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Amir is born
Amir is giving insight about his background history and states, " It was there...that Hassan was born in the winter of 1964, just one year after my my mother died giving birth to me"(Hosseini 6). Amir reveals how his mother died, and it really shows the tention that he might have with Hassan. Also, because his mother died in labor, Amir feels very responsible for her death. -
Hassan is born
While talking about the past, Amir states, "Sanaubar, gave birth to him one cold winter day in 1964. While my mother hemoraged to death during childbirth, Hassan lost his less than a week after he was born...she ran off with a traveling clan of singers and dancers"(Hosseini 6). Amir expresses his resent towards Hassan, by kind of stating that he lost his mother through death, and Hassan lost his mother because she left. Because of this situation, in some ways, it made the boys closer. -
Hassan has surgery to fix his cleft lip.
For Hassan's birthday present, Baba hired a plastic surgeon, the surgeon explains to Hassan, "My job is to fix things on people's bodies. Sometimes their faces" Hassan replied, "Oh"..."His hand touched to his upper lip"(Hosseini 46). This surgery removed a mark on Hassan's face which symbolized on how he was a poor Hazara boy. Now that Hassan's face has changed, so will Amir and Hassan's relationship. -
Amir witnesses Hassan getting raped.
After Amir won the kite fight, he was looking for Hassan and notices that Assef has got Amir cornered in an ally way, Assef says, "I've changed my mind," Assef said. "I'm letting you keep the kite, Hazara. I'll let you keep it so it will always remind you of what I'm about to do"(Hosseini 73). Amir witnessed this disturbing event, and is now living with the guilt of not doing anything about it. This also shows Hassan's loyalty for Amir, and the lengths he went through to keep that. -
Ali and Hassan leave.
On Amir's 13th birthday, Hassan and Ali decide that life in Kabul is getting to hard for them, so they decide to leave, Ali says, "Will you take us to the bus station, Agha sahib?" Amir than tells us, "I saw Baba do something I had never seen him do before: He cried"(Hosseini 107. Hassan had sacrificed himself once again for Amir, and this brings up a lot of guilt for Amir. Also, Amir saw his father cry, which shows that Baba really cared about this. -
The Soviet Invasion
Thirty years ago, Afganistan was a stable country, and according to the article, "The turmoil and extremism that have dominated its history since they can be traced in 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union and the reaction both by Afghans and by their allies in the U.S. and Pakistan"(The New York Times 2). -
Baba and Amir move to San Francisco.
As Baba and Amir are traveling and immigrating to America, Amir says, "My eyes returned to our suit cases. They made me sad for Baba. Everything he'd built...a summation of his life: one disappointing son and two suitcases"(Hosseini 124). In five years, Kabul has changed so much, resulting in a horriffic journey going to America. Baba is doing the right thing by leaving, but lost his honor and decency in Afghanistan. -
Amir graduates high school
In the summer of 1983, Amir states, "I graduated from high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarboard on the football field that day"(Hosseini 131). Amir has now adjusted to life in America, and this was also Baba's day to because he is proud of his son and happy about the choices he's made. Also by Amir graduating, it shows how Amir just wants a fresh start in life. -
Amir get's married to Soroya
After Soroya confessed her secret to Amir, Amir says, "Nothing you said changes anything. I want us to marry"(Hosseini 165). Amir really loves Soroya, and marrying her shows that he is ready to move on in life and forget the past. However, Amir states that he is now jealous of her for sharing her secret, and if he does it will give him closure. -
Baba dies
One night, a month after the wedding, Soroya offers Baba's medicine, Baba responds, "Not tonight...There is no pain tonight." Soroya replied "Okay"..."She pulled up his blanket. We closed the door. Baba never woke up"(Hosseini 173). Baba's death was very saddening, and made Amir now feel hopeless on how he will go on without him. Now, Amir realizes the reason that Baba always treated him this way was to teach him right from wrong and for Amir to learn how to defend himself. -
Amir gets his first novel published
Amir wrote his first novel in the summer of 1988, An agent decided to reprsent him, and a month later, "Martain called and informed me i was going to be a published novelist. When I told Soroya she screamed"(Hosseini 183). Amir has established his career as a writer and has accomplished his dreams as a child. Throughout all the pain that Amir is experiencing, this event really helps make his life just a little better. -
The Soviet Troops leave Afghanistan
After more than nine years of the Soviet troops staying in the country, they "Eventually, after peace talks moderated by the United Nations, the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawl"(The New York Times 2). -
Sohrab is born
As Rahim Khan tells the story to Amir about how he found Hassan, Rahim tells him, "It was Sanaubar who delivered Hassan's son that winter of 1990...They named him Sohrab, after Hassan's favorite hero from the Shahnamah"(Hosseini 211). Because Hassan named his son after a character in Amir's story, it shows that Hassan never forgot about Amir. Hassan also did the same things with Sohrab as he did with Amir in their childhood, showing that Amir really impacted Hassan and now Sohrab's life. -
Power divided
After troops departed, "by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms"(The New York Times 2). -
Taliban takes control of Afghanistan.
Taliban gained a lot of power and, "Buoyed by Pakistan aid, the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law'(The New York Times 3). -
Hassan and Farzana are killed by the Taliban.
After Amir read the letter from Hassan given to him by Rahim, Amir asks how Hassan is and Rahim says, "Hassan protested again. So they took him to the street..ordered him to kneel...and shot him in the back of the head...Farzana came screaming--shot her too"(Hosseini 219). Because Hassan was a Hazara, the two men who shot them were not prosecuted because Hazaras have no right. This shows how prejudice the Taliban are and that socioeconomic status effects life and death. -
Rahim Khan asks Amir to come to Pakistan
After a mere got off the phone with Rahim he told Soroya, "I have to go to Pakistan... Rahim Khan is very sick"(Hosseini 191). Amir going to Pakistan means that a lot of old emotions from his past are going to come up, especially when he was finally trying to move on in life. Amir also wouldn't that just travel to Pakistan because Rahim is sick, he also wants to atone for his sins. -
Sohrab attempts suicide
After Amir tells Sohrab that he might have to go back to the orphanage so he can go to America with Amir, Sohrab locks himself in the bathroom, and Amir states, "Suddenly I was on my knees, screaming. Screaming through my clenched teeth. Screaming until I thought my throat would rip and my chest explode"(Hosseini). Amir is horrified at what Sohrab has done, but Sohrab does this because he is scarred from the Taliban. This event effects Amir and Sohrab's reltionship. -
Attack of World Trade Center in New York
According to the article, President Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Osama bin Laden, "When it refused, the U.S. joined forces with rebel groups that had never accepted the Taliban rule"(The New York Times 3). -
Sohrab smiles for the first time
While Amir is Kite Fighting in the park with Sohrab, Amir, "looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided. Hardly there. But there."(Hosseini 371). Kite fighting is now his link to Sohrab like it was with Baba. For the first time, Amir is finally connecting with Sohrab, and seeing him smile shows that there is hope in their future. -
Hamid Karzai took office as interim President
Relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, Hamid Karzai, "took office as interim president ..saying he hoped to secure peace for Afghanistan"(New York Times 3). -
General Petraeus takes charge
The Iraq commander General Petraeus, "recieved much of the credit for the success of the surge there, had taken charge of the U.S. central command"(The New York Times 4). -
Obama gives speech about deploying troops.
In West Point, Virginia, "Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops. He vowed to start bringing American forces home"(The New York Times 4). -
President Obama removes Gen. McChrystal
After quotes about senior administration officials appeared in an article, "President Obama removed Gen. McChrystal..and tapped Gen. Petraeus to lead the war effort there"(The New York Times 4). -
Administration moves deadline
According to the article, "The Obama Administration changed its tone to increasingly emphasize the ides that the United States will have forces in the country until at least the end of 2014"(The New York Times 4).
