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Hassan's Surgery
On Hassan's birthday, Baba gets a plastic surgeon to fix Hassan's harelip. Amir feels upset, thinking, "I wished I too had some kind of scar that would beget Baba's sympathy. It wasn't fair. Hassan hadn't done anything to earn Baba's affections; he'd just been born with that stupid harelip" (46). This scene acts as a foreshadow for the future, when Amir finds out that Hassan is his half brother. It also represents Amir's jealousy with Hassan because of Baba's actions. -
Hassan Stands up to Assef
When Amir and Hassan go to play, they are approched by Assef and his 2 friends. Assef is bothered because Amir spends time with Hassan, a Hazara. Assef then "raised his fist and came for [him]... Hassan held the slingshot pointed directly at Assef's face" (42). Hassan tells Assef to stand down, for he has the slinghsot, not him. This scene is significant because Hassan proves his loyalty to Amir. But this also has a turn in the plot because of what Assef does to Hassan later in the book. -
Hassan is Violated by Assef
After Amir encounters Hassan being violated, he has to make a decision. Amir ends up running away, saying that, "[he] ran because [he] was a coward. [He] was afraid of Assef and what he would do to [him]" (77). After this incident, Amir's life was changed forever. His decision to leave Hassan ended up haunting him, as he was forced to deal with the guilt 25 years later. -
Ali and Hassan Leave
Ali tells Baba that he and Hassan can no longer live with them, then "glances [Amir's] way and in his cold unforgiving look, [Amir] saw that Hassan had told him... Strangely, [Amir] was glad that someone knew [him] for who [he] really was; [he] was tired of pretending" (106). Amir feels a little relieved, after someone else knew what had happened to Hassan. Because of Amir's loss of power, he was actually glad that he wouldn't be alone, having to carry the guilt and suffering. -
First Soviet Union Troops
According to an aricle from The New York Times, "the first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dev. 27, 1979" (2). -
Amir and Baba's Time in America
Amir and Baba are settling down in California. As Baba pushes away his dinner, Amir thinks to himself, "For me, America was a place to bury my memories. For Baba, it was a place to mourn his" (129). Baba finds himself working harder than before, while Amir tries to live a new life. Moving to America changed both Amir and Baba's perspectives of life. -
Amir and Soraya's Pre-Marriage Discussion
Soraya tells Amir about her previous experience with a man. When she finishes, Amir says that it did not change his decision, but on the inside, he "envied her. Her secret was out. Dealt with. I opened my mouth and almost told her how I'd betrayed Hassan, lied, driven him out, and destroyed a forty-year relationship between Baba and Ali" (165). Soraya allowed Amir to realize that she had courage, but Amir didn't. She was Amir's motive to do what was right in life. -
Baba's Passing
Shortly after getting married, Soraya and Amir place Baba in bed. Soraya offers to bring morphine but Baba says no, so they "closed the door. Baba never woke up" (173). Baba had a lasting impact on Amir even after his death. His strong, fatherly figure played a role in Amir's future with Sohrab. -
Rahim Khan Finds Hassan
Rahim Khan tells Amir about the time he went to find Hassan, saying that he still, "had those same narrow green eyesm that scare on his upper lip, that round face, that affable smile. You would have recognized him, I am sure of it" (205). Amir was able to hear how Hassan had been all this time. This scene in the book was important because it revealed how Amir and Hassan's relationship had still existed before Hassan's death. -
The Downfall of the Soviet Troops
A reporter from an article writes, "The Soviet Air Force was also rendered largely useless by advanced Stinger antiaircraft missiles supplied by the United States to the rebels" (The New York Times, 2). -
Soviet Union Troops Leave
Afghanistan became a broken country after the "last Soviet troops left in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal" (The New York Times, 2). -
Soraya Finds out she Can't Have Children
Soraya begins to worry when a year passes by. The doctor verifies that they are unable to have children because when "the tests were over, he explained that he couldn't explain why [they] couldn't have kids. It was called 'Unexplained Infertility'" (185). Soraya's desire for a child has an impact on Sohrab. Later in the book, when Amir brings back Sohrab, Soraya feels the need to be a good motherly figure. -
Sanaubar Returns
Rahim Khan tells Amir when Sanaubar appeared at the door one day. He says that once Hassan found out that she was his mother, he "dropped her hand and bolted out of the house. Hassan still had not come back when night feel and moonlight bathed the clouds" (210). Hassan did some thinking that night, and when he returned, he accepted his mother and forgave her for her actions from the past. Hassan's wise choices to forgive Sanaubar allowed them to catch up on all the years they had missed together -
The Division of Power
As stated by The New York Times, "By the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms" (2). -
Mullah Omar and the Taliban
The Taliban, whom had started as a group with the promise of restoring Islamic life, had "taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic Law" (The New York Times, 3). -
Assisting bin Laden
After taking control, the Taliban "provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden, who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport, and for Al Qaeda" (The New York Times, 3). -
Hassan and Farzana are Killed
Rahim Khan tells Amir about the devestating death of Hassan and his wife. The Talibs thought it was strange to have Hazaras in the large house, and when Hassan protested, they "took him to the street, ordered him to kneel, and shot him in the back of the head... Farzana came screaming and attacked them... shot her too" (219). Hassan's death impacted Amir by causing him to realise that he should have done things right the first time. Because of his actions, Amir never got the chance to apologize. -
Amir is Told the Truth
Rahin Khan finishes telling Amir about Hassan, then says, "But there's something else. Something you don't know. Sanaubar wasn't Ali's first wife. She left him childless after three years and married a man in Khost. She bore him three daughters. That's what I am trying to tell you. Ali was sterile" (222). This new fact causes Amir to feel betrayed by the people he loved. Because Baba had never told Amir or Hassan the truth, Amir felt like his entire childhood was a lie. -
Assef Beats Amir
Amir discovers that the Talib who took Sohrab was Assef. But in order for Amir to have Sohrab, Assef must fight him. As they fight, Amir laughs, and "the harder [he laughed], the harder he kicked [him], punched [him], scratched [him]... What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace" (289). Amir had dealt with the guilt and pain of Hassan's violation ever since he was a child. And now, Amir finally felt like he was relieved of it as he was being beaten. -
Sohrab Attempts Suicide
Amir tells Sohrab that he will have to stay at an orphanage for a while, but after talking with Soraya, he finds out that they can take him to America immediately. Amir "pushed the door open. Stepped into the bathroom. Suddenly [he] was on [his] knees, screaminng" (343). Sohrab's attempt of suicide was important to the story because the relationship between him and Amir had weakened again. After fighting to gain his trust, Amir lost it, by saying he would put him where he was the most scared. -
Sohrab Commits Suicide
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President George W. Bush Takes Action
After the crisis in New York, President George W. Bush, "gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over to Mr. bin Laden. It refused" (The New York Times, 3). -
The Karzai Government
Hamid Karzai, a well-liked man by the White House, was "named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country [in December 2011]" (The New York Times, 3). -
Sohrab Smiles at Amir
When Amir cuts the kite, he "looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided. Hardly there. But there" (371). Amir uses the memories of his childhood to try to bring Sohrab closer to him. Once Sohrab smiles, Amir knows that it is a sign for him to be able to build a strong relationship with Sohrab. It was a second chance to atone for his sins. -
Obama's Announcement
After finally having enough, President Obama "announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops. He [vows] to start bringing American forces home from Afghanistan in the middle of 2011" (The New York Times, 4). -
The removal of General Stanley A. McChrystal
General Stanley A. McChrystal, an expert in warfare, was "removed after cotemptuous quotes from the general and his staff about senior administration officials appeared in an article in Rolling Stone magazine" (The New York Times, 4).