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Amir is born
In the novel, the narrator, Amir, revelas that "Hassan was born in the winter of 1964, one year before [him]" (6). Throughout the novel, there is numerous flashbacks, so it is essential to know when Amir was born in order to have knowledge of his age in different scenes. This year will help us have better understanding of Amir's actions in different points of his life. -
Hassan is raped by Assef
After cornering Hassan and demanding the blue kite from him, 'Assef knelt behind Hassan, put his hand's on Hassan's hips and lifted his bare buttocks" (75). This powerful scene changes Hassan's as well as Amir's perspective of life. Hassan will forevermore be scared by this event, while Amir will never cease to feel ashamed or guilty for not taking action. -
Ali and Hassan discontinue working as servants for Baba
The father-son duo decide to leave because "life [there is] impossible for [them] now" (106). By now, Ali is referring to the post-rape time period of Hassan's life and Amir's treatment towards him in this difficult time. The duo leaving greatly impacts both Baba and Amir, as Hassan and Ali have been with them throughout their lives. Their leaving will subtract that companionship from Amir's and Baba's lives. -
Period: to
Kite Runner and the History of Afghanistan
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Invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan "in 1979" has led to a "military struggle" for the country ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
First Soviet Troops parachute into Kabal
Soviet troops enter Afghanistan with the hopes to "assist Babrak Karmal" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"), the president at the time. -
Amir and Baba leave Kabul for America
Amir reveals to us that the duo "left the house where [he] lived his entire life" (112). By leaving Kabul because of the Soviet Union, Amir and Baba are leaving things that are well-known and farmilar to them for a foreign life abroad. This event sets way for the rest of the plot, as the setting will now change to America. -
Rahim Khan goes to Hazarajat to find Hassan
Rahim Khan searches for Hassan because "[he] was lonely[,] barely knew anyone in Kabul[, and needed to] fix things that needed fixing" (Hosseini 203). By finding Hassan, he also uncovers Hassan's past, which Rahim Khan eventually reveals to Amir. By doing so, Amir becomes more in-touch with his past actions and their consequences. -
Amir marries Soraya Taheri
After asking Baba to reques Soraya's hand in marriage for Amir, Baba reveals "the general accepted" the request (163). From this point on in the novel, Amir and Soraya become lifelong companions, adding both love and friendship to their lives. This marriage symbolizes Amir's growth as a man, and illustrates to readers that he is no longer the little boy who grew up in Kabul. -
Baba dies from cancer
After going to sleep one night, the narrator reveals that "Baba never woke up" (173). Baba's death sets way for a new stage in Amir's life, one in which he will need independence and courage to live life without his beloved father. Along with Baba's death, much of Afghanistan's culture dies with him as well for Amir, for Baba was the one to hold on to the traditions of their home land. -
Last Soviet troops leave Afghanistan
Soviet troops leave the country "after peace talks moderated by the United Nations" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"), leaving the country devasted. -
Sanaubar finds Hassan
Rahim Khan discovers a "toothless woman with stringy graying hair and sores on her arms" when Sanuabar reveals herself at Baba's house (Hosseini 209). The last time Hassan had been with his mother was at birth, so this reunion was significant to Hassan's life, as he had grown up mother-less. The Sanaubar that is revealed in this scene is not the one that Rahim Khan previously knew, showing that she is a changed person. -
Sohrab is born
Hassan's son is born when "Sanaubar delivers [him] that winter of 1990" (Hosseini 211). Sohrab's birth is significant to Rahim Khan as well as his parents, as he symbolizes hope and happiness for the trio in this difficult time for Afghanistan.n The child's birth also paves way for a major conflict in the novel. -
Power divided between warlords and fiefdoms
After the Soviet Union left the country, "Afghanistan descended into vicous internecine strife" over who would rule the newly freed country ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
The Taliban obtain control of Afghanistan
The Taliban sieze "control in 1996 after years of civil war" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). This is an Islamic group. -
The Taliban take over Afghanistan
With the help of Pakistan, "the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"), thus enforcing strict laws following Islam. -
Amir visits Rahim Khan in Pakistan
The narrator reveals to the reader that he must "go back to Pakistan" because "Rahim Khan is very sick" (191). Amir's visit to his home land will unshevel secrets and memories from his past; he will be sucked back into the life that he left. This visit is significant to Amir because it is the first time he has been in Afghanistan since the Soviet Union's invasion, so it will not be the country he so remembers. -
Amir confronts Assef about Sohrab
This confrontation results in a gruesome fight in which Amir is "on the ground laughing" (Hosseini 291), then is saved by Sohrab when he get's a "ball stuck in [Assef's] empty eye socket" (Hosseini 291). This scene demonstrates Amir's view on the fight, as he sees his being beaten up as consequences for the actions he did not take regarding Hassan's sexual abuse. Also, this part of then novel is when Amir first meets and obtains Sohrab. -
Sohrab tries to commit suicide
Amir walks into the hotel bathroom to find "bloody bathwater [and Sohrab's] left arm dangling over the side of the tub, the blood-soaked razor sitting on the toilet tank" (Hosseini 348). From this point on in the novel, Sohrab become speechless and Amir must make an extra effort in order to console and accomodate the young boy. This scene reveals that one can never escape their past experiences, as Sohrab's motives for trying to kill himself were to not go back to an orphanage. -
Al Qaeda attacks the United States
Al Qaeda, a terrorist group based in Afghanistan and run by the Taliban, "attack the World Trade Center in New York" on this day ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
Defeat of the Taliban
The Taliban are "driven out of major Afghan cities" after "an air and ground campaign" initiated by the United States and rebel groups ("Afghanistan-An Overview"). -
Hassan and Farzana are killed
Hassan was "shot in the back of the head" by Talib officials after being accused of lying about living with Rahim Khan, while Farzana was killed after attacking them (Hosseini 219). This scene leaves Sohrab an orphan, causing his life to take a turn for the worse in orphanages and similar establishments. In addition, the relevation of this scene to Amir causes him to feel deep remorse and strengthens his quest to find and adopt Sohrab. -
Story concludes
The story end with Amir revealing to the reader that Sohrab gave him a "smile, nothing more" after flying a kite with him "Hosseini 371). This small sentence reveals hope for Sohrab's future, as it foreshadows him being able to speak and become more emotionally stable in his future. The author leaves the reader on this note, as there is much room for interpretation for the events that are to strike the family after the story is concluded. -
Hamid Karzai elected president of Afghanistan
After being "named chairman of an interm government that replaced and defeated the Taliban" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"), Karzai becomes a leader in the country with hopes to obtain national peace and international aid. -
Barrack Obama announces his plan to deploy 30,000 troops
Because the issue in Afghanistan was a "thorny problem" ("Afghanistan-An Overview"), Mr.Obama deploys troops in order to maintain and protect the newly created government and to cease the Taliban cause from existence. -
Amir and Sohrab return to America
The pair was "picked up at the airport on a warm day in August 2001" (Hosseini 357). This event signals a change in setting for the novel, as well as a new beginning of both male's lives. Amir will now serve as a father-like figure for Sohrab, while Sohrab will need to adjust to the American lifestyle.