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Hassan is born.
Hassan and Amir's friendship began the day Hassan was born "in the winter of 1964, just one year after [Sofia Akrami] died giving birth to [Amir]"(Hosseini, 6). In this event, Hassan began his lifelong loyalty to Amir, and Baba began his lifelong battle over how to treat his illegitimate son. Hassan's birth was a turning point for Amir and Baba in many ways. -
Assef harasses Amir and Hassan.
After Daoud Khan took over, Assef harassed Amir and Hassan, saying, "Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be"(Hosseini, 40). Amir denies Assef's statements, and Hassan scares him off with a slingshot, but while Assef leaves, his words remain. It seemed as though Amir and Hassan had a mutual loyalty, but Amir secretly agreed that Hazaras were less important than Pashtuns, and even considers Hassan to be more of a servant than a friend. -
Hassan is violated by Assef.
Amir witnessed Hassan be violated by Assef, but he "turned [his] back to the alley, to Hassan", for "Hassan was the price [he] had to pay [...] to win Baba"(Hosseini, 77). Hassan's loyalty to Amir was unwavering, and he sacrificed himself to present Amir with the blue kite, which represented Amir's accomplishment and would make Baba proud. Amir knew he should've interevened with the violation, but he craved Baba's love so much that he just stood there while Hassan was raped. -
The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan.
Russia wanted to have influence over Afghanistan and the neraby regions, so "[t]he first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979, to assist Babrak Karmal, who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist Leadership"(Afghanistan-An Overview). -
Amir and Baba escape Afghanistan.
Karim was hired by Baba and Amir to help them escape to Pakistan, and Karim assures that they will be safe on the trip, saying that the truck was "excellent and first-class quality" and that his brother could "take [Baba and Amir] there with his eyes closed"(Hosseini, 113). Afghanistan is no longer safe, and although Karim assures Amir and Baba that the trip to Pakistan is safe, it is truly very dangerous. However, it is better to risk an unsafe trip to Pakistan than to stay in Afghanistan. -
Amir graduates from highschool.
In 1983, Amir "graduated from highschool at the age of twenty", and Baba finally said, "I am moftakhir [proud], Amir"(Hosseini, 131). Baba was never proud of Amir's academic achievements in Afghanistan, but a power shift between the pair occurs in America, and Baba finally expresses his pride in Amir. However, Baba still said that he wished Hassan was there, which brought back bad memories for Amir and made Amir feel like he was still competing with Hassan for Baba's love. -
Amir and Soraya get married.
Baba asked General Taheri if Amir could marry Soraya, and Amir was "so happy [he didn't] know what to say" when Baba said, "The general accepted"(Hosseini, 163-164). Baba and Amir were elated at the prospect of a marriage, but Amir still felt the guilt from Hassan's violation. After all those years, he still couldn't tell anyone about it. not even Soraya, and at his wedding he wonders if Hassan got married. In Amir's happiest moments, memories of Hassan cause him to feel guilty again. -
Baba dies.
Baba died a month after Amir's wedding, and Amir "realized how much of who [Amir] was, what [Amir] was, had been defined by Baba", but "[n]ow he was gone"(Hosseini, 174). Amir had dedicated much of his life trying to be a son Baba would be proud of, but his father wasn't there to be proud anymore. Amir struggled with the fact that his father wouldn't be able to influence or assist him anymore, and with his father gone, Amir didn't have a family anymore, for everyone was in Afghanistan. -
Soviet troops leave Afghanistan.
The United Nations held peace talks with Russia, and "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989"(Afghanistan-An Overview). -
Amir publishes his first book.
Amir's talent for writig paid off, and "the novel was released in the summer of that following year,1989"(Hosseini, 183). Amir has disobeyed his father by following this career path, but it paid off in the end. This shows that Amir's love of writing overpowers his father's commands, and Amir isn't as influenced by Baba anymore. -
Power is divided among numerous warlords and fiefdoms.
After Russia's troops returned home, Afghansitan fell into a state of anarchy; "by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms"(Afghanistan-An Overview). -
Mullah Omar leads movement to restore Islam in Afghanistan.
In a country divided among warlords and fiefdoms, numerous people looked to Mullah Omar, "[w]ith his promise of restoring the centrality of islam to daily life", and "[b]y the end of 1994, Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers"(Afghanistan-An Overview). -
Osama bin Laden enters Afghanistan.
Al Qaeda and other groups found sanctuary with the Taliban, and "Mr. bin Laden [...] arrived by chartered jet in May 1996"(Afghanistan-An Overview). -
Amir travels to Pakistan.
Rahim Khan called Amir to tell him that he was very sick, so "[a] week later, [Amir] sat on a window seat aboard a Pakistani International Airlines Flight"(Hosseini, 194) to go to Peshawar. Rahim Khan was a Amir's role model and friend when Amir was young. Though they have grown apart, Amir would drop everything and risk the trip to Pakistan for Rahim Khan. His emotions after hearing of Rahim Khan's sickness overpower his rationality, and he immediately rushes to Rahim Khan's side. -
Amir decides help Sohrab.
Rahim Khan explained Hassan's death to Amir, and after Amir learned that he and Hassan were brothers, he decides to "end the cycle. With a little boy. An orphan. Hassan's son. Somewhere in Kabul"(Hosseini, 227). With the discovery that Hassan and Amir are half-brothers, Amir's guilt about Hassan's violation grows. Before he can think rationally, his emotions force him to rescue Sohrab to atone for his sin. -
Amir and Farid watch adulterers get stoned.
Farid and Amir found the Talib at a stoning, where the Talib "hurled the stone at the blindfolded man in the hole [and] [t]he crowd made a startled "OH!" sound"(Hosseini, 271).In this event, Amir witnessed the Talib use religion as an excuse for torture and murder, and he finally understood why his father didn't like the clergy. Amir discovered how religion can dirty one's conscience and how excuses cause people to lose guilt for their actions. -
Amir faces Assef again.
Amir met with the Talib to attempt to rescue Sohrab, but was stunned when the Talib said, "Whatever happened to old Babalu, anyway?"(Hosseini, 281). Through this question, the Talib reveals himself as Assef, whom Amir has always hated. Amir's emotions, anger and guilt, drive Amir to retort to Assef's statements with fury, and he abandons rationality for Sohrab and Hassan. The longer Amir stays in Afghanistan, the less of a coward he becomes, and he finds himself in more unsafe environments. -
Sohrab attempts suicide.
Amir looked for Sohrab to tell him that he can get a humanitarian visa, but instead he found "the left arm dangling over the side of the tub [and] the blood-soaked razor sitting on the toilet sink"(Hosseini, 347-348). With an uncertain future and a miserable past, Sohrab tried to end it all by cutting his wrists. He lost all hope after being informed that he would probably have to return to an orphanage, and his miseries drove him to attempt suicide. Emotions are a huge factor in this decision. -
United States invades Afghanistan.
The United States "led an invasion after the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" and "has been militarily involved with Afghanistan since 2001"(Afghanistan-An Overview). -
Hamid Karzai becomes the leader of Afghansitan.
After the Taliban were defeated, "[i]n December 2001, Hamid Karzai [...] was named chairman of an interim government the replaced the Taliban"(Afghanistan-An Overview). -
Amir runs a kite for Sohrab.
During the Afghani New Year's celebration, Amir cut a kite for Sohrab, and asked "Do you want me to run that kite for you?"(Hosseini, 371). After Amir cut the kite, Sohrab, remembering his childhood with Hassan, smiled just a tiny bit. He realizes that he can still enjoy things from his childhood in America with Amir and builds some of his hope again.Also, Amir running the kite for Sohrab is like Hassan running the kite for Amir.This suggests that Sohrab and Amir may someday be as close as them. -
Hamid Karzai takes office as interim president.
After being named chairman of the interim government in 2001, Karzai "took office as interim president in June 2002"(Afghanistan-An Overview). -
Hamid Karzai is elected for a five-year term as president.
After serving as interim president, "Mr. Karzai was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004"(Afghanistan-An Overview). -
President Obama announces his plan to deploy more troops to Afghanistan.
After deciding to continue military involvement in Afghanistan, on "Dec. 1, 2009, [...] Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" to Afghanistan and "to strart bringing American forces home from Afghanistan in the middle of 2011"(Afghanistan-An Overview). -
Amir frames Hassan of theft.
Amir could not stand living with Hassan, so he "lifted Hassan's matress and planted [his] new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it"(Hosseini, 104). Amir's guilt over ignoring Hassan's violation turned into hatred towards Hassan, for Amir could not stand Hassan having power over him. Amir knows that he needs to do something for Hassan to atone for his sins, but finds himself uncapable of helping Hassan. He finally decides the only way to end his anger is to force Ali and Hassan to leave.