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The Winter of 1975
This is the last time Hassan and Amir truly are friends because when Assef rapes Hassan and Amir watches and does nothing, he states, "I ran because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt" (Hosseini 77). This is the beginning of times of darkness and guilt for not only Amir, but everyone. Because Amir did nothing, everything that follows would have never happened and he would not have been so hard on himself for the rest of his life. -
Hassan and Ali Leave
After Hassan is raped, Ali decides that "life here is impossible for us now. We're leaving" (Hosseini 106). Baba is severely distraught after hearing this and Amir is the only one who knows as to why they are leaving so abruptly, except he cannot tell why. Like usual, Hassan protects Amir and makes sure that he is not punished for his wrongdoings. -
Soviet Invasion
Since the invasion of the Soviet Union, Afganistan, "has known little peace since 1979" (NYT). -
The Soviet Union Invades
The fall of Afganistan was caused by the Soviet Union invasion when troops supposedly, "came in response to a plea for help from a legitimately constituted Karmal Government," insisted by the country of Moscow. -
Amir and Baba Head to America
When the Russians invaded, Baba and Amir leave to go to America where "it was living in America that gave him an ulcer" (Hosseini 125). Although Baba loved the idea of the United States, he hated actually living there and yearned for his life back in Afghanistan. This really affected the second half of the novel because it brought Baba and Amir closer together because they had to work together to earn money. -
Amir Meets Soraya
After Amir meets his future lover, he "thought of Soraya Taheri's sickle-shaped birthmark, her gently hooked nose, and the way her luminous eyes had fleetingly held mine. My heart stuttered at the thought of her" (Hosseini 142). Amir changed as a man after he met Soraya and became a better man because of her. She made him want to change and helped him become the person that would eventually adopt his brother's son and save him from the Taliban. -
Amir Marries Soraya
After Baba comes home from the hospital, Amir asks "I wonder if you'll do something for me...I want you to ask General Taheri for his daughter's hand" (Hosseini 161). This is one of the last hurrah's before Baba's death and is a very special time for Amir. His wedding is the beginning of a new chapter of the novel and Amir's life. -
Soviet Union is Useless
The Soviet Union left Afghanistan after nine years because the Soviet Airforce, "rendered useless by advanced Stinger antiaircraft missiles supplied by the United States to the rebels" (NYT). -
Baba Dies of Cancer
Amir states after Baba dies, "My whole life, I had been 'Baba's son.' Now he was gone. Baba couldn't show me the way anymore; I'd have to find it on my own" (Hosseini 174). Baba has guided Amir and told him how to live his life, but now that he is dead Amir has to figure out how he can live without him. After Amir finds out later on who Baba really was, this helps Amir to figure out who he truly wants to be without help from anyone else. -
The Departure of the Soviets
When the Soviets left Afghanistan, "they left behind a country that was not only devasted by the war but that had become a beacon to Islamic extremists from across the globe who had come to assist in the fighting, including Osama bin Laden and the group he helped found, Al Qaeda" (NYT). -
Sohrab is Born
When Hassan's mother returned, "It was Sanaubar who delivered Hassan's son that winter of 1990" (Hosseini 211). Although Sohrab appeared at the end of the novel, he changed the storyline and most of the characters. Before Amir knew about Sohrab, he carried around a great deal of guilt and meeting Sohrab relieves Amir of his guilt. -
Hassan and Farzana are Killed by Taliban
When Hassan tries to defend Rahim Kahn's name and property, he is shot by the Taliban and his wife is as well when she tries to save him. Later on, Rahim Kahn tells Amir "...they took him to the street... and shot him in the back of the head" (Hosseini 219). Amir's brother was killed, but only he never knew that they were siblings, thus he never got to try and atone. This tragic event caused Amir to connect with his adopted son/nephew and lead him to remorse for his sins. -
Rahim Kahn Tells Amir to Find Sohrab
Rahim Kahn calls Amir and tells him that his last dying wish is that, "I want yout to go to Kabul. I want you to bring Sohrab here" (Hosseini 220). Before this, Rahim Kahn explains that this could possibly be a way to turn Amir's life around and atone for his actions. By Rahim Kahn telling Amir this, he set course the next portion of this novel. -
Amir and Sohrab Fight Assef
After Amir and Assef reunite because of Sohrab, Assef declares that their rivalry is not over, "Assef had backed down, promised that in the end he'd get us both. He'd kept that promise with Hassan. Now it was my turn" (Hosseini 286). Assef definitely kept his promise and would have killed Amir if it were not for Sohrab. Sohrab saved Amir's life and displayed many characteristics that his father, Hassan, had when he was alive. -
After the 9/11 Invasion
After the terrorist attack, the President of the United States, "gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden" (NYT). -
The New President
When the new president was elected, Hamid Karzai, he "hoped to secure peace for Afghanistan and win the country much-needed international aid," (NYT) but ended up being blamed for the corrupt officials and lack of economic progress. -
Sohrab Saves Amir's Life
Assef and Amir fight in one final battle over the want of Sohrab, but Assef unfortunately almost kills Amir if it were not for Sohrab. Afterwards, Amir is rushed to the hospital and the doctors say that he, "...suffered some very significant injuries," (Hosseini 296) and was lucky to be alive. This time in the hospital though, gave Amir time to bond with Sohrab. Later on in the novel, Amir adopts Sohrab and it all started when Sohrab saved Amir. -
Taliban
Although the Taliban had been defeated, it "continued to wage a guerrilla warfare from a base in the mountainous and largely lawless tribal area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border" (NYT). -
Amir loses Sohrab's trust
Sohrab tries to commit suicide because of the thought of possibly going back to an orphanage. Because of this, Sohrab loses Amir's trust and says, "...I wish you had left me in the water" (Hosseini 355). Sohrab does not forgive Amir for this and when they arrive in America, Sohrab refuses to talk to anyone. This makes the final scene even more heart felt and shows how hurtful and powerful words can be. -
Sohrab Tries to Commit Suicide
After Amir tells Sohrab the depressing news that he might need to go back to an orphanage, Sohrab believes his only option is to slit his wrists. As Amir finds Sohrab, he finds himself, "Screaming through my clenched teeth. Screaming until I thought my throat rip and my chest would explode" (Hosseini 343). Amir never knew that this would ever happen from what he had said to Sohrab. After this, nothing between Amir and Sohrab was the same. -
Amir Stands Up for Sohrab
When Sohrab arrived in America, there was a lot of explaining for Amir to do, especially to his family. After General Sahib makes a comment about Sohrab, Amir responds, "You will never again refer to him as 'Hazara boy' in my presence. He has a name and it's Sohrab" (Hosseini 361). Henceforth, no comments were ever made about Sohrab again and Amir proved his loyalty to his nephew. Sohrab and Amir's relationship starts to improve after this and things start looking up. -
September 11 Attack
Because of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, "the United States has been militarily involved in Afghanistan since 2001." -
Amir and Sohrab Run the Kite
When Sohrab tried to commit suicide, he and Amir lost any sort of relationship that they once had. But when Amir runs Sohrab's kite for him in America, he states "for you, a thousand time over" (Hosseini 371). In the beginning of the book, the running of the kites symbolized the start of an era of guilt. This quote was a great way to end the novel because it showed how Amir had changed and how he loved Sohrab the same amount that Hassan had loved Amir and almost as if all had been forgiven. -
General Petraeus
After General Petraeus took control of the United States Central Command, he had the "responsibility for military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and across the region" (NYT). -
President Obama
When Obama sent over 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, "he vowed to start bringing American forces home from Afghanistan in the middle of 2011, saying the United States could not afford and should not have to should an open-ended commitment" (NYT).