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Amir and Hassan are born
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Kite Runner timeline
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Amir in Afghanistan
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Amir and Hassan say their first words
Amir recalls, "And under the same roof, we spoke our first words.
Mine was Baba.
His was Amir" (Hosseini 11).
This quote shows how Amir, from his birth, has always wanted and loved his father more than anything, and Hassan felt the same way towards Amir. Due to Amir’s love for Baba, Amir shows later in the book that he is willing to sacrifice anything for that love, and that includes Hassan. -
Baba teaches Amir of what he believes is a real sin
Baba explains to Amir, "Now no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft" (Hosseini 17). He then goes on to elaborate by saying "When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth" (Hosseini 18). This quote foreshadows what happens at a major plot twist when Rahim reveals Hassan to be Amir's half-brother. Baba had kept the truth from Amir for his whole life, this quote shows that after feeling the guilt, Baba never wanted Amir to feel that way. -
Amir Overhears Rahim Khan and Baba Talking and Baba explains how Amir is a disappointment to him
Baba whispers to Rahim Khan, "If I hadn't seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I'd never believe he's my son" (Hosseini 23). This quote foreshadows Amir's actions later in the novel. He later demonstrates that he is willing to risk nearly anything, including Hassan, to gain his father's love, after hearing these words. -
Amir and Hassan win the annual kite tournament and Amir sees Baba's pride
Amir thinks, "And that right there was the single greatest moment of my twelve years of life, seeing Baba on that roof, proud of me at last" (Hosseini 66). This quote shows that Baba's pride for Amir made it his greatest moment of his life. Amir, instead of cheering with Hassan, looks up at his father as though he is the most important thing in the world. This also shows the power that Baba has over Amir, and it foreshadows how Baba's power influenced Amir's decision to betray Hassan. -
Amir throws pomegranates at Hassan trying to get him to throw back
Amir recalls, "I stood up and picked up an overripe pomegranate that had fallen to the ground. "What would you do if I hit you with this?" I said...I hurled the pomegranate at him. It struck him in the chest"(Hosseini 92). Pomegranates are a symbolization of beauty, peace, fertility and to Amir, innocence. As Amir hurls the fruit at Hassan, he is essentially throwing away his innocence which is replaced by guilt and shame. -
Hassan is raped by Assef, as Amir watches, and later runs away
As Amir watches Hassan get raped, he "stopped watching, turned away from the alley"(Hosseini 77). Then he continues to narrate by recalling, "In the end, I ran. I ran because I was a coward"(Hosseini 77). This event foreshadows Amir's decisions and actions later in the book. Throughout the novel, he tries to redeem himself from his guilt of being cowardly and unloyal to his friend. Due to shame of running away from this conflict, Amir redeems himself by running towards the conflicts. -
Hassan and Ali leave Baba's house and resign
"Respectfully, you can't forbid me anything, Agha Sahib, Ali said. "We don't work for you anymore." (Hosseini 107). Amir knows that their departure is mainly his doing, as Ali knows that Hassan is no longer in a secure location with Amir, who is full of guilt, shame, and unloyalty. This also shows power dynamics from Baba, who wields the power as the master of the house, to Ali, who resigns, and because of their bond, Ali is able to pull out the emotion from Baba that Amir has never seen before. -
Soviet Troops arrive to assist new president, Babrak Karmal
"The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979 to assist Babrak Karmal who had become president in a coup..." (New York Times Article). -
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Soviet Troops in Afghanistan
(This is one of my events as well)"Soviet troops stayed in the country for more than nine years, fighting a conflict that cost them roughly 15,000 lives and undisclosed billions of rubles..." (New York Times Article). -
Amir and Baba leave Kabul
While fleeing from home, Amir recalls all of the horror that he faced while living there. He thinks, "This had to be a dream. Had to be. Tomorrow morning, I'd wake up, peek out the window: No grim-faced Russian soldiers patrolling the sidewalks, no tanks rolling up and down the streets" (Hosseini 114). This quote demonstrates how political violence can affect citizens and communities. Because Amir and Baba were faced with violence in Kabul, they were forced to leave. -
Amir and Soraya plan on getting married, and Soraya confesses her secret
After hearing Soraya's secret, Amir envies her because "her secret was out. Spoken. Dealt with. I opened my mouth and almost told her how I'd betrayed Hassan... but I didn't" (Hosseini 165). One of Amir's reasons for accepting Soraya after hearing her secret may have been that he was holding his own shameful secret. Amir doesn't confess because he realizes that he isn't courageous enough to face his past. -
Baba and Amir move to America
After the move to America, Amir recalls, "Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him an ulcer" (Hosseini 125). This quote hints at the power of "The American Dream", as it provides a lot of hope for people. In Afghanistan, Baba maintained a wealthy and privileged status, and when he left for America, he lost that status, and even gained an ulcer. The reality of living in America was much more difficult than what Baba dreamed of. -
Baba is diagnosed with terminal "Oat Cell Carcinoma"
After Baba is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he says to the doctor, "But no chemo medication for me" (Hosseini 156). This quote demonstrates how Baba has accepted his fate, rather than prolonging his death. He believes the act of suffering is meant to be accepted by real men, such as him, and Amir, therefore he rejects the palliative treatment. -
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Amir in America
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Mullah Omar takes over Afghanistan with the promise of restoring Islamic faith
"By the end of 1994 Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east. With 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 Article) -
Talibans Take Over Afghanistan
"The Taliban grew out of a student movement dedicated to purifying the country, based in the southeast, the home of the dominant ethnic group, the Pashtun. In a story that is now part of Afghan folklore, the group's first action occurred when Mullah Omar, a Pashtun who had lost an eye fighting the Soviets, gathered a small band of men and attacked a group of warlords who had raped a girl and shaved her head" (New York Times Article). -
Amir finds out that Hassan is dead, and is his half-brother. Rahim Khan wants Amir to look for Sohrab, Hassan's son, and take him to America
After hearing Rahim Khan explain what Amir has not known for his 38 years, Amir reminisces of Baba, "How could he have lied to me all those years? To Hassan?...and said, "There is only one sin. And that is theft" (Hosseini 225). After all the suffering that Baba has been through, his main reason may have been that he was attempting to redeem himself for lying to Amir his whole life. He may have also felt guilty for not only betraying his children, but also his values. -
Amir goes to find Sohrab, and fights Assef the Taliban to rescue Sohrab
Amir, while being kicked repeatedly by Assef, thinks, "What was so funny, was that for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed"(Hosseini 289). This quote shows two major themes of the story, irony and redemption. Beforehand, Assef describes how he was imprisoned and kicked repeatedly, until his kidney stone passed. He mentions how he was in laughter the entire period, and he feels although he was healed. Amir, who had his own sins, felt healed after betraying Hassan. -
Hamid Karzai Replaces Taliban as leader of Afghanistan
"In December 2001, Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the exiled former king of Afghanistan, was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country. " -
Amir Goes back to Afghanistan after recieving a call from Rahim Khan
Amir, fearing the political violence in Afghanistan, is at first reluctant to revisit. That night, he dreams, "He [Hassan] was yelling over his shoulder, "For you a thousand times over!" A week later, I sat on a window seat aboard Pakistan International Airlines"(Hosseini 194). This quote demonstrates how much Amir longs for atonement, as he finally agrees to go back merely because of his guilt of betraying Hassan. He finally sees his opportunity to achieve redemption, and he takes a chance. -
Talibans resurge over Afghanistan once again
"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 Article). -
9-11 Terrorist Attack on World Trade Center
"The United States has been militarily involved in Afghanistan since 2001, when it lead an invasion after the September 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" (New York Times Article) -
Sohrab Comes To San Francisco to live with Soraya and Amir
As Amir is about to run Sohrab's kite, he says "For you, a thousand times over!" (Hosseini 371). This quote brings out the redemption that characters long for in the novel, as Hassan had said those exact words when running the kite for Amir. As Hassan had once proclaimed his undying loyalty to Amir, Amir vows to do the same for Sohrab, the last remaining relative of Hassan apart from Amir. -
General Petraeus takes over the Central Command of the United States
"General Petraeus, the Iraq commander who received much of the credit for the success of the surge there, had taken charge of United States Central Command in October 2008," (New York Times Article). -
Obama places troops in Afghanistan to restore order
"In a speech delivered Dec. 1, 2009, at West Point, Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops." (New York Times Article). -
Osama Bin Laden, mastermind of Al-qaeda and 9-11 is killed by SEAL team
"On May 2, 2011, U.S. Special Forces raided an al-Qaeda compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed the world’s most wanted terrorist: Osama bin Laden." (History.com)