Kite Runner & the History of Afghanistan

By calvinpotter

  • [NOVEL] Amir's mom dies while giving birth

    [NOVEL] Amir's mom dies while giving birth
    Amir's mother, Sofia Akrami, died while giving birth to Amir. He describes her absence when he explains, "I had been raised by men; I hadn't grown up around women" (Hosseini 180). Amir connecting his mother's absence to his actions furthers the idea of the impact that the environment and values that he was built upon had on him. Amir's actions being influenced by Baba shows that his mother's absence caused him to have different expectations and morals.

  • [NOVEL] Hassan's mother runs away with circus

    [NOVEL] Hassan's mother runs away with circus
    After giving birth to Hassan, Hassan's mother, Sanaubar, runs away with a circus. Immediately after delivery, Sanaubar looks at the baby Hassan and says to Ali, "Now you have your own idiot child to do all your smiling for you!" (Hosseini 10). Sanaubar making fun of her own baby shows the poor relationship that Hassan and her had. By running away after ridiculing the looks of her baby, Sanuabar clearly displayed the lack of respect she had for her own infant.

  • [NOVEL] Amir and Hassan hear the first gunshots in Kabul.

    Amir and Hassan were jolted awake by the gunfire. The experience was documented by Amir who wrote, "Something roared like thunder. The earth shook a little and we heard the rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire" (Hosseini 35). Through Amir's documentation of the gunfire, we can tell they had never seen something like this before. Amir later finds out that the gunfire came from the Russians who eventually overthrew the Afghan monarchy.

  • [NOVEL] Amir wins the kite fighting competition

    [NOVEL] Amir wins the kite fighting competition
    Amir's victory was a key event in his relationship with Baba. Amir winning the competition caused Baba to be proud as, "He opened his arms. . . Baba held me close to him, rocking me back and fourth" (Hosseini 79). This was one of the few times Baba had ever been proud of Amir and Amir greatly cherished this moment. This event brought both Baba and Amir closer to each other.

  • [NOVEL] Hassan gets raped by Assef

    [NOVEL] Hassan gets raped by Assef
    While retrieving Amir's kite, Hassan runs into Assef and his friends who wound and rape Hassan. Amir was a bystander during this incident and he described Hassan's reaction when he says , "I caught a glimpse of his face. Saw the resignation in it. . . It was the look of the lamb" (Hosseini 76). Amir describing Hassan as the lamb in the situation shows Hassan's helplessness and need of help. In the end, Amir never helped the desperate Hassan and this event haunted him for the next 30 years.

  • [NOVEL] Ali and Hassan leave Baba and Amir

    Despite Baba forgiving Hassan for stealing after Amir secretly frames him, Ali decides to leave with Hassan. Baba's reaction is recorded from Amir's perspective as he states, "I saw Baba do something I had never seen him do before: He cried. It scared me a little, seeing a grown man sob" (Hosseini). Baba crying after Ali and Hassan leave demonstrates Baba's close relationship with them. For Amir, seeing Baba cry is a turning point in his life as his role model had just broken down crying.

  • [NOVEL] Amir confesses to not helping Hassan while Hassan got raped

    During the middle of the night while Amir is on vacation with relatives, Amir confesses to not helping Hassan as he got raped, although nobody hears him since they are all asleep. Amir confesses, "I watched Hassan get raped" (Hosseini 86). Amir owning up to his actions shows how much he cares about his mistake. In the end, his attempt of atonement after not helping Hassan proves his care and respect for his friend.

  • [ARTICLE] The Soviet Army invades Kabul, Afghanistan

    In the article from "The New York Times, the author describes the Soviet's army invasion into Kabul. The author states, "Soviet troops stayed in the country for more than nine years, fighting a conflict that cost them roughly 15,000 lives" (New York Times 2).

  • [NOVEL] Amir and Baba move to the U.S.

    When war breaks out in Kabul, Amir and Baba decide to move to the United States in search of security. Amir's desire for a movement to the new country is seen when he states, "On to freedom. On to safety" (Hosseini 119). Amir's want for individuality and safety is what causes him to want to move to America. Amir and Baba moving to the U.S. is a key event in the plot because them moving away from their past lives causes regret and desire for atonement.

  • [NOVEL] Amir and Baba are smuggled in the back of a truck with other Afghans

    While attempting to leave Afghanistan and travel to the U.S., Amir and Baba are smuggled in the back of an oil truck with other Afghans. In the truck, Amir was "cramped with these strangers. . . mouth filled with saliva, a sign of the retching that was yet to come" (Hosseini 111). The discomfort and pain that Amir had to go through while being smuggled in the back of an oil truck represents the struggle to escape the war. Around this time, Afghans went through hell to get away to safety.

  • [NOVEL] Amir get married to Sorayas

    After Baba is diagnosed with his cancer, Amir and Soraya decide to get married. According to Amir, "Baba spent $35,000, nearly the balance of his life savings" (Hosseini 169). Baba spending almost all of his life savings shows his love and want for Amir to live the best life he can. Baba's gesture is a key point in him and Amir's relationship because Amir can see that Baba does truly care about him and loves him greatly.

  • [NOVEL] Baba dies of lung cancer

    Soon after Amir gets married to Soraya, Baba dies of lung cancer. Just before Baba dies, he tells Amir, "There is no pain tonight" (Hosseini 173). Baba letting Amir know that there will be no pain or sorrow tonight foreshadows his death as he never wakes up the next morning. Baba's acknowledgment shows his care and love for Amir since he didn't want Amir to be upset about Baba's death.

  • [ARTICLE] Pakistani intelligence officers gather supplies to aid Taliban

    "The New York Times" writes about the Pakistani aiding the Taliban in their article as the text says, "As early as 1994, Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisers to help guide them into battle" (The New York Times 3).

  • [NOVEL] Amir finds out that Hassan is dead and that he is his brother

    After talking Rahim Kahn, Amir learns about Hassan's death and most importantly the fact that Hassan is his brother and Hassan's son is stranded in Kabul. Amir's reaction was recorded when he explains, ""But all I could manage was to whisper "No. No. No" over and over again"" (Hosseini 219). Amir denying Hassan's death shows his care and love for his now brother. After not seeing Hassan for almost 20 years, Amir still kept his love for him, ultimately showing that he always cared about him.

  • [NOVEL] Amir returns to Kabul

    After Amir receives news about Hassan getting shot and Amir's nephew being stuck at an orphanage, Amir decides to travel back to Kabul. When Amir returns, Kabul is completely destroyed and his reaction is seen when he states, "Rubble and beggars" (Hosseini 245). Amir being in shock after seeing his old home in destruction shows how much the town had changed since he left. After seeing the great change, Amir starts to feel that he needs to repair the town and save the remaining people.

  • [ARTICLE] United States takes part in war in Afghanistan

    "The New York Times" explains the United States's presence in Afghanistan when the text reads, "The United States has bee militarily involved in Afghanistan since 2001, when it led an invasion after the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" (The New York Times 1).

  • [ARTICLE] Hamid Karzai named chairman of the Afghanistan government

    In the article by "The New York Times", the text describes, "In December 2001, 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" (The New York Times 3).

  • [ARTICLE] George Bush orders Taliban to hand over Osama bin Laden

    In the article by "The New York Times", the authors explain, "After the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden" (The New York Times 3).

  • [NOVEL] Amir finds Sohrab and fights Assef

    When Amir goes to a Taliban official to discuss adopting Sohrab, Hassan's son, the Taliban official turns out to be Assef who starts beating up Amir. While getting beat up, Amir starts, "Laughing and laughing" (Hosseini 289). Amir laughs as Assef beats him because Amir feels this is the beating he deserved for not helping Amir almost 30 years before. This beating is a way for Amir to relieve his stress and Amir laughs in satisfaction.

  • [NOVEL] Amir flies a kite with Sohrab

    At the end of the story, Amir flies a kite with Sohrab and Amir runs the kite for Sohrab just like how Hassan used to run the kite for Amir. Amir restates Hassan's quote to Sohrab when he says, "For you, a thousand times over" (Hosseini 371). Amir restating Hassan's old words symbolizes Amir's relationship with Hassan from when they were children to the current day with Amir's relationship with Sohrab. The power of these words shows Amir's respect and loyalty for his nephew, Sohrab.

  • [ARTICLE] Obama fights back against Taliban

    The article by "The New York Times", explains how U.S. president Barack Obama fought back against the Taliban. The article reads, "President Obama made Afghanistan the central military focus of his administration, drawing troops out of Iraq and increasing the number in Afghanistan by almost 50,000" (The New York Times 1).

  • [ARTICLE] General Patraeus declared in charge of United States Central Command

    "The New York Times" describes in their article, "General Patraeus, the Iraq commander who recieved much of the credit for the success of the surge there, had taken charge of United States Central Command in October 2008" (The New York Times 4).

  • [ARTICLE] Obama announces his plan to deploy more troops in Afghanistan

    In the article written by "The New York Times", the article reads, "In a speech delivered Dec. 1, 2009, at West Point, Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (The New York Times 4).

  • [ARTICLE] United states plan to retreat from Afghanistan

    In the article written by "The New York Times", the article describes how the U.S.'s, "Initial plans called for American combat forces to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in the summer of 2011" (The New York Times 1).

  • [ARTICLE] Obama announces the United States won't withdraw forces until 2014.

    "The New York Times" explains in their article how Obama changed his original plans to withdraw forces in 2011 until, "At least the end of 2014, when it intends to pass responsibility for the security to the Afghan government" (The New York Times 1).