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Events in Afghanistan
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KR: Amir Abandons Hassan in the Alley
As Amir watched Assef rape Hassan from the sidelines, Amir had the choice to "step into that alley, stand up for Hassan–the way he'd stood up for [Amir] all those times in the past–and accept whatever would happen to [himself]. Or [Amir] could run. In the end, [Amir] ran" (Hosseini 77). Amir's decision to abandon Hassan is reflected upon his cowardice. Hosseini often displays Hassan standing up to Assef for Amir although Amir fails to defend Hassan even at times when Hassan needed him the most. -
KR: Baba Takes Pride in Amir's Kite Battle // After Amir finally wins the
kite competition and manages to spark some pride in Baba's eyes, "Baba and [Amir] immersed [themselves] in a sweet illusion, saw each other in a way that [they] had never before" (Hosseini 87). For the first time in Amir's life, he is able to relate to his father on a temporary level because although they may have both won a kite battle, they still have many differences that prevent them from bonding on a very personal perspective. However, this does allow them to progress on their relationship. -
KR: Amir Sees the Reality of His Relationship with Baba // When Amir finally realizes that he
has been living in a momentary dream that will eventually end, "[He] didn't want any of it—it was all blood money; Baba would have never thrown me a party like that is I hadn't won the tournament" (Hosseini 101). After Amir and Baba's relationship begins to cease, he realizes that if he had not won the tournament, Baba would have never gone through all the trouble to spend so much money on Amir's birthday party. Their relationship had only been built on one thinning similarity between the two. -
The Soviet Union Invasion
The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan in which the "Soviet Army...props up communist government" (BBC News 2016) and establishes a higher authority over Afghan citizens. When the Russian forces invade Afghanistan, they showed little to no respect towards Afghans many of which who attempted to flee to neighboring countries. The Soviet Army did not show any courtesy and just needed to invade Afghanistan to acquire more land. -
KR: Russian Tanks Invade Afghanistan
After the night that gunfire first erupted on the streets of Afghanistan, Amir states, "Russian tanks would roll into the very same streets where Hassan and I played, bringing the death of the Afghanistan I knew" (Hosssini 36). Amir's words imply that the gunfire that night was just a part of something more important. Those first shots that rang in the night foreshadows the havoc Russian military will have on Afghanistan. -
KR: Baba and Amir leave for America // When Baba and Amir leave for America, they encounter a Russian soldier who demands that he
get half an hour with the lady in the back of the truck in exchange for their truck's escape across the border, but despite Amir's pleas Baba tells the soldier that he "'would take a thousand of his bullets before [he] let this indecency take place'" (Hosseini 116). Baba's brave words causes Amir to see another contrasting trait between each other, Baba's bravery and Amir's cowardliness. Amir failed to even defend his closest friend, yet Baba manages to risk his life for a complete stranger. -
KR: Kamal's Father Shoots Himself After His Son's Death
After Kamal dies on the side of the road, Kamal's father grabbed Karim's gun and "shoved the barrel in his own mouth. [Amir will] never forget the echo of that blast" (Hosseini 124). After his son's death Kamal's father kills himself because he feels that he has nothing to live for. At often times, Afghan families who immigrate to the U.S. don't all make it. This leaves the remaining family members alone causing them to feel that they have nothing left and no purpose to live. -
KR: Baba's wrath comes down on the Nguyens' grocery store
When the Nguyens' ask for Baba's ID, he roars, "Almost two years we've...put money in his pocket and the son of a dog wants to see my license" (Hosseini 127). Baba erupts in rage out of disbelief because of the different legal customs of America that are not present in Afghanistan where sticks could be used as credit cards. Baba still constantly struggles with adjusting to the American customs because he has been accustomed to living Afghanistan for so long. -
KR: Amir Graduates from High School
When Amir graduates from high school, "'I am moftakhir, Amir,' Baba [says]. Proud. [Baba's] eyes gleamed when he said that and [Amir] liked being on the receiving end of that look" (Hosseini 131). Baba finally gives Amir a true look of pride that Amir has been longing for a majority of his life. This is the first time that Amir feels truly accepted by Baba despite his childhood kite battle which only gave them a short period of bonding. -
KR: Amir and Soraya's First Exchange // der inequality that the culture abides to deteriorates the status of women and uplifts that of men.
Amir takes his respectful inquiry towards Soraya a step farther and asks her another question, but if she were to respond then their conversation would be "dangerously on the verge of gossip material ... Poison tongues would flap. And she would bear the brunt of that poison, not me—I was fully aware of the Afghan double standard that favored my gender" (Hosseini 146). In Afghan culture, women are constantly degraded because of how many cultural expectations they are required to uphold. The gen- -
KR: Soraya Admits her Darkest Secret to Amir
Before Soraya and Amir get married, she says, "'You need to know. I don't want us to start with secrets. And I'd rather you hear it from me" (Hosseini 164). Admitting this to Amir took Soraya a vast amount of courage because she is a woman that has slept with another man meaning much of her integrity has already been deteriorated. However, ironically, Amir fails to do the same and withholds his secret to Soraya due to his reoccurring cowardly personality. -
KR: Baba's Last Fatherly Duty // Amir.
When Amir drops Baba off in the Taheri's driveway, "He smiled. [Amir] drove away. In the rearview mirror, Baba was hobbling up the Taheris' driveway for one last fatherly duty" (Hosseini 163). Baba finally displays Amir's long wanted act of fatherly affection when he fulfills Amir's last request to him. Throughout "The Kite Runner", Amir is usually the one to display affection towards his father, but as the father and the son's relationship grows closer, Baba begins to display more affection to -
KR: Baba's Funeral
As Amir greets the mourners who attended Baba's funeral, he realizes that "Baba couldn't show [him] the way anymore; [he'd] have to find it on [his] own. The thought of it terrified [him]" (Hosseini 174). Amir finally comprehends that he had been only seen as Baba's son, but now that Baba is no longer around to instruct Amir, he must rely on himself to make his own decisions. However, Amir is hesitant to and quite frightened to choose his path because he is filled with cowardice. -
The Taliban Infiltration
The Taliban enforces harsh Islamic laws and punishments on the Pashtun citizens that lead to executions and amputations which allow the extremist group to"seize control of Kabul and spread its control across the country" (Time Inc. 2016). When the Taliban infiltrated Afghanistan, many people were seen as opposers of the Afghan faith. The Taliban had even thought the president was anti-Pashtun and corrupt. This then lead to the extremist group's tyranny over the citizens of Afghanistan. -
Drought Devastates Afghans
A drought in Afghanistan results in many inhabitable rural areas which causes "More than 1 million Afghans to flee to neighboring Pakistan, where they languish in squalid refugee camps" (Admin 2011). Not only did the Afghans have to deal with the Taliban's new rule, but they also had to adapt to the sudden drought that made living in Afghanistan harder than it already was for the people. This natural disaster then lead to the departure of many citizens who fled to neighboring countries. -
Osama bin Laden seeks refuge in Afghanistan
Considered an international terrorist, Osama bin Laden was hiding in Afghanistan in 2001, where he was believed to be "cultivating thousands of followers in terrorist training camps" (Admin 2011) causing the United States to demand that bin Laden's location be revealed. When the United States pressured Taliban leaders with numerous negotiations and threats, the Taliban lashed back at U.S. officials and war broke out between the two countries. -
KR: Rahim Khan Tells Amir That There is a Way to Be Good Again
When Rahim Khan becomes very ill and calls Amir to see him one more time, he adds that "There is a way to be good again ... just before hanging up" (Hosseini 192). When Rahim Khan asks Amir to go to Afghanistan to visit him, he does it because he knows it is the last time he will be able to see Amir due to his sickness. However, not only does Rahim Khan call Amir for this reason, but also because he wants Amir to atone for his past actions towards Hassan by retrieving Hassan's son from Kabul. -
KR: General Taheri Disapproves of Sohrab
When Amir announces Sohrab's new position in the Taheri family, General Taheri worries that he "will have to deal with the community's perception of [his] family. People will ask. They will want to know why there is a Hazara boy living with [his] daughter" (Hosseini 360). The segregation between the Hazara and Afghans is the result of the cultural belief that Pashtuns are more superior than the Hazara race. General Taheri's hesitation to accept Sohrab is influenced by society's perspective. -
Masood is Assassinated
As the Taliban continue to drive out Soviet militia while still enforcing Islamic regulations, Masood Azhar, "head of the Northern Alliance and the nation’s top insurgent, is killed by assassins posing as journalists" (Admin 2011). As Taliban rule slowly diminishes because they now struggle to maintain their control over the country, the extremist group lose their leader which widens their vulnerability and weakens their power. The assassination marks the beginning of the Taliban's fall. -
Suicidal Attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon
Four suicidal pilots supposedly led by bin Laden, the Saudi exile hidden in Afghanistan, "commandeer four commercial airplanes and crash them into the World Trade Center Towers in New York, the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., and a Pennsylvania field, killing thousands" (Admin 2011). Not one did the Taliban withhold bin Laden's location from the U.S. officials, but by doing so, they supported bin Laden's terrorist attacks. This illustrates the desperate measures they take to attain power. -
Taliban Refuse to Hand over bin Laden // from leaking bin Laden's location to U.S. officials.
When the Taliban refuse to reveal bin Laden's location, "U.S. and British forces launch airstrikes against targets in Afghanistan. American warplanes start to bomb Taliban targets and bases reportedly belonging to the al-Qaida network. The Taliban proclaim they are ready for jihad" (Admin 2011). After the Taliban loses their leader to an assassination, their only stronghold against the U.S. is Osama bin Laden whom gic=ves the Taliban a sense of higher authority, That is why the Taliban refrains -
Taliban Rule is Demolished
The extremist group abandons their final territory in Kandahar as the Taliban's "hold on Afghanistan continues to disintegrate. Two days later, Taliban leaders surrender the group’s final Afghan territory, the province of Zabul" (Admin 2011). When the Taliban rule is demolished as last, Afghanistan begins to rebuild its past cultural traditions and celebrations. Afghan officials even decide to introduce presidency to their people after the traumatic tyranny that the country has endured. -
KR: Amir and Sohrab Win the Kite Battle in the Park // fully redeemed himself to Hassan.
When people cheered after Amir had cut the string of the last kite, he "looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided. Hardly there. But there." (Hosseini 371). When Amir wins the kite battle for Sohrab, he feels the same rush of joy as he did when he and Hassan had won their kite as kids. However, this time, Amir runs the last kite for Sohrab as a sign of atonement for abandoning Hassan in the alley. Sohrab smile symbolizes how Amir has finally success- -
Afghanistan's First Presidential Election // person can have too much control over the government for a long period of time.
Hamid Karzai wins Afghanistan's first democratic presidential election when the "Presidential elections are held. More than 10.5 million Afghans register to vote and choose among 18 presidential candidates, including interim leader Karzai. Karzai is elected with 55 percent of the vote" (Admin 2001). These first steps that the Afghan government takes to restoring the peace of Afghanistan shows how much they are determined to prevent another dictatorship. The presidential election ensures that no -
U.S. American Forces Invade Afghanistan to Find Osama bin Laden
The Taliban protects the terrorist group al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden after 9/11, but "U.S. forces overtake a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and kill al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden" (Admin 2011). When the Taliban's last resort of authority is destroyed, their power steadily diminishes as they become outnumbered. Bin Laden's death is one of the main reasons that the Taliban's rule fell because they didn't have any advantages over the U.S. any longer.