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Major Events in the Kite Runner and in Afghanistan
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Amir and Hassan's Monarchy Country is Gone
When Amir and Hassan witness their first shooting, Afghanistan changed forever, for their "monarchy was a thing of the past" (Hosseini, 36). This quote illustrates the point of time when Afghansitan reallly starts change. This affects many actions of characters later in the book. -
Amir Chooses Cowardice
Amir had the decision to stand up for Hassan or run. He said, "In the end, I ran. 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, 76). This quote demonstartes Amir's charcter and the decisions he makes because of it. This moment in time changes relationships, power, and ultimately the path of lives. -
Amir and Hassan Win the Kite Tournament
In the winter of 1975, Amir and Hassan's neighborhood hosted the kite tournament, and when the boys won, Amir could see "Baba on that roof. He was standing on the edge, pumping both of his fists. Hollering and clapping. And that right there was the proudest moment of [his] twelve years of life,seeing Baba on that roof, proud of [him] at last" (Hosseini, 66). This moment affeced multiple events after. Events that changed the course of different character's lives. -
Hassan and Ali Leave Amir and Baba's Home
When Hassan and Ali decide they must leave Amir and Baba's home, Ali tells Baba, "Life is impossible for us now, Agha Sahib. We're leaving" (Hosseini, 106). It is at this moment when Amir realized how his small action caused a ripple effect he never saw coming. He never understood how his abandonment of the most loyal person to him could result in a dwonward spiral of sad moments and bad actions. -
Soviet Union troops invade Kabul
The start of the war between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan began when "the first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979" The New Yorks Times, 2). -
Amir and Baba Reach America
Amir tells that "Baba loved the idea of America" (Hosseini, 125). In 1981 though, they finally got there. America was a big change for Baba and Amir. For Baba, his power and wealth had been lost, and he had to try to rebuild himself. Amir, on the other hand, was grateful for the activities that took his mind off of his cowardice. -
Amir Graduates From High School
After Amir's high school graduation ceremony, Baba said, "'I am moftakhir, Amir,'... Proud. His eye gleamed when he said that and I liked being on the recieving end of that look" (Hosseini, 131). This shows how America has brought Amira and Baba cloer together. Amir had the chance to make Baba proud, which he never really had in Afghanistan. -
Baba is Diagnosed with Lung Cancer
Baba, due to too much smoking, found out he had lung cancer. Amir describes that "like Satan, cancer had many names" (Hosseini, 155). By comapring cancer to Satan, Amir shows his disgust toward the diease that will take his father's life. -
Amir and Soraya get Married
At the marriage ceremony between Amir and Soraya, Amir "whispered for the first time that [he] loved her" (Hosseini, 171). During this moment Amir found a full, positive, loving relationship. He finally had the chance to really love someone and care for them. -
Baba Passes Away
After Baba passes away in his sleep, a funeral is held. As many people who knew Baba come to stop by Amir and pay their respects, Amir realized that "how much of who [he] was, what [he] was, had been defined by Baba and the marks he had left on poeple's lives" (Hosseini, 174). Amir has finally understood the light people have looked at him in- it was under the light of Baba. Because Baba was such a kind, caring and loya person who helped others, Amir had expectations over his head. -
Last Soviet Union Troops Leave Afghanistan
The article states that the war officially ended "after peace talks moderated by the United States," and the "last Soviet Untion troops left Afghanistan in February 1989" (The New York Times, 2). -
Amir and Soraya Buy their Home in San Francisco
A few months after Amir and Soraya find that they cannot have a baby, the couple "used the advance for [Amir's] second novel and placed a down payment on a pretty, two-bedroom Victorian house in San Francisco's Bernal Heights" (Hosseini, 188). -
Taliban Gains Followers and Power
The Taliban had really begun to gain strength and power when "Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up warlords to the north and east" (The New York Times, 2). -
Taliban Takes Control of Afghanistan
After Pakistan gave aid to the Taliban, the group "had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of school and into all-enveloping burqa clothing" (The New York Times, 3). -
Al Qaeda Becomes Safe inside the Taliban Rule
The artcile states, "the Taliban also provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden, who arrived by chartered jet at jalabad Airport in May 1996, and for Al Qaeda" the New York Times, 3). -
Amir Visits Rahim Khan in Peshawar
As Amir reaches the home of Rahim Khan who is very sick, "a thing made of sick and bones pretending to be Rahim Khan opened the door" (Hosseini, 197). This quote shows the change in Rahim Khan since Baba and Amir left afghanistan. He didn't have many people left to help him and take care of him. -
Amir Discovers Hassan Passed Away
While visiting Rahim Khan, Amir learns that because Hassan and his family weren't going to abandon their house, a Taliban man "took him to the street...and order him to kneel...and shot him in the back of the head" (Hosseini, 219). Amir learns here that everyone he's really known and loved in his childhood life in now dead or dying. Not to mention that Amir will never be able to directly atone for what he did to Hassan. -
Amir Discovers Hassan and him are Brothers
Amir found out that he and Hassan were really half brothers, but he is not happy. Hating that he never knew, he yells, "What can you possibly say to me?I'm thirty-eight years old and I just found out my whole life is one big...lie! What can you possibly say to make things better? Nothing" (Hosseini, 223). Amir felt fruturated that such a huge part of his life was a lie. Some of his decisions would have been different if he had known, so he was extremely upset. -
Amir Gets Sohrab from Assef
As Amir slowly tries to understand what had just happened, Sohrab yells to him, "Let's go!" (Hosseini, 291). They then escpae out of the house, but Amir is badly injured. Amir has begun to atone for his sins by rescuing the boy. -
Amir and Sohrab Arrive in America
Soraya picked the boys up from the airport "on a warm day in August 2001" (Hosseini, 357). But although this may be a small, joyous moment for the new family, the silent Sohrab creeps its unhappiness into thir lives. -
Attack on the World Trade Center
The "attack on the World Strade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001" causd an uproar about Al Queda and the taliban and so "President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over bin Laden", but they refused (The New York Times, 3). -
Hamid Karzai is made leader of Afghanistan
The New York Times reportsthat "In December 2201, Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zalir Shah, the exlied former kind of Afghanistan, was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country" (The New York Times, 3) -
Amir Runs the Kite for Sohrab
In a special moment btween Amir and Sohrab, Amir shows Sohrab how his dad (Hassan) loved to kite-fight. After Amir cuts the kite, asks if Sohrab wants it, and Sohrab nods his head, Amir says "For you, a thousand times over" (Hosseini, 371). And the Amir ran, establishing his last apology to Hassan and that he really has atoned for what he did and is a new person because of it. And in that moment, Sohrab becomes a little more alive too. -
Hamid Karzai is Elected President (5-yr term)
Due to his promises to better the country, "Mr. Karzai was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004" (The New York Times, 3). -
President Obama announces Troops Plan on Taiban
Mr. Obama announced his plans to defeat the Taliban, "In a speech delivered Dec. 1, 2009" where his announced "his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops. He vowed to start bringing American forces home fromAfghanistan in the middle of 2011" (The New York Times, 4). -
Obama Prolongs Troops Return Date
The original goal was to get troops back by 2011, "yet in a move away from the July 2011 dealine, the Obama administration changed its tone to increasingly emphasizethe idea that the United States will have forces in the country until at least the end of 2014" (The New York Times, 5).
