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Kite Runner & the History of Afghanistan
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Amir's First Writing
While reading to Hassan, Amir told him his own made-up story and "that same night, [he[ wrote [his] first short story" (Hosseini 30). When Hassan liked Amir's story, it was Amir's first moment of realization that he enjoyed writing. This is significant because Amir grew up to be a professional author and writing always was a way of expressing how passionate about everything he was in life, one of his values. -
Invasions In Kabul
After invasions occured one night in Kabul in 1973, "the monarchy was a thing of the past' (Hosseini 36). There were several gunshots and bombings, and this night foreshadowed the whole near future for the country. This night shaped the whole story, as Baba and Amir had to leave Kabul because of the people who invaded their homeland. -
Assef harasses Amir and Hassan
After picking on Amir and Hassan with only his words, "Assef slipped on the brass knuckles" (Hosseini 41). This first encounter with Assef displayed him as the kid with bad motives, and hints at the fact that Assef will sho up again soon. Assef, the neighborhood bully was an example of how power can come from your socioeconomic status, one main topic throughout the book. -
Amir Wins Kite Competition
Before going to run the kite after the victory at the kite competition, Hassan shouted, "'You won, Amir Agha! You won!" (Hosseini 66). The excitement Hassan had for Amir shows how much he cares about Amir. Hassan knows that this is what Amir needs to "prove his worth" to Baba, and even though Hassan helped a lot, he never said "we won," only you won. -
Assef Rapes Hassan
While Assef was raping Hassan, Amir thought to himself, "I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan,,, or I could run. In the end, I ran" (Hosseini 77). Amir at this time was greedy and thought of himself over Hassan, with whom he had a complicated relationship. This event was the most importsnt one in the book because it is what drives Amir to help Sohrab at the end as an act of atonement for this. -
Ali and Hassan Leave
After there was too much tension in the household, especially with the stolen money, Ali stated, "'We are leaving, Agha Sahib'" (Hosseini 106). This event shows that not only did Amir feel different after the incident with Hassan, but the whole family was out of order, and cahnge was needed. The way Baba begged for Ali to stay displayed hw=ow Baba saw Ali: as a brother. And clearly Amir felt differently about Hassan. -
Soviet Troops Invade Afghanistan
Troops from the Soviet Union invaded Kabul, the captial of Afghanistan "to assist Babrak Karmal,who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership ("Afghanistan - An Overview"). -
Amir and Baba Move to America
Even though Baba loved the country itself, "It was living in America that gave him an ulcer" (Hosseini 125). Once Baba and Amir moved to America, everything about the characters and their morals changed. They were abke to have a closer relationship since the guilt of Hassan was not as present, and the power between the two shifted as Amir felt more comfortable outside of his childhood home of Kabul. -
Baba Destroys Nguyen's Grocery Store
When the grocery store owners asked to see Baba's ID, it drove him crazy and "on the floor: oranges, an overturned magazine rack, a broken jar of beef jerky, and shards of glass at Baba's feet" (Hosseini 127). This incident was an example of how uncomfortable and unwelcome Baba felt in America. He was used to being treated with more respect and having more power, but his power decreased when he moved away from Kabul. -
Amir Meets Soraya
While talking to General Taheri, he introduced Amir to "'my daughter, Soraya jan'" (Hosseini 141). This was their first ever introduction and from this moment on Amir knew he had fallen in love. This is an important moment because his future is with Soraya and this is the beginning of all of it. -
Amir and Soraya get Married
When Baba asks if Amir has the generals blessing to marry Soraya, "'The general accpeted" (Hosseini 163). This is significant because whe Amir and Soraya get married, it is the beginning of thier life together and showcases how much Amir values fmaily later on in his life. -
Baba Dies
One night when Baba went to sleep, "[he] never woke up" (Hosseini 173). WHen Baba died, him and Amir had finally greown closer together and formed a good relationship. This important event signified that Amir had to live the rest of his life making decisions for himself, and not living in his father's shadow, which wouild be challenging for him. -
Soviets Leave Afghanistan
The United Nations had important peace talks, and one result was that "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
Pakistan's Intervention
The Taliban were well supported; however, one big step that led them to power was when "Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money, and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisers to help guide them in battle" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
Power in Afghanistan
Even though the Soviet forces left Afghanistan, there were still problems. For example, "by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individal fifedoms" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
Mullah Omar
As the year 1994 ended, with almost 12,000 supporters and taking over all kinds of warlords all over the country, Mullah Omar "created a genuinely popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
Taliban Takeover
Finally, in 1996 Mullah Omar and the Taliban had gaine control of Afghanistan, "imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-envelope burqa clothing" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
Rahim Khan Calls Amir
In a phone call to Amir, Rahim Khan said, "'Come. There is a way to be good again" (Hosseini 192). He was telling Amir that something important was happening and that Amir could make up for what he did. This is the start of atonement, where Amir tries to redeem himself for running away from Hassan. -
Amir Makes His Decision
Once Amir realized that "a little part of [Hassan] lived on," he knew that "[he] was going to Kabul" (Hosseini 227). Amir finally relaized that he needed to atone for what he did to HAssan in order to not feel guilty anymore. Once he found out that Sohrab was actually family, this influenced his decision because one of Amir's values is family -
Sohrab Shoots Assef
While Assef was beating up Amir, "The slingshot made a 'thwiiiiit' sound when Sohrab released the cup" (Hosseini 290). Sohrab was the one to finally defeat Assef, the powerul Taliban soldier. This was supposed to remind of us the time when Hassan threatened Assef with a slingshot during childhood. It shows the real resemblence between him and his son. -
Amir and Sohrab Return to America
After facing many hardships, "We crossed a strip of warm, black tarmac and I brought Hassan's son from Afghanistan" (Hosseini 356). Amir finally decided to bring Sohrab back with him to his normal life and have his as a son. This was the final way of atoning for the winter of 1975 and he was showcasing all of his values. -
US Military Gets Involved in Afghanistan
The US moved troops into Afghanistan, "when it led an invasion after the September 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" ("Afghanistan - An Overview"). -
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai was a supporter and relative of the former Afghan king, and in 2001 Karzai "was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
New President
After saying that he hoped to bring peace to Afghanistan as interim president in 2002, Hamid Karzai "was eleced to a five-year term as president [of Afghanistan]" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
Obama Sends Troops
Barack Obama, US President, gave a speech and "and announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops [into Afghanistan]" ("Afghanistan-An Overview").