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Hassan was born
Amir explains that "it was there, in that little shack, that Hassan was born in the winter of 1964, just one year after my mother died giving birth to me" (6). Amir uses foreshadowing to hint about him and Hassan being half-brothers by talking about himself and Hassan in the same sentence. By bonding the brothers in a sentence, he also foreshadows their long-lasting friendship clearly, impacting their connection throughout the story. -
Amir writes his first short story
When Amir starts making up stories to tell Hassan, he then "wrote his first short story, It took [him] thirty minutes. It was a dark little tale about a man who found a magic cup and learned that if he wept into the cup, his tears turned into pearls" (31). Writing this short story foreshadows Amir's future career in creative writing. The story illustrates Amir's realization that hurting Hassan brings him a strange sense of joy and accomplishment. -
Hassan's 11th Birthday
On Hassan's 11th birthday, Baba gives a surgery for his lip to Hassan as a gift. A scar was left over, and he could smile again. Amir thinks it was ironic because "that was the winter Hassan stopped smiling" (47). This comment from Amir foreshadows the tragedy in which Hassan is raped. This irony impacts the story because Hassan stops smiling as soon as Amir illustrates the low amount of loyalty he possesses towards Hassan and as soon as Amir and Hassan stop being friends. -
Assef rapes Hassan
Amir declares, "I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975. I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley near the frozen creek" (1). This quote illustrates the setting of the story, foreshadowing the horror that will later come. The way Amir describes the day he witnessed Hassan's rape exemplifies how Amir thinks of this moment as a defining moment for himself and his view on the world. -
Amir throws pomegranates at Hassan
When Amir tricks Hassan into believing they were going to have fun together, he begins to throw pomegranates at Hassan, wishing he'd "give [him] the punishment [he] craved, so maybe [he]'d finally sleep at night. Maybe then things could return to how they used to be between [them]" (92). The way that Amir treats Hassan in this part of the story illustrates the power structure between them. When Hassan doesn't pelt him back. it exemplifies how Amir has much more power, but less loyalty. -
Amir turns 13
Baba hosts a birthday party for Amir and invites Assef along with many others from the community. When Amir starts being rude to Assef out of guilt, Baba "spoke in a low voice, the one he took on whenever [he] embarrassed him in public" (97). This quote exemplifies the irony in which Amir didn't speak up for Hassan for Baba's approval, which he is now losing for the same reason. This brings of a sense of wastefulness because Amir realizes he sacrifices Hassan's safety and well-being for nothing. -
First Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan
The text says, "The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979..." (NYT 2). -
Amir and Baba leave Kabul and Baba stands up the Russian soldier
When a Russian soldier wanted to take a woman from the bus and rape her, Baba stood up and confronted the soldier. Baba told the soldier "i'll take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place" (116). This gives an example to how Amir could've acted toward Hassan during his rape, causing him to realize what could've been if he had come to his senses. -
Amir graduates from high school
On the day of Amir's graduation, Amir looks around to try and find Baba in the crowd of people. When he finds him, Amir realizes that "Baba's beard was graying, his hair thinning at the temples, and hadn't he been taller in Kabul" (131). This symbolizes Baba's change in power in Kabul versus in the United States, impacting both his physical features and his mental state throughout the rest of the novel. -
Amir realizes the greatest sin in the United States: Spoiling the Ending to a Story
Between 1983 and 1984, Amir walks into a video store when a man asks if he had seen a movie. When he responds with the ending, the man "gives [Amir] a pinch-face look, as if [he] had just spat in his soda. 'Thanks a lot, man'" (357). When Amir says later that Americans act as if spoiling the ending is the worst thing, he illustrates the differences in problems between Afghanistan and in the United States, which puts American's everyday problems into perspective. -
Amir turns 21
When Amir turned 21, Baba traded his old Buick for a Volkswagen bus. The wistful bus caused Baba and Amir to "laugh... until tears rolled down [their] cheeks, and, more important, until [they] were sure the neighbors weren't watching anymore" (137). This illustrates how Amir and Baba's bonding drastically changed when they were in the United States, but most importantly, away from Hassan. This also exemplifies how Baba added pressure to himself when Hassan was around. -
Rahim Khan went to look for Hassan
Rahim Khan found Hassan again as a 22 year old man, with a wife and expecting a child. When Rahim mentioned Baba's death Hassan "buried his face in his hands and broke into tears. He wept like a child for the rest of that night" (207). This small mention of Hassan and Baba's relationship as older people foreshadows the later reveal about Hassan being Baba's illegitimate son. The way that Hassan reacted exemplified the bond between father and son, even if the child doesn't even know. -
Amir finishes his first novel
A month after Amir finishes writing his first novel, he hopes to receive a call from a publisher with good news. Finally, a publisher calls and "informs [him he] was going to be a published novelist. When [he] told Soraya, she screamed" (183). The fact that Amir receives a call saying he will be a published novelist symbolizes the happy and successful path he is taking in his life in the United States, and the much different life he would have had if he stayed in Kabul. -
Last Soviet troops left Afghanistan
After peace talks were in order by the United Nations, "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989" (NYT 2). -
Farzana became pregnant again
After losing their first child, Farzana and Hassan became pregnant again. When Farzana is about to give birth, Hassan's mother, Sanaubar shows up. When Hassan sees her and realizes, he "drop[s] her hand and bolt[s] out of the house" (210). This surprise visit from her long-lost mother who abandoned Hassan impacts him for the rest of his life, as he forgives her and spends some of his last years with her. -
Afghanistan's power was distributed among warlords and fiefdoms
When the Soviets left, "power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms" (NYT 2). -
Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers
When 1994 was reaching an end, "Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers..." (NYT 2). -
Afghanistan provided haven for Mr. bin Laden
The Taliban, "provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden..." (NYT 3). -
Amir and Sohrab return to the US
When Amir returns from the long journey of acquiring Sohrab, he wants to spend time with Sohrab and wants him to be happy. But, Sohrab "didn't so much live with [them] as occupy space. And precious little of it" (361). This illustrates how Amir and Soraya long to have a child to nurture and take care of, but out of love they allow Sohrab to keep to himself the way he wants. This brings into perspective how Sohrab didn't come to the United States for a better life, just for the chance to live. -
September 11 Attacks
The US has been involved in Afghanistan since, "after the Sept. 11 attacks..." (NYT 1). -
The Taliban lost power in Afghanistan
The text reads, "Despite their defeat in 2001, the Taliban continued to wage war...". -
President George W. Bush gave Afghanistan a proposal to hand over Mr. bin Laden
George Bush gave the Taliban, "an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden..." (NYT 3). -
Sohrab smiles
When a kite competition was held in San Francisco, Amir brought Sohrab with him. When he won, Amir "looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile" (370). That smile symbolizes the new beginning of friendship and love between Amir and Sohrab. On the last few pages, this symbol of a beginning effectively allows the story to continue without more writing. -
Hamid Karzai elected for president of Afghanistan
After his job as interim president, "Mr. Karzai was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004" (NYT 3). -
Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops
During his speech delivered in December 2009, Obama announced, "his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (NYT 4).