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Amir betrays Hassan
Assef corners Hassan and Amir has a chance to speak up for him, "I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had. But I didn't. I just watched. Paralyzed" (Hosseini 70). Here Amir stands and watches as his friend gets raped and does nothing about it. When Assef was threatening Amir, Hassan stood up for him but Amir can't do the same. This shows a repeating theme through the story of Hassan's unwavering loyalty. -
Amir wins the kite tournament
When Amir finally won the kite tournament he was overjoyed, "[He] was throwing [his] free arm around Hassan and [they] were hopping up and down, both of [them] laughing, both of [them] weeping. 'You won, Amir agha! You won!'" (Hosseini 66). Amir won the kite tournament to finally win his fathers approval. Baba's constant disappointment in Amir makes Amir determined to win at all costs and when he does he can think of nothing else but their relationship improving. -
Ali and Hassan leave
When Baba forgives Hassan for stealing though Hassan didn't steal Ali insists on leaving, "Life here is impossible for us now, Agha sahib. We're leaving.'Ali drew Hassan to him, curled his arm around his son's shoulder. It was a protective gesture and I knew whom Ali was protecting him from."(Hosseini 106). Here Ali was protecting Hassan from Amir and Amir knew it. Amir made it seem like Hassan stole from baba so that he would leave because Amir couldn't stand seeing Hassan after the rape. -
The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul
In 1979, "The 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" (New York Times). -
Baba and Amir are forced to leave Afghanistan because of Russian soldiers
Amir is on a truck to Peshawar when he was hoping everything was a bad dream: "No grim-faced Russian soldiers patrolling the sidewalks, no tanks rolling up and down the streets of my city, their turrets swiveling like accusing fingers, no rubble, no curfews..." (Hosseini 113). He describes what the Russians were doing to his home and why they had to move. Baba and Amir moving impacts their life because it brings them to a new setting which is very different from the one they are accustomed too. -
Amir graduates high school when he is 20
Amir graduates and baba tells him, "'I am Moftakhir, Amir,' he said. Proud. His eyes gleamed when he said that and I liked being on the receiving end of that look" (Hosseini 131). Amir finally makes Baba proud by graduating high school. Now he is able to go to college and pursue his dream to be a writer. -
Baba ruins Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen's store
Amir apologizes for the damage Baba did to the store and says, "After I'd made him promise he wouldn't go back in, I returned to the store and apologized to the Nguyens. Told them my father was going through a difficult time" (Hosseini 128). Here, Amir and Baba's roles switch. Amir has to apologize for his fathers mistake and is embarrassed of him. Part of this is because in this new setting people's views on how a person should be are different because you are not shamed for being weak. -
Amir meets Soraya
When Amir talks to the General, the General introduces his daughter and says, "'My daughter, Soraya jan," General Taheri said" (Hosseini 141). This is an important part in the book because Amir's initial reaction to Soraya foreshadows his future relationship with her. After this part he describes not being able to forget her and makes excuses to see her. -
Soraya and Amir marry
Soraya's family make their marriage final when he accepts Amir in his family saying, "We are honored to welcome the son of a man such as yourself to the family" (Hosseini 168). This takes place at Amir and Soraya's wedding when the families are accepting each other. This is a big event in Amir's life because he found the love of his life that he will stay with forever. -
Baba dies
Baba insists on skipping his medicine and Soraya says, "'Okay,' she said. She pulled up his blanket. [They] closed the door. Baba never woke up" (Hosseini 173). Amir believes he needs baba for almost everything so Baba not being there anymore to guide him, terrifies him. However Baba dying is important in Amir's growth as a man and him becoming independent. -
The Soviet Leaves Afghanistan
After talks of peace with the United Nations, "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal" (New York Times). -
Amir finds out that him and Soraya can't have kids and he won't adopt
When Amir says he doesn't want to adopt he said it was because, "something, someone, somewhere, had decided to deny [him] fatherhood for the things [he] had done. Maybe this was [his] punishment, and perhaps justly so" (Hosseini 188). Here Amir is still thinking about Hassan and what he did so many years ago. This foreshadows how the the guilt about Hassan and Amir's past influences Amir and his decisions. -
Power was divided in Afghanistan after Soviets leave
In the summer of 1994, "power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms. But one group would eventually gain control" (New York Times) -
Mullah Omar and followers create the Taliban
After Mullah Omar gathered a group of men to fight a group that raped a girl he, "had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east. With his promise of restoring the centrality of Islam to daily life, he created a genuinely popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality" (New York Times). -
Pakistan gets ready for war
In 1994, "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" (New York Times). -
Taliban take over Afghanistan and create strict laws
In 1996 with Pakistani aid, "...the Taliban...had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict - enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-enveloping burqa clothing" (New York Times). -
The Taliban supported Mr. bin Laden
In 1996 The Taliban, "provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden who arrived...for Al Qaeda. Western diplomats say Al Qaeda helped persuade Mullah Omar to order the destruction of the 800-year-old Buddha statues at Bamiyan, an act condemned around the world" (New York Times). -
Amir fights Assef for Soharb and wins
Assef was beating up Amir when Sohrab saves him by using a slingshot, "'PUT IT DOWN!'" Assef let go of my throat. Lunged at Sohrab. The slingshot made a thwiiiiit sound when Sohrab released the cup. Then Assef was screaming" (Hosseini 291). Here, Assef was beating up Amir but Sohrab gets a slingshot and shoots it at Assef's eye, so then Amir and Sohrab come out victorious. This is ironic because many years ago Hassan also saved Amir from Assef with a slingshot. -
Al Qaeda attacked America on September 11th
The US has been at war with "Afghanistan since 2001, when it led an invasion after the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" (New York Times). -
US allies itself with Taliban enemies
After the September 11th attack, "President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden. When it refused, the United States joined forces with rebel groups that had never accepted Taliban rule" (New York Times). -
Sohrab agrees to live with Amir in America
Amir asks Sohrab for the final time, "'Come home with me.' ... his hand squeezed mine back. And he nodded. He nodded" (Hosseini 324). Here Amir finally gains Sohrab's trust and Sohrab agrees to live with him. This is almost like a redemption for Amir after what he did to Hassan and Amir feels a connection to Sohrab after their encounter with Assef. -
Sohrab attempts suicide
Amir tells Sohrab that he might have to stay in an orphanage for a little bit and breaks his promise. Then when he see's Sohrab in after he committed suicide, "Suddenly [he] was on [his] knees, Screaming through [his] clenched teeth. Screaming until I thought my throat would rip" (Hosseini 343). This is when Amir see's Sohrab almost dead in the bath. Sohrab's suicide attempt clearly has a big affect on Amir because Sohrab was finally beginning to trust him. Amir has to gain his trust again. -
Amir stands up for Sohrab when the General calls him a Hazara boy
When the general asks Amir why he brought a Hazara boy home Amir says, "you will never again refer to him as 'Hazara boy' in my presence. His name is Sohrab" (Hosseini 361). Amir finally stands up for Sohrab and in a way is also standing up for Hassan. This is something he knows he should have done a long time ago when Assef said that Hassan was "just a Hazara". This is a big point in his life because it finally shows that he has changed from the entitled kid he was before. -
Hamid Karzai replaces Taliban
In December 2001 Taliban was replaced by, "Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the exiled former king of Afghanistan, was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country" (New York Times). -
Sohrab smiles for the first time in a long time
Amir teaches Sohrab how to fly a kite and for the first time he smiles and Amir has hope saying, "Only a smile. A tiny thing. A leaf in the woods, shaking in the wake of a startled bird's flight. But I'll take it. With open arms" (Hosseini 371). Sohrab finally smilies and show interest in something for the first time in a really long time. This gives Amir hope that he hasn't lost Sohrab completely and makes him really happy.
