-
Hassan is Raped
Amir described that he saw "the blue kite resting against the wall...[and] Hassan's corduroy pants thrown on a heap of eroded rocks" (75). By the way he described Hassan's belongings, he showed Hassan was in dire need of help from Amir, which Amir demonstrated he was too frightened to help with. He also showed his cowardess because he could not stand up to Assef in Hassan's time of need. -
Hassan's Last Kite Running
Hassan ran for the last remaining kite while saying, "'For you, a thousand times over!"' (67). He showed his dedication to Amir after staying with him for hours watching him win the kite-fighting tournament, and then running with the other children to find the kite. He even want to such lengths as to be violated by Amir's enemy to keep the kite. -
Amir Hides the Money and Watch
Amir tried to force Hassan and ALi to leave when he "lifted Hassan's mattress and planted [his] new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it" (104). He did this out of shame, and hoped this lie he told would end his shame and suffereing. Consequently, Amir's plan backfired on him and he actually felt more shameful for making Hassan and Ali leave. -
Soviet Union Invasion
Afghanistan had "known little peace since 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded," which started the violencewe know today (NYT 1). -
Baba and Amir escape to Jalalabad
Amir described his response to the trip when he said he "was salavating, the back of [his] throat tasting bile" (111). He was extremely sick, and felt distaste for the trip, literally, by throwing up on the side of the truck. They told no one of their experiences, because they were in hiding and couldn't risk having the Taliban paying attention to them. -
Amir Graduates High School
Amir remebered his high school graduation as a "swarm of families , flashing cameras, and blue gowns" (131). He lost his dad in the crowd, which proved to Amir how different America was from the understated Kabul. In addition, Hosseini described this as a happy time, rather than like the dangers and unhappiness that flooded Kabul. -
Amir Meets Soraya
Amir thought about "the way dappled sunlight had danced on Soraya's eyes, and... the delecate hollows above her collarbone" (149). He demonstrated "love at first sight" when he met her, because he could not stop thinking about her and her beauty. He also showed he was naive, because he based his love for Soraya on looks, as he barely knew her. -
Baba Becomes Ill
Amir described the beginning of Baba's fatal illness as "a hacking cough and the sniffles," which turned into a much larger problem after a while (153). Because Amir had to basically beg doctors to treat his father, they were in more of a worse situation as time passed and no one could make room in their schedule. Also, Baba's need to look well publically undermined the doctor's orders for him to stay in bed. -
Amir proposes to Soraya
Baba asked General Sahib for his daughter's hand in marriage to Amir when he "[hobbled] up the Taheri's driveway for one last fatherly duty" (163). This was one of the only times Baba successfully used his fatherly identity to do good in the world, especially to Amir. He showed he could really be a father to Amir, rather than a guilty fill-in dad that really wants a different son. -
Soviet Airforce Useless
The Soviet Airforce was "rendered largely useless by advanced Stinger aircraft missles supplied by the United States," which is ironic because the US later fought against their own weapons when they invaded (NYT 2). -
Amir Finishes His Novel
Amir's story was about a "father-son story set in Kabul," just like that of Amir and his father. Although Baba paid little attention to Amir as a child, Amir's use of the book illustrates that his father had a major effect of his life. Additionally, he showed that his father had changed over the years, because he thought of what he had with Baba as a concrete relationship, drawing parallels to himself throughout the novel. -
Amir's Book is Published
Amir exclained that "Martin called and informed me I was going to be a published novelist. Wneh I told Soraya, she screamed" (183). This big step to help him achieve his goals helped him move forward in his career, thanks to his father who inspired him to write the book. Although Baba was gone, the book lived on as a memory of him. -
Period: to
Amir and Soraya Try for Pregnancy
Amir tried to comfort Soraya in her time of need by saying, "God knows best Bachem. Maybe it wasn't meant to be" (186). He tried to be honest with her after years of tryig to have a baby, yet he knew adoption would be the only option left. He showed his enormous need to have the baby because he stayed with Soraya for so long without giving up on their dreams. -
Mullah Omar
Mullar was a Pashtun fought against the Soviets "gathered a small band of men and attacked a group of warlords who had raped a girl and shaved her head," which grew into a ban of 12,000 followers. -
Taliban Takes Control
By 1996 the Taliban had become a brutal fighting force that "[banned] movies and music and [forced] women out of schools" (NYT 3). -
Amir Leaves for Pakistan
To try to explain his worries to Soraya, Amir said, "Rahim Khan is very sick" (191). His worry for Rahim outwheighed his fears of visiting Pakistan, although that worry could have easily been greater. Soraya, on the other hand, needed to be calmed. -
Amir sees Assef Again
When explining meeting Assef so many years later, he says his "past was like that, always turning up" (281). He showed his distaste for his past experiences with Assef, and illustrated that he was in the same position as before. He was still powerless, and Assef still was doing some thing Amir wanted to stop. -
Sohrab Attempts Suicide
After Amir found Sohrab, he was "screming until [he] thought [his] throat would rip and [his] chest would explode" (343). He finally showed Sohrab the care he deserved, yet it came just too late. His ignorance of Sohrab's feelings led him to fall asleep after giving Sohrab the bad news. -
Soraya, Amir, and Sohrab Come to America
Amir said he saw "a glimpse of the mother she might have been, had her own womb not betrayed her" (358). He showed his hope that someday they would feel like a family, and that sohrab would accept her as a mother. Amir also displayed acceptance, of who he was to become and who he had already been in his past years. -
Al Queda Twin Towers Invasion
Afganistan's military involvement in Afganistan started "when it led an invasion after the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" (New York Times 1). -
Hamid Karzai Takes Office
Karzai took office "as an interim president ...saying he hoped to secure peace for Afghanistan" (NYT 3). -
Karzai Becomes President
Karzai's ideas were approved of, because he "was elected to a five-year presidency in 2004" (NYT 3). -
Gen. David H. Petraeus Put in Charge
He was put "in command of American forces in Afghanistan" to step up the pace of American operations (NYT 1). -
Petraeus Takes Charge
The Iraq commander had "taken charge of the United States centralcommand in October 2008" (NYT 4). -
Obama's Speech
Obama wanted to send troops to Afghanistan when he said he wanted to "deploy 30,000 additional troops" (NYT 4). -
Hopes to Bring Troops Home
Obama said during his speech that he "hoped to start bringing American forces home in the middle of 2011" (NYT 4).
