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Hassan Gets Raped by Assef
As he runs to retrieve Amir's kite, Hassan gets stopped in by Assef, who rapes him as a punishment for speaking up. Amir, who witnesses it from a distance describes, " I pretended I hadn't seen the dark stain in the seat of his pants. Or those tiny drops that fell from between his legs and stained the snow black"(Hosseini 78). Here, we can see Amir struggling with being a supportive friend or erasing a drastic scene from his mind and not letting Hassan know that he witnessed him getting raped. -
New Constitution is proposed
A new constitution is proposed by Khan, the prime minister of Afghanistan, that grants women rights and modernizes the communist state. -
Hassan an Ali Leave Baba's House
After watching Hassan get raped, Amir's guilt builds up. This is seen when he reflects on Hassan's dream and how he had said, "There is no monster". Amir realizes, "There was a monster in that lake... ... I was that monster"(Hosseini 86). This is significant, because we can see the guilt Amir feels, but also how poorly he treats Hassan. Amir's guilt causes him to treat poor loyal Hassan even so badly, that they eventually leave, because it is just too unbearable for them. -
Prime Minister of Afghanistan is Killed
Khan is killed by a communist group, and Nor Muhammad Takari becomes the new president, and they proclaim independence from the Soviet Union. They even "sign a friendship treaty with the Soviet Union." However, fighting on both sides breaks out when two leaders have a conflict with each other. -
Baba and Amir move to America
A power shift is seen between Amir and Baba after they move to America. Baba goes from being noble and rich to being a nobody working at a gas station, while Amir graduates high school and goes to college. Amir explains how, "For [him], America was a place to bury [his] memories" but "For Baba, a place to mourn his"(Hosseini 129). This is significant because Baba had lots of power and privilege in Kabul, and is sacrificing it so Amir could have a better life. -
Afghans Flee to Other Countries
During the war in Afghan, "Some 2.8 million Afghans have fled from the war to Pakistan, and another 1.5 million [flee] to Iran." This is a large amount of people fleeing to other countries, showing how violent and dangerous Afghanistan was at the time. -
Baba Dies
Because Baba has been a heavy smoker throughout his life, he dies of lung cancer. This event is foreshadowed mainly after they move, when Amir describes stuff like how "After two bites of food, Baba pushed away his plate"(Hosseini 129) and "I didn't get to brood too much over what happened... ...Because later that week, Baba got a cold"(Hosseini 153). Someone loosing their appetite and getting colds are both signs of sickness. Baba's death is significant, making Amir reflect on who Baba was. -
Bin Laden Hides in Afghanistan
Bin Laden, a terrorist, hides in Afghanistan when being searched by clinton after the Embassy bombings in America. The article states that "Bin Laden is widely believed to be hiding in Afghanistan, where he is cultivating thousands of followers in terrorist training camps." -
Rahim Khan Calls Amir
Decades after Hassan left Amir, Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan, telling him "Come,There is a way to be good again"(Hosseini 194). When he receives this call, he already has a life in America, and is married. However, his guilt is still there. When Rahim Khan offers him a way to atone himself, Amir decides to come back to Pakistan to visit Rahim Khan and see what he can do. -
Rahim Khan Gives Amir His Dying Wish and Amir Begins a New Journey.
When Amir comes to visit Rahim Khan, he learns a lot about Hassan and his family. Rahim Khan convinces Amir that he should go to Kabul and rescue Sohrab from the orphanage. "We can give him a new life here, new hope, with people who love him" Rahim Khan explains. After Amir tries to deny him, Rahim Khan replies "What I'm asking from you is to grant and old man his dying wish"(Hosseini 221). Amir debates whether he should sacrifice his life in America to save Sohrab and atone for his sins. -
Assef Hurts Amir
In return for Sohrab, Assef forces Amir to let him beat him up. However, Amir starts laughing out of nowhere as he gets brutally injured. Amir laughs because "For the first time since the winter of 1975, [he] felt at peace... ...[he'd] even been looking forward to this"(Hosseini 289). This shows how Amir feels almost as if he has let of guilt and atoned for not doing anything when Hassan got beat up, by getting cruel beat up himself. He feels as if he deserved to be beat up as much as possible. -
9/11
On September Eleventh, 2001, a terrorist group from Afghanistan led by bin Laden attacked and bombed the world trade center in New York, causing thousands of deaths and injuries, and destroying the buildings. It was a huge shock to the world, and this devastating event has been marked in history. According to the article "Days later, U.S. officials say bin Laden, the Saudi exile believed to be hiding in Afghanistan, is the prime suspect in the attack." -
Amir Makes Sohrab a Promise
Amir asks Sohrab if he wants to come live in America with him and Soraya. Sohrab worries that Amir's family will get tired of him and he will have to end up in another orphanage. Amir responds saying that he "will never ever get tired" of Sohrab. "That's a promise"(324). This is significant, because Amir grants Sohrab care and love that will change his life. He promises him that he won't have to go to another orphanage. He never gave this kind of care to Hassan. -
Sohrab Attempts Suicide
When Amir tells Sohrab that he might have to stay in an orphanage for a bit until things got settled out, Sohrab panics. "You promised you'd never put me in one of those places, Amir agha" Sohrab says, and begins to scream, "I'm scared of that place. They'll hurt me! I don't want to go"(Hosseini 341). This is significant, because not only does Amir almost break his promise, but the thought causes Sohrab to attempt suicide. -
Amir Takes Sohrab to America
Eventually, Amir takes Sohrab to America and him and Soraya raise him. Amir describes how "What [Sohrab] yearned for was his old life. What he got was America"(Hosseini 356). This opens up paths to a new life that Sohrab may have, and even though it is not the life he yearns for, his life will have value, and he will not be stuck as an orphan. This is significant because we can see that Amir has atoned for the way he treated Hassan, by giving Hassan's son hope.
