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Baba's Birth-year
Just before explaining to us about Ali and Baba's friendship, the author mentions how 1933 was "the year Baba was born and the year Zahir Shah began his forty-year reign of Afghanistan"(Hosseini 24). Hosseini explains Baba's birth year as a sign of violence and torture to the Hazara's. The author's word choice possibly foreshadows Baba's death later on. -
Period: to
Timespan
Timespan -
Orphanage
Through the story-telling of Rahim Kahn, one of Amir's memories flash backed to him from "the late 1960's, when [Amir] was five or six, Baba decided to build an orphanage"(Hosseini 13). Hosseini uses Amir as a way of telling the readers of Baba's backstory earlier on. The orphanage built by Baba highlights the strengths he had through the disappointing faces of others. -
Prime Minister
BBC News, a widely known news station, publishes that Mohammed Daud was "forced to resign as prime minister"(BBC News). http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Soccer
Since Baba loved playing soccer when he was young, "Baba took a break from the construction of the orphanage and flew to Tehran for a month to watch the World Cup games on television"(Hosseini 20). Since Afghanistan had no televisions, Baba had needed a break from building in order to see his childhood dreams. Soccer was a big part of Baba's youth, passing the loving passion on to Amir's life. -
Trickery
Revealing Amir's unloving morals, he had "played another little trick on Hassan ... [Amir] was reading to him, and suddenly [Amir] strayed from the written story"(Hosseini 30). With Amir's passion of playing tricks, he decides on scaring Hassan to his confusion. Since Hassan was nothing but a mere Hazara, he decided to become elated at Amir's story, repeating the beautiful sentences spoken from Amir. -
Peace
With a night of shooting beforehand, Kabul had awoken "the next morning to find that the monarchy was a thing of the past"(Hosseini 36). Fore playing the drastic parts of the war, a bloodless coup starts to override the king of his tyranny. In a well won victory, the king was out of power, driving most Afghans elated. -
Alley
Early on in his life, Amir remembers "the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the ally near the frozen creek"(Hosseini 1). Earlier in Amir's life, he foreshadows the rape of Hassan with the peeking into the alley. Hosseini's word choice emphasizes Amir's guilt towards that hurtful event. -
Kite Running
Foreshadowing the ending of the book, Amir shares how "[he] saw Hassan run a kite for the last time"(Hosseini 55). With Hassan being the best kite runner, Amir implies that Hassan no longer could be a part of the kite competition. This event triggered Amir to fight in the end by running the kite in his honer. -
Amir's Birthday
After moving into deeper thought, Hosseini mentions that "[Amir] turned thirteen that summer of 1976, Afghanistan's next to last summer of peace and anonymity"(Hosseini 93). Possibly foreshadowing a later event in the book, Hosseini leads the readers to believe that this truly was the next to last summer of peace and anonymity. The sadness received in the author's word choice highlights Amir as the one who ruined Hassan. -
General Daud + Coup
BBC News, a widely known news station, publishes that "General Daud is overthrown and killed in a pro-Soviet coup. The People's Democratic Party comes to power but is paralysed by violent infighting and faces opposition by US-backed mujahideen groups"(BBC News). http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Fights
BBC News, a widely known news station, publishes that Babrak Karmal was "installed as ruler, backed by Soviet troops. But opposition intensifies with various mujahideen groups fighting Soviet forces. US, Pakistan, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia supply money and arms to the mujahideen"(BBC News). http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Peshawar
When in the taxi cab with Gholam, Amir remembers "Peshawar pretty well from the few months Baba and [Amir] had spent there in 1981(Hosseini 195). Amir remembers the past memories of driving through the crowded streets of Peshwar and buying from the Bazaar with Hassan. Pakistan also reminded Amir of the times when Baba and Rahim Khan would communicate with each other from America to Pakistan. -
High School Graduation
After some time in America, "[Amir] graduated from high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarboard on the football field that day"(Hosseini 131). From the late start of education, Amir managed to excel in his academics and graduate in front of the one he loved the most, Baba. From the tossing of Amir's morterboard, the audience is given a clue that Amir's school graduates admired their graduation day, the day when you can advance into college. -
Baba's New Vehicle
After Amir and Baba stay in America for a while, Amir mentions that in "the summer of 1984--the summer I turned twenty-one--Baba sold his Buick and bought a dilapidated '71 Volkswagon bus for $550 from an old Afghan acquaintance who'd been a high-school science teacher in Kabul"(Hosseini 136-137). The year after graduation, Baba decides to buy a high-squeaking bus from one of his older friends. The new bus symbolizes the differences of good and bad lives with low and high socioeconomic classes. -
Spring Quarter
Just before Amir explains his miracle of passing his general classes, he adds that his "spring quarter ended in late May 1985"(Hosseini 144). With slight detail, Hosseini explains that Amir is almost ready to graduate and proceed into the real life world. Though thinking of Soraya all day, Amir indirectly can handle the challenges that education pulls you through. -
Alliance
BBC News, a widely known news station, publishes that the "Mujahideen come together in Pakistan to form alliance against Soviet forces. Half of Afghan population now estimated to be displaced by war, with many fleeing to neighboring Iran or Pakistan"(BBC News). http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Supplying
BBC News, a widely known news station, publishes that the "US begins supplying mujahideen with Stinger missiles, enabling them to shoot down Soviet helicopter gunships. Babrak Karmal replaced by Najibullah as head of Soviet-backed regime"(BBC News). http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Amir's First Novel
During the explanation of Amir's accomplishment, he highlights that "in the summer of 1988, about six months before the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, [Amir] finished [his] first novel, a father-son story set in Kabul"(Hosseini 182). As a lead in to the creation of Amir's first novel, Hosseini mentions the great news of the Soviet's retreating Afghanistan. With the way Hosseini explains Amir's first novel, readers can predict that his story is about either Amir and Baba or Baba and Hassan. -
Peace Treaty
BBC News, a widely known news station, publishes that the "Afghanistan, USSR, the US and Pakistan sign peace accords and Soviet Union begins pulling out troops"(BBC News). http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Farzana's Child
After the author shares the kind memories of Hassan, Hosseini mentions that "in 1990, Farzana became pregnant again"(Hosseini 209). In the time of war, Hassan's wife was able to produce another baby after losing the life of the last one. This moment became special to Hassan and Farzana because they might finally be able to take care of a child of their own. -
Factions
During the story of Wazir Akbar Khan giving Rahim Khan a house to watch, "Rahim Khan told me how, when the Northern Alliance took over Kabul between 1992 and 1996, different factions claimed different parts of Kabul"(Hosseini 199). Kabul became chaotic with the multiple factions hating each other for invalid reasons. Walking around anywhere meant risking a bullet to the head. -
Laws
BBC News, a widely known news station, publishes how the "Taliban seize control of Kabul and introduce hard-line version of Islam, banning women from work, and introducing Islamic punishments, which include stoning to death and amputations"(BBC News). http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Missiles
BBC News, a widely known news station, publishes that the "US launches missile strikes at suspected bases of militant Osama bin Laden, accused of bombing US embassies in Africa"(BBC News). http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Assassination
BBC News, a widely known news station, publishes "September - Ahmad Shah Masood, leader of the main opposition to the Taliban - the Northern Alliance - is assassinated"(BBC News). http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253 -
Fight Starting
BBC News, a widely known news station, publishes "January - Deployment of first contingent of foreign peacekeepers - the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) - marking the start of a protracted fight against the Taliban"(BBC News). http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253