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Hassan is raped after the kite contest
While running the fallen kite after the competition in the winter of 1975, Hassan is cornered in an alleyway by Assef. Later Amir sees him with "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). This event is an influential part of the novel and is the turning point for Hassan and Amir's relationship. Not only does this change things between Amir and Hassan, but affects how Assef acts in the future with Sohrab. -
Ali and Hassan Leave
When Hassan is framed for the theft of Amir's money and wristwatch, even when Baba forgives him, Ali insists, "'We are leaving, Agha sahib...our bags are already packed. We have made our decision" (Hosseini 106). Despite their 40 year friendship, Ali insists on leaving due to what Hassan had been through, even though Baba didn't know that. Baba did not want the two to leave not only because of his friend, but because Hassan was his son. -
Soviet Union Invaded Afghanistan
The article states that major events first started when "The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979, to assist Babrak Karmal, who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership" (New York Times). -
Baba and Amir Leave
In March 1981, Baba and Amir leave Kabul in an old Russian truck, Amir describes that "There were others, in all about a dozen, including Baba and me, sitting with our suitcases between our legs, cramped with these strangers in the tarpaulin-covered cab of an old Russian truck...we'd left Kabul just after two in the morning" (Hosseini 110). Amir and Baba leave due to the Russians invading, leaving behind the home that Amir and Hassan were raised in. Baba would never see it again after this. -
Amir Graduates High School
Two years after Baba and Amir left their home in Kabul and moved to America, "[Amir] graduated from high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarboard... 'I am moftakhir Amir,' [Baba] said. Proud" (Hosseini 131). After reaching for Baba's praise his whole life, Amir is finally able to achieve it in America. Without Baba seeing Amir as his guilt, he is able to see him as the son he raised. -
Amir meets Soraya
While at the flea market, Baba introduces Amir to General Taheri, who alluded to his child by saying, "'My daughter, Soraya jan,' General Taheri said....like a man eager to change the subject...For the rest of the day, I fought the urge to look towards the gray van" (Hosseini 141). Amir has a love at first sight moment while talking with the General at the flea market. While Taheri is desperate to avoid the topic, due to her past, Amir persists to talk with his future spouse. -
Baba collapses from his illness
Many weeks after his diagnostic and refusal of treatment, "shortly after New Years Day...[Amir] turned around and found Baba on the ground. His arms and legs were jerking" (Hosseini 158). Baba refuses treatment due to his morals. With his sickness, it pushes Amir to propose to Soraya faster. -
Amir Marries Soraya
At age 22, Amir marries Soraya after discovering Baba's illness. During the ceremony, Amir is "whispered to her for the first time that [he] loved her...[he] remembe[d] wishing Rahim Khan was there. And [he] remembe[d] wondering if Hassan too had married" (Hosseini 171). Despite being wed to the woman he loves, Amir still spends the day thinking of his past. Not only od Rahim Khan, who was always a father figure to him but Hassan, who he felt guilty for leaving. -
Soviet Air Force falls
With help from the US, "After 1986, the Soviet Air Force was also rendered largely useless by advanced Stinger antiaircraft missiles supplied by the United States to the rebels" (New York Times). -
Baba Dies
A month after the wedding Baba goes to bed and refuses his meds from Soraya, saying "'Not tonight, there is no pain tonight,'... Baba never woke up" (Hosseini 173). Baba is unable to fight the illness, going from unbreakable to fragile in America. With him gone, Amir will be able to grow without his expectations bearing him down. -
Soviet Union Leaves Afghanistan
Nearly ten years after their invasion and "peace talks moderated by the United Nations, the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal. They left behind a country that was not only devastated by the war but that had become a beacon to Islamic extremists from across the globe who had come to assist in the fighting, including Osama bin Laden and the group he helped found, Al Qaeda" (New York Times). -
Sohrab is born
Until told by Rahim Khan nearly 10 years later, Amir does not know that "It was Sanubar who delivered Hassan's son that winter of 1990...She handed him to Hassan and he handed him to me and [Rahim Khan] sang the prayer of Ayat-ul-kursi in that little boy's ear" (Hosseini 211). Sohrab is the opportunity given to Amir to redeem himself. After feeling the pressure of guilt for nearly 15 years, Amir is given a way to atone for his treatment of Hassan. -
Soraya and Amir cannot have kids
After the doctor explains to the couple that they cannot have children, Amir thinks "that perhaps something, someone, somewhere, had decided to deny me fatherhood for the things I had done... and perhaps justly so" (Hosseini 188). Amir's guilt is still a driving force in his life, and he sees his inability to have kids as a punishment for his treatment of Hassan. By not having a child, Amir is later able to fill that void by caring for his half nephew. -
Afghanistan Devastated by War
With Soviet forced gone, "Afghanistan descended into vicious internecine strife; by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms" (New York Times). -
The Taliban is formed
After the Soviets left, Afghanistan warlords fought for control, the one that role was "The Taliban...dedicated to purifying the country, based in the southeast, the home of the dominant ethnic group, the Pashtun...By the end of 1994 Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers...his promise of restoring the centrality of Islam to daily life, he created a genuinely popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality" (New York Times). -
Taliban takes control of Afghanistan
After funding and provided arms from Pakistan, "the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict - enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-enveloping burka clothing" (New York Times). -
Taliban Provides Haven for Osama bin Laden
After their rise to power, "The Taliban also provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden, who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996..International criticism of the Taliban's harsh measures had little effect on the regime, which seemed almost to welcome pariah status" (New York Times). -
Rahim Khan is given a Scar by A Taliban officer
While at a soccer game, a member of the Taliban thinks Rahim Khan is yelling too loud and "walked up to [him] and struck [him] on the forehead with the butt of his Kalashnikov..." (Hosseini 199). This moment is used in a story to Amir to show just how much the Taliban affects the lives of people, and how much things have changed since he left. Amir does not know the brutality of the Taliban, and his lack of fear will help him face Assef. -
Hassan and his wife are killed
A month after Rahim Khan arrived in Peshawar, he got a call telling him that, "'A pair of Talib officials came to investigate and interrogated Hassan...Hassan protested…So they took him to the street...and order him to kneel...and shot him in the back of the head...Farzana came screaming and attacked them...shot her too” (Hosseini 219). With Hassan dead, Amir must fight Assef to save his son to atone. Amir can set aside the status he thought hade him better than Hassan, who was killed over it. -
Taliban Remains
The Taliban was brought down, but "Despite their defeat in 2001, the Taliban continued to wage a guerrilla warfare from a base in the mountainous and largely lawless tribal area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. As the American military focus was diverted to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the Taliban regrouped and began to extend its influence in the southern part of Afghanistan" (New York Times) -
Rahim Khan reunites with Amir
After Rahim asks him to visit, Amir learns Rahim Khan is sick, during their conversation "Rahim Khan laughed. ‘You sounded like your father just now. I miss him so much. But it is God's will, Amir jan. It really is.’ He paused. ‘Besides, there’s another reason I asked you to come here. I wanted to see you before I go, yes, but something else too’” (Hosseini 201). Rahim Khan confesses Baba's secrets as he is sick and the only one who knows. With the knowledge of his nephew, Amir goes to help him. -
Amir Saves Sohrab from Assef
While being beat by Assef, Amir starts laughing, and thinks, “What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I hadn't been happy and I hadn’t felt better, not at all. But I did now. My body was broken just how badly I wouldn't find out until later but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed” (Hosseini 289). Amir is able to overcome his guilt by doing what he should have done for Hassan in 1975 for his son. This is how Amir is able to atone. -
United States joins forces with rebel groups
Due to the events of 9/11, "President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden. When it refused, the United States joined forces with rebel groups that had never accepted Taliban rule, notably the Northern Alliance, which represented minority tribes" (New York Times). -
Hamid Karzai becomes interim president of Afghanistan
After the fall of the former King, "In December 2001, Hamid Karzai...was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country. He took office as interim president in June 2002, saying he hoped to secure peace for Afghanistan and win the country much-needed international aid" (New York Times). -
Sohrab Smiles, Amir runs a kite
On New Years, Amir and Sohrab win a kite contest, Amir says to Sohrab, "’For you, a thousand times over,’...It was only a smile, nothing more. It didn't make everything all right...Only a smile. A tiny thing… But [He]'ll take it. With open arms” (Hosseini 371). Amir is able to atone by saving Sohrab and giving him a better life. However, by saying Hassan’s line of loyalty, he is able to let go of the status that made him treat Hassan uniquely in the first place.