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Baba is born
Amir is telling the story of how Ali came into Baba's life when he says, "1933, the year Baba was born and the year Zahir Shah began his forty-year reign of Afghanistan" (Hosseini 31). Although it does tell us when Baba was born, and when Zahir Shah came into power, it give us a sense of Afghan history. Forty years is a long time, and Afghanistan's history seems filled with dictators and patriarchies; Baba's family was no exception to this history. It reached everyone, even the wealthy. -
Assasination of King Nadir Shah
As Amir is describing his home, he describes a picture of his "granfather and King Nadir Shah taken in 1931, two years before the king's assassination" (Hosseini 14). Amir is not only describing his home here, but a sense of family importance. When your grandfather hunts with the king, your family must be important. -
Birth of Hassan
In describing his backyard, Amir mentions the shack that "Hassan was born in the winter of 1964" (Hosseini 15). By talking about this "little shack", one can assume Hassa is quite poor. Also, given that it is in Amir's backyard, they probably have some sort of relationship. -
Sanaubar runs off
Amir recalls the shack that Hassan lived in, that "Hassan's mother, Sanaubar, gave birth to him one cold winter winter day in 1964...Hassan lost his [mother] less than a week after he was born...[S]he ran off with a clan of traveling singers and dancers" (Hosseini 15). Not only does this reveal something about Hassan, but also something about the culture they live in. Not only is it seem strict, but very judgemental, which can potentially alter the plot. -
Baba builds an orphanage
Amir thinks back on Baba and Rahim Khan, recalling that "[i]n the late 1960s, when [Amir] was five or six, Baba decided to build an orpanage" (Hosseini 21). Baba truly does have compassion deep down, although it may not be for Amir. He also doesn't communicate with Amir enough because one of his greatest acheivements in the community was left untold to his own son. Additionally, Amir didn't even find out through his father in the end, but his father's friend. -
Amir tells his first story
Amir remembers reading to Hassan one day, and recalls that he had "taken over the story, and made up [his] own" (Hosseini 36). Although it is most definitely foreshadowing of what Amir will become career-wise, it also reveals Amir's conflict with power. Amir is often unsure about his power over Hassan, but he does use it, as clearly demonstrated by this example. -
Hassan gets surgery
When Hassan gets his surgery to fix his lip, Amir thinks to himself that "It wasn't fair. Hassan hadn't done anything to earn Baba's affections; he'd just been born with that stupid harelip" (Hosseini 49). Not only does this event higlight Amir's need to please Baba, it highlights his fears. He's worried, in his heart of hearts, that Baba likes Hassan, possibly more than Baba likes him. -
Hassan and Amir teach culture
When a new kid moves to Kabul and talks about kite-fighting, Amir and Hassan told him "what the Russians would eventually learn by the late 1980s: that Afghans are an independent people. Afghans cherish custom but abhor rules. And so it was with kite fighting. The rules were simple; No rules..." (Hosseini 53). This gives insight into Afghan culture, and, suprisingly, Amir. Kite running is obviously important to Amir and Hassan's culture, giving Amir a great opportunity to finally impress Baba. -
The year Hassan stops smiling
The year after Hassan got his surgery was apparently "the winter that Hassan stopped smiling" (Hosseini 49). This foreshadows to what happens with Assef, but it's also very signifigant of Hassan and Amir's friendship. Amir takes notice of these things, when Hassan smiles and doesn't smile, but the fact that Hassan never smiles again is a prelude to their termination of friendship. -
Amir vows not to fail
When Amir finally realizes he wants to win to impress Baba, he decided that "[he] wasn't going to fail Baba. Not this time" (Hosseini 75). Even though Amir does win the kite tournament, in a way, he does fail Baba. After all, Amir watched his half-brother, Baba's own son get violated. No matter what Amir won, he failed that day. He failed to stand up for Hassan. -
Amir becomes a coward
Amir, by the light of fireworks, sees Hassan serving drinks to Assef, and "Assef grinning, kneading Hasan in the chest with a knuckle. Then, mercifully, darkness" (Hosseini 91). Personally, this is when Amir really becomes a coward. Not only can he not stand to look or think about Hassan, but when he does, he wishes for his thoughts to go away. He doesn't even want to seehis former best friend anymore because he's so ashamed, and instead of fessing up, he hides in himself. -
Amir puts money under Hassans matrtess
When Amir realizes he can't bear having Hassan around anymore, he plants money under Hassan's matress and tells Baba "what [he] hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies" (Hosseini 94). By commiting another crime, Amir hopes to atone for his previous ones, but commiting crimes isn't Amir's real problem. His real problem is running away from apologizing, and accepting what he's done. His cowardice prevents this, revealing that it is only his cowardly ways preventing his happineness -
Amir notices that the world is changing
Amir, while looking back on his childhood, discusses "December 1979, when Russian tanks would roll into the very same streets where [he and Hassan] played, bringing the death of the Afghanistan [he] knew" (Hosseini 40). Amir is beginning to see what is happening to his country, and the dark times they are in. Even though he thinks about other things, Hassan is in his thoughts, which foreshadows, because later on in the book, Hassan is always in Amir's thoughts. -
Russian invasion into Afghanistan
Afghanistan has been in peril ever since "[t]he first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979..." (NYT 2). -
Baba's last stand
When a Russian soldier threatens a woman, Baba stand up and says "Tell him I'll take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place" (Hosseini 104). Not only does Baba show true courage here, it marks the end of an era. Everyone in Kabul respected Baba, but this is the first time anyone has shown him disrespect. This foreshadows to just how different life will become for Baba. -
Soviet troops leaving Afghanistan
Russian troops stayed in the country of Afghanistan until "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989..." (NYT 2). -
Division of Afghan powers
After the retreat of soviet troops, by the summer of 1994, in fact, "power was anarchically divided among cometing warlords and individual fiefdoms" (NYT 2) -
The Taliban start to gain recognition
Mullah Omar, founder of the Taliban, rose to popularity, and "[b]y the end of 1994 Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers..." (NYT 2). -
Pakistani Intelligence begins arming, funding, and supplying the Taliban
Pakistani intelligence officers, by 1994, were "funneling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisers to help guide them in battle" (NYT 3). -
The Taliban gain control of Afghanistan
With Pakistani help, "the Taliban by 1994 had taken control of Afghanistan..." (NYT 3). -
The Taliban shelter Osama bin Laden
Osama Bin Laden is the founder of Al Qaeda, a terrorist organization. The Taliban provided safety and shelter " for Mr. bin, Laden who who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996..." (NYT 3). -
9/11
This event is the "attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001..." (NYT 3). -
Amir reflects on his life
Amir remembers what happened with Hassan, and thinks to himself, "I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigind overcast day...peeking into the alley near the frozen creek" (Hosseini 11). He remebers when Hassan was violated, but he also realizes something else. Everything, from there on out, changed. -
Hamid Karzai elected as President in Afghanistan
The people elected Mr. Karzai to serve "a five year term as president in 2004" (NYT 3). -
Obamba vows to help Afghanistan.
President Obama relaized the massive problem in Afghanistan, and wanted to help protect Afghans from the Taliban. Mr. Obama decided, on Dec. 1, 2009, to reveal "his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (NYT 3). He planned to then take troops out in 2011 to allow the Afghan government to regain control.