -
post 9/11 invasion
After the September 11th attack on the World trade center the U.S. joined the Afghan rebels and drove the Taliban out of all the major Afghan cities by the end of the year. -
Karzai Government
In 2002 Mohammed Zahir Shah was elected president, the general population blamed him for his government's corruption -
Sohrab smiles at Amir
At the end of the book Amir looks over at Sohrab and sees "one corner of his mouth was curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided. Hardly there. But there." That one smile signals Amir's atonement for his sins against Hassan. It signals that he has started to pay his due and the weight has been completely lifted ff of his chest, he has been liberated. -
Obama's assistance
in 2009 president Barack Obama deployed 30000 extra troops and millions of dollars worth in supplies to the region to assist the government in defeating the Taliban