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Amir is born
Amir is an year older than Hassan, "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 Hosseini). This quote includes the year and the season of the event. Amir linked it to how his mother died giving birth to him. -
Hassan is born
Amir said, "It was in that small shack that Hassan's mother, Sanaubar, gave birth to him one cold winter day in 1964"(6). This quote explains the event of Hassan being born on a cold winter day. It reveals the name of Hassan's mother. -
Amir and Hassan win the kite flying contest
Under the help of Hassan, Amir won the competition," then the moment came. I closed my eyes and loosened my grip on the string...I did't need to hear the crowd's roar to know"(66). After Amir wins the kite running tournament, his relationship with Baba undergoes significant change. Amir succeeds in winning the kite fighting tournament that he so desperately wanted to win, in hopes that Baba will accept him for it. -
Amir witnesses Hassan being raped
Amir witnessed Hassan being raped without stopping Assef, "I opened my mouth and almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned our differently if I had. But I didn't. I just wantched. Paralyzed"(73). This quote describes what is perhaps the biggest mistake of Amir's life, aspired cowardice. His cowardly decision is one thing he regrets the most. -
Amir has his 13th birthday celebrated
Amir "turned thirteen that summer of 1976, Afghanistan's next to last summer of peace and anonymity" (93). This quote shows that Amir is turing 13, but he is not pleased by the fancy party and gifts. It also foreshadows the upcoming political event. -
Ali and Hassan leave
Hassan admitted his sin of theft, after that Ali announced they are leaving,"Then I saw Baba do something I had never seen him do before; He cried. It scared me a cilantro, seeing a grown man sob"(107). This quote explains that Baba's affection of Hassan. And how he hates to lose people he dearly cares for. -
Soviet Army invades
In the December of 1978, "Soviet Army invades and props up communist government" (Afghanistan profile). -
Baba and Amir leave Afghanistan
Amir considered America a paradise, a place he could leave everything behind, "America was different. America was a river, roaring along, unmindful of the past. I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far. Someplace with no ghosts, no memories, and no sins"(136). This quote means that forgetting the past enables Amir to move forward in his life without reminders of Hassan and the rape. America is a place to burry his memories. -
Amir graduates High School
In the summer of 1983, Amir "graduated from high school at the age of twenty" (131). Amir is on his quest of becoming a young man. This was a very special day to him and his father. -
Amir is married to Soraya
Soraya is a beautiful woman with black hair, Soraya "suggested she move in with Baba and I"(172). This quote shows that Soraya is a very kind-hearted woman. She choose to take care of Baba, rather than living with only Amir. -
The war begins
Mujahideen come together in Pakistan to form alliance against Soviet forces, "US, Pakistan, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia supply money and arms to the mujahideen" (Afghanistan profile). -
Baba dies
Amir and Soraya placed Baba in Bed, then "Baba never woke up"(173). Baba died in his sleep. It was one of the hardest things for Amir to go through. -
Soviet Troops leave Afghanistan
On Feb 15, 1989, "the Soviet Union pulled its remaining troops out of Afghanistan, ending the USSR’s nine-year occupation of the country" (finding Dulcinea). -
Taliban captures Kabul, the kite running contest is banned
Taliban took over control of the government in 1996, "a few weeks later, the Taliban banned kite fighting"(213). -
Taliban controls about a third of country
The Taliban power is spreading, "Afghanistan’s government has lost control of about a third of the country’s overall territory"(Antiwar.com). -
The Hazaras are massacred by the Taliban
Taliban shot and cut the throats of Hazaras," The Taliban instigated a house-to-house search to round up male Hazaras"(BBC NEWS). The massacred the Hazaras to achieve "ethical cleansing". Illustrates their cruelness. -
Amir gets a call from Rahim Khan, he decides to go back to Afghanistan
Rahim Khan wants Amir to see him in Pakistan, he gave Amir a call, "Come. There is a way to be good again, [He] had said on the phone just before hanging up" (192). Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan, who he respects and loves. This quotes reveals that Rahim Khan knows what happened between Amir and Hassan. Amir is on the quest to redeem himself. -
Sohrab attempts suicide
Sohrab attempts suicide because Amir tells him that he may be send to an orphanage for a while. Sohrab goes to take a bath, and when Amir goes into the room, he said, "I was on my knees, screaming. Screaming through my clenched teeth. Screaming until I thought my throat would rip and my chest explode"(343). Amir is shocked and terrified by what Sohrab has done. Sohrab's reaction is due to the unpleasant experience that he had at the orphanage. -
Assef and Amir's confrontation over Sohrab
Assef became a member of the Taliban, Assef said he and Amir have unfinished business. Assef told Amir, "You have to earn him[Sohrab]"(286). Amir finally redeemed himself, he has faced his fears and let go of his guilt and shame. In the end, Sohab shoot Assef in the eye with a slingshot. -
Amir and Sohrab arrives America
Amir said that, "We arrived home about seven months ago, on a warm day in August 2001. Soraya picked us up at the airport" (357). The two of them finally make it back to America. They are free and safe from the people in Afghanistan. -
U.S. and NATO invasion
The NATO troops "were sent to Afghanistan after the Taliban were ousted in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks in the United States"(BBC). -
Hamid Karzai becomes the chairman of the interim government
On December 22, 2001, Hamid Karzai "Is inaugurated as interim president in Kabul" (CNN). -
Sohrab and Amir fly a kite together
In the end of the novel, Amir states Hassan's line "For you, a thousand times over"(371). This quote symbols that Amir has developed his character, he has become a real kite runner. Amir, who used to run away from his wrongdoings, is now doing something for another and running toward something. -
Hamid Karzai is elected as the president of Afghanistan
On November 3, 2004, Hamid Karzai is officially elected president of Afghanistan,"As Karzai entered office, he enjoyed strong support from Western allies, but he faced enormous challenges" (Encyclopedia Britannica). -
Troops will remain in Afghanistan
US President Barack Obama announces "8,400 US troops will remain in Afghanistan into 2017 in light of the 'precarious security situation'. NATO also agrees to maintain troop numbers and reiterates a funding pledge for local security forces until 2020"(BBC).