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Amir wins the Kite Running Competition
Amir won the annual kite running competition with Hassan. He was excited to finally be able to come home to a proud Baba who "was standing ... pumping both of his fists. Hollering and clapping" (Hosseini 66). Amir's main goal was to impress Baba at last, since he knew he rarely fulfilled Baba's expectations. However, winning the competition made Baba proud of Amir, which made Amir happy. -
Assef assaults Hassan
After Amir and Hassan won the kite running competition, Hassan offered to chase after their winning kite. When Hassan chased after Amir's kite, he ran into Assef, who raped him in an alleyway with his friends and Amir watching. Hassan saw Amir watching instead of helping him, so their friendship changes negatively, since "for a week, [Amir] barely saw Hassan" (Hosseini 80). The fact that Amir did not help Hassan when Assef was hurting him shows how Amir and Hassan's friendship was weak. -
Ali and Hassan leave Baba and Amir
Ali and Hassan decide to leave Baba and Amir since Hassan realizes that Amir did not want to be around him anymore. Amir wanted Hassan to leave, so Amir frames Hassan of stealing his birthday presents in order to get rid of Hassan. Ali states to Baba, "'We are leaving, Agha sahib'" (Hosseini 106). Baba was devastated, but Amir was happy since his regret of not helping Hassan in the alley finally goes away, which shows Amir and Hassan's weak friendship. -
Amir's 13th Birthday and Party
Amir turns 13 after his championship at the kite running competition, so Baba throws him a huge birthday party with many people who Amir did not know. However, Amir was grateful of the party, since the "birthday bash was a huge success. [He'd] never seen the house so packed" (Hosseini 94). Amir believes Baba created the successful party because Amir won the championship, but he was thankful for his father for the party. -
Afghan Policies become based on Islamic principles
After Khan is killed in a communist coup, Mohammed Taraki takes over as president and he addresses "independence from Soviet influence, and declare their policies to be based on Islamic principles, Afghan nationalism and socioeconomic justice" (BBC). -
Soviet Union takes over Afghanistan
In December of 1978, a Soviet group overthrows and kills General Daud in a coup d'etat and the Soviet army "invades and props up communist government" (BBC News). Many battles happened during the Soviet Union takeover so Afghanistan created relations with the US, Pakistan, China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia in order to provide money and arms for the army. -
Afghans flee from Afghanistan
During the war, "2.8 million Afghans have fled from the war to Pakistan, and another 1.5 million have fled to Iran" (BBC). -
Amir graduates highschool in California
In the summer of 1983, Amir "graduated from high school at the age of twenty" (Hosseini 131). Living a dynamic life in Afghanistan and US, he successfully graduates high school, making Baba and himself proud. -
Amir meets Soraya Taheri
In the summer of 1984, as Amir was working in Baba's stand, he meets a beautiful girl named Soraya Taheri. His "heart stuttered at the thought of her" (Hosseini 142). Amir has rarely seen a girl that he admires. He was shocked at Soraya's beauty and he could not stop thinking about her. -
Amir marries Soraya
After a long period of unhappiness, Amir finally met a lovely girl who he married to. During the wedding, Soraya astonishes Amir with her beauty, but Amir remembers "wondering if Hassan too had married. And if so, whose face had he seen in the mirror under the veil? Whose henna-painted hands had he held?" (Hosseini 171). Amir always has Hassan on his mind, even during his wedding. He misses Hassan dearly, and he wishes to know his current lifestyle. -
Baba dies peacefully
Baba was suffering from a tumor in his lungs which soon spread to his brain. Usually, he takes morphine pills to soothe him during sleep, but one night after the wedding, he denied the pills saying, "'There is no pain tonight,'" and he never woke up (Hosseini 173). Baba wished to be able to see Amir married and happy, so when his goal was accomplished, Baba decided to pass away peacefully. Baba was proud of Amir and he was happy for him as well. -
Amir publishes his first novel
After years of reading his mother's books, Amir finally wrote a novel about one father and son relationship, and published it as well. Amir wished that Baba was there to watch him succeed, even though Baba doubted him. However, Amir did not mind Baba thinking there would be difficulties succeeding as a writer, because Amir "wished he could have seen him" (Hosseini 183). Amir felt like Baba rarely felt pride in his son, so his published book would of made Baba proud of Amir. -
Soviet Union leaves Afghanistan
In 1989, "Afghanistan, USSR, the US and Pakistan sign peace accords and Soviet Union begins pulling out troops" (BBC News). Afghanistan finally gets out of the war and starts coming back to their normal lifestyles. -
The Talibans takeover Afghanistan
After the Russian troops leave, the unstable country attempts to thrive once more but in 1996, the Taliban seize control of Afghanistan. The Taliban "introduce hard-line version of Islam, banning women from work, and introducing Islamic punishments, which include stoning to death and amputations" (BBC News). -
Amir travels back to Afghanistan
Amir gets a call from Rahim Khan to visit him in Afghanistan. Amir realizes Rahim Khan was becoming weaker daily. He remembers how after Hassan's harelip surgery, "Baba, Rahim Khan, Ali, and [him] had huddled around Hassan's bed... Now everyone in that room was either dead or dying" (Hosseini 219). Rahim Khan tells Amir how weak he was becoming from arthritis and Hassan's fate, which made Amir realize his loneliness compared to his life in Afghanistan. -
Amir learns about Hassan
When Amir travels back to Afghanistan, Rahim Khan tells Amir about his brotherly relationship with Hassan. Amir was upset that nobody told him before Hassan passed, so he yelled, "'I'm thirty-eight years old and I just found my life is one big lie,'" and he stormed out of the apartment from anger (Hosseini 223). Baba warned Amir about stealing the truth away from one, and Amir realizes that Baba hid the relationship between him and Hassan from Amir, which makes him a thief. -
Amir and Assef Fight
The Taliban commander reveals himself to be Assef, an enemy from the past. He wants to continue the fight with Amir when Amir was still weak and dependent on Hassan. While Assef breaks Amir's jaw and cracks his ribs, Amir "started laughing... And the harder [he] laughed, the harder [Assef] kicked [Amir]" (Hosseini 289). Amir and Assef's fight made Amir feel like he deserved the pain because of his lack of innocence with his past. Amir finally felt at peace with himself. -
Amir sees Hassan's Son
Amir wanted to see Sohrab at the appointment with the Taliban official, but he only got to watch how "Sohrab danced in a circle, eyes closed, danced until the music stopped. The bells jingled one final time when he stomped his foot" (Hosseini 280). The Taliban forced Sohrab to become their property so Sohrab had to listen to their commands, such as dancing with a bell around his neck. The terrors of the Taliban affected Sohrab, leading him to have his insecurities of his sins in the future. -
Sohrab and Amir go back to the US
Sohrab was finally able to go to the US, so Amir went back with him. Amir was delighted to see Soraya once again, but Sohrab looked anxious to be in the US. When Soraya smiled at Sohrab, he "shifted on his feet and looked away" (Hosseini 358). Soraya was thrilled to have Sohrab at home, but Sohrab felt pressured to go to a foreign country, which made him quiet and feel disconnected. -
US believe al-Qaida attacked New York
After the terrorist attack on September 11, President Bush believes the Taliban were to blame, and US "demanded the Taliban government to hand over al-Qaida head Osama bin Laden and close all terrorist training camps in the country" (Wikipedia). Taliban denied the US since there was lack of evidence to show how the Taliban were related to the attacks, and terrorism continued in Afghanistan. -
US Invasion of Afghanistan
After the Taliban refuse to send members of al Qaida to the US over the 9/11 attacks, the US launched attacks to the Taliban. The US "bombing of Afghanistan begins following the September 11 attacks on the United States" (BBC) -
Sohrab and Amir run kites together
Although Sohrab escaped the horrors of the Taliban, he felt uneasy in the US as well so he never spoke. One day, Amir went to an Afghan festival in the city with Sohrab, and he started to fly a kite to have fun with Sohrab. Amir gave the kite to Sohrab for him to try, and when Amir helped Sohrab, "one corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided" (Hosseini 370). Kite running made Sohrab smile again, and it also reminded Amir of the similarities between Sohrab and Hassan. -
Hamid Karzai becomes Head of Afghanistan
In 2004, Hamid Karzai was elected president of Afghanistan. He becomes the "first democratically elected head of state" (Wikipedia). -
Afghanistan's Parliamentary Election
In 2005, after the election for the president, Afghanistan "holds its first parliamentary elections in more than 30 years" (PBS NewsHour). -
US kills Osama bin Laden
After years of attempts to punish Laden, "U.S. forces overtake a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and kill al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden" (PBS News Hour).