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Amir Fools Hassan
When Hassan asks Amir what 'imbecile' means when it comes up in a story they are reading together, Amir tells him, "'Imbecile.' It means smart, intelligent. . .'When it comes to words, Hassan is an imbecile.'" (29) Amir fools Hassan into thinking that he was complimenting him when he is called an imbecile. He is able to use his power over him to deceive him. This shows how he is aware of his great power of influence over Hassan, and his willingness to use it for the sake of entertainment. -
Amir hears Gunshots
When Amir was about to answer a question that a dark voice asked, he suddenly heard gunshots very close to the outside of his house. When Hassan and Amir are wrapped around by Ali's arms, he tells them that "they're hunting ducks. . . .They hunt ducks at night, you know." (35) Ali was protecting them from believing that there were such weapons as deadly as guns so close by to their comfortable home, showing his sympathy and protective personality. He wanted to protect their innocence. -
Assef Rapes Hassan
Assef rapes Hassan when he does not give up the blue kite that Amir won in the kite running tournament. Amir "had one final opportunity to. . .stand up for Hassan. . .In the end, [he] ran." (77) Amir is not able to protect Hassan the way he did to him, revealing his weakness and inability to stand up to others. His cowardly behavior is also shown, and he himself realizes and resents himself for it. -
Amir Asks Baba for a New Servant
When they are planting tulips in their garden at home, Amir asks Baba, "have you ever thought about getting new servants?" (89) Baba immediately responds with "Hassan is. . .staying right here with us. . . .Don't you ever ask me that question again!" (90) He lashes out to Amir because he never wants to get rid of his "secret" son. Although he previously told Amir that the greatest sin is stealing, he himself stole Amir's right to a brother. -
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Soviet Troops Enter Afghanistan
On December 27th, 1979, "[t]he first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul . . .to assist Babrak Karmal" (NYT),the president of the Afghan Communist leadership. -
Amir and Baba leave Kabul
Amir and Baba leave Kabul because of the alarming, dangerous conditions. When a Russian soldier wants to rape a woman in the same bus as them, Baba stands up to him by "[asking] where his shame is." He risks getting shot and killed right in front of Amir and others for the sake of his values and morals. This shows how he values respect and decency, risking his life for a woman he does not know personally. -
Amir and Baba live in America
Since the two have lived in America, their roles of power have been switched. Baba's reputation as a wealthy business owner is replaced as he works at a small gas station. Amir gains power from education and proudly gets married. But, Baba still has a great influence over many Afghan people in America. When "he rented a large Afghan banquet hall in Fremont[,] the man who owned it knew him from Kabul and gave him a substantial discount." (169) -
Amir Writes His First Book
When Amir finishes his first novel and "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," (182). The opportunities that America presents Amir with shows that America is in fact the "land of opportunities." In Afghanistan, he would have been shamed and not supported by society, but in America, his talent in creative writing was applauded and rewarded. -
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Soviet Troops Leave Afghanistan
The United Nations hosted many peace talks that eventually led to "the last Soviet troops [leaving] Afghanistan in February 1989," (NYT). Afghanistan was left to be a country that was devastated from the war and the main country to attack for Islamic Extremists. -
Soraya and Amir's Inability to Carry a Child
When Soraya and Amir find out that they are unable to carry a child, Amir feels as if "this was [his] punishment, and perhaps justly so. . . It was meant not to be." (188) He feels that it was his way of atoning to what he did to Hassan in his childhood in Kabul. This shows that he values his morals and wants to atone and be forgiven for the things he had done. -
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Afghanistan's Power Divided
Afghanistan descended into divided nations after the Soviet forces left the country. They caused their "power [to be] anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms" (NYT) by the summer of 1994. -
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Increasing Power for Mullah Omar
Mullah Omar promised to restore Islam to how they lived before, causing him to have "nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east," (NYT). -
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Pakistani Providing for Mullah Omar
The officers of Pakistani believed that they should support Mullah Omar, so they "began funneling arms, money, and supplies to [his] men, as well as military advisers to help guide them," (NYT). -
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Taliban Controls Afghanistan
The Taliban gained power by support from the Pakistani, so they "had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamental Islamic law" (NYT) and had taken complete control of Afghanistan. -
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Bin Laden Provided a Haven by Taliban
When Bin Laden "arrived by charted jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996," (NYT) the taliban provided a haven for him in effort to keep him safe and comfortable. -
Amir goes back to Afghanistan
When Amir goes to Rahim Khan's house to talk to him, he tells him that Hassan had always lived with him. Amir, when he speaks Hassan's name for the first time in a long time, he felt "those thorny old barbs of guilt [bearing] into [him] once more, as if speaking his name had broken a spell, set them free to torment [him] anew." (202) This shows his guilt of what he did in his childhood and how desperate he is to atone. His intense desperation is shown because he physically feels the pain. -
Amir Finds out Hassan and his Wife Died
Rahim Khan tells Amir that the Taliban murdered Hassan and his wife Farzana. The case was dismissed and no one talked about it because "no one was going to risk anything for a pair of Hazara servants." (220) This shows the low level of impact and power that the Hazara have in the Afghan society. If Hassan and Farzana had the socioeconomic status of Baba, at least some people would have talked about it and/or took a stand. -
Amir Unable to Take Sohrab to America
Amir is unable to take Sohrab to America because of legal rules. But, he is still optimistic and determined to get him home. When his immigration lawyer says that he "[has] got a tough battle ahead of [him]"(336), he responds with "One I can win?" (337) His hopefulness and determination to do anything to get Sohrab to live with him and Soraya shows that he is atoning for what he did to Hassan in his childhood. He is making up for the lack of friendship and love with Hassan by caring for Sohrab. -
Sohrab Attempts Suicide
When Amir tells Sohrab that he has to go back to an orphanage in order to go to America, he attempts to commit suicide. His fear of the people running the place is shown when he exclaims, "They'll hurt me! I don't want to go. . . They always say the won't but they lie." (341) This shows that, even though Sohrab is okay with "sour apples" such as waiting for a long time, he is not tolerant of going back to the orphanage, revealing the significance of how extremely they hurt him. -
Amir Brings Sohrab Home
When Sohrab comes to America to live with Amir and Soraya, Soraya sets up a room for him with many things for his entertainment. But, whenever she passed by his room, she would "catch a glimpse of books sitting unopened. . . the growth chart unmarked, the jigsaw puzzle unassembled" (362). Sohrab does not have the phycological energy to spend his time playing or reading. This emphasizes the effects of his past with the abuse from the orphanage. -
Hassan's Letter to Amir
When Hassan writes to Amir in a letter that was given to Rahim Khan, he addressed Amir by stating, "Amir agha, with my deepest respects," (215). This shows Hassan's unwavering loyalty towards Amir. Despite the fact that he knows what he did and what he could have done the night of the rape incident, he still treats him with the upmost respect and is loyal to him. -
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Hamid Karzai Elected President
"In December 2001, Hamid Karzai. . . was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country. He took office. . . June 2002. . . [He] was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004." (NYT) During Bush's term, he was a White House favorite. But he became less popular as the Afghan population blamed him for the lack of economic progress. -
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Ultimatum to Taliban
"After the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. Bin Laden," (NYT) in efforts to get them to pay for the incident. When they refused, the US became allies with groups "who never accepted Taliban rule" (NYT). -
Amir and Sohrab Fly Kites
When they are flying kites, Amir beats the green kite to the ground using Hassan's old lift-and-dive. When he looks down at Sohrab, he sees the slightest smile that only lasted a second. Even though it did not solve anything or change anything, he "[will] take it. With open arms." (371) This shows that Amir is excited for Sohrab to finally be getting used to his life and he will be able to treat him as his child. His path to atonement was beginning. -
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Obama's Speech
"In a speech delivered Dec. 1, 2009, at West Point, Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops," (NYT). While saying that "the United States could not afford and should not have to shoulder an open-ended commitment," (NYT), he vowed to bring home American troops from Afghanistan.