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Baba was born and Ali comes.
When giving context about Ali and Baba’s relationship, Amir reveals that "In 1933, the year Baba was born and the year Zahir Shah began his forty-year reign of Afghanistan,… my grandfather adopted him into his own household … That boy was Ali” (24-25). Ali and Baba growing up in a brother-like way foreshadows how Hassan and Amir would grow up like they did. Although Amir and Hassan were almost forced to spend time with one another in a servant-master relationship, they developed a friendship and -
Hassan was born
Towards the beginning of the book, Amir recalled, “Hassan was born in the winter of 1964, just one year after my mother died giving birth to me” (6). It was only a month sitting in between Hassan and Amir, but the situations they had been born into were so different due to the socioeconomic status difference in Ali and Baba. Just like Ali and Baba, Amir and Hassan were to grow up together and have each other’s backs but Hassan and Ali’s unconditional love and loyalty for Baba’s family would be l -
Zahir Shah's cousin overthrew him; Amir, Hassan, and Ali heard gunshots
Later in the book, Amir “remembered the night in 1973, the night Zahir Shah’s cousin overthrew him; [he] remembered gunfire and the sky lighting up silver- Ali had taken [him] and Hassan in his arms, told [them] not to be afraid, that they were just shooting ducks” (365). In a way, Ali also became a fatherly figure in Amir’s life. He was there just as much as Baba during Amir’s childhood and offered comfort. -
Hassan's harelip surgery
After finding out that Hassan and his wife were killed, Amir “kept thinking of that day in 1974, in the hospital room, just after Hassan’s harelip surgery… Baba, Rahim Khan, Ali and I had huddled around Hassan’s bed… Now everyone in that room was either dead or dying. Except for [him]” (219). While Baba and Rahim Khan died of sicknesses, Ali and Hassan had died because they were left behind to deal with the fact that they were Hazarans. Amir was the only one living only because others sacrificed -
Hassan runs for a kite for the last time
After telling the story demonstrating Hassan’s incredible sense of where the fallen kites would end up, Amir says, “In the winter of 1975, I saw Hassan run a kite for the last time” (55). Such a contrast so quickly reveals to the reader that whatever happened would be a traumatic experience. One event can change the rest of a life and affect al the people closest to them. -
Amir turns 13.
After throwing pomegranates at Hassan to try and atone for Amir’s sins, Amir “turned thirteen that summer of 1976, Afghanistan’s next to last summer of peace and anonymity" (93). When Amir describes that summer as the last one of anonymity and peace, he was talking about Afghanistan, but in a away, he was also referring to his close friendship with Hassan. Previously, Amir had revealed that he was upset with Hassan when he threw pomegranates so his feelings were exposed. -
Ali and Hassan leave Baba and Amir.
In response to Baba’s confusion at Ali and Hassan leaving, Ali says, “Life here is impossible for us now, Agha sahib. We’re leaving.” Amir is thinking, "I knew whom Ali was protecting him [Hassan] from. Ali glanced my way and in his cold, unforgiving look, I saw that Hassan had told him” (106). Ali was hurt and more unforgiving than Hassan because it’s the nature of being a parent. There’s that overprotectiveness that comes with raising a child and is what triggered Ali's need to move. -
Soviet forces attack
Soviet forces attacked fighting for what would last nine years when they "first ... parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979" (2). -
Assef spends time in jail at Poleh -Charkhi
When Assef is retelling his story to Amir, he says, “I spent some time in jail, at Poleh-Charkhi, just after Babrak Karmal took over in 1980” (282) and how he becomes a leader for the Taliban. From when Assef was little and thought of Hitler as a role model to when he became a Taliban leader murdering Hazarans, he acted on his morals and wasn’t afraid to let everyone know. Throughout all his experiences, Assef stays true to his values and opinions. -
Amir and Baba leave Kabul for America.
In March of 1981, Amir "thought of the way [they had] left the house where [he had] lived [his] entire life” (112). When Baba and Amir left Kabul to go to America, they were also leaving their life including their family’s money and the people closest to them including Rahim Khan. Them leaving was the sacrifice they had to make but they were also being selfish by leaving in a cowardly way. -
Amir graduates high school
“That summer of 1983, I graduated from high school at the age of twenty…” and Baba said, ‘I am moftakhir, Amir… Proud” (131). For once, Baba is proud of Amir and accepts him now that he is not considered as influential and high in society like he was in Kabul. Amir was able to get an education and he has a future in America in contrast to Baba who won’t adjust to the customs of America as quickly as Amir. -
Rahim Khan finds Hassan
Rahim Khan recalls how “it had been ten years since Ali and Hassan had left your father’s house. Hassan would have been a grown man in 1986, twenty-two, twenty-three years old… with the grace of God, I found him there” (204). Amir had imagined earlier and wondered what Hassan’s life was like. Rahim Khan actually acted upon his thoughts and Hassan was important to him. -
Amir finishes his first novel
After spending time and education to achieve his goals,“In the summer of 1988, about six months before the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, [Amir] finished [his] first novel, a father-son story set in Kabul” (182). By going to America, Amir was able to do what he wanted to do and accomplished his goal. He was taking the opportunities and using his past to create stories. -
Soviet troops leave
In February 1989, "after peace talks moderated by the United Nations, the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan" (2). -
Sanaubar returns and Farzana is pregnant
Numerous important events occurred “in early 1990, [when] Farzana became pregnant again. It was that same year, in the middle of the summer, that Sanaubar” (210) had returned since eloping with a band of singers and dancers in 1964. Sanaubar was looking for atonement herself when she came back to find the son she never loved. By taking care of her grandson, Sohrab, she was giving herself the chance to start again and express her love. -
Soraya finds that she can't have children
When Soraya found out that she could not bear children, she said, “The doctor said we could adopt” (186). If Soraya had been able to bear children and they started a family, Amir might not have gone to find Sohrab. Adoption was what allowed Amir to atone for his sins and provide for Sohrab a family. -
power was divided and much of it was in Mullah Omar's hands
In the summer of 1994, "Afghanistan... power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms... By the end of 1994, Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east" (2). -
Mr. bin Laden arrives
After Taliban took over Afghanistan, they "provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden, who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996, and for Al Qaeda" (3). -
Taliban takes over Afghanistan
By 1996, "the Taliban... had taken control of Afghanistan" (3) with the support of Pakistan. -
Amir finds out Rahim Khan is sick
In June 2001, Amir receives a call telling him that “Rahim Khan is very sick” (191). In the novel, Rahim Khan was more fatherly than Baba and he knew Amir well. Finding out that he was sick was the equivalent of finding out that Baba was sick. -
US leads an invasion after Al Qaeda attacks Afghanistan.
On September 11th, Al Qaeda attacked Afghanistan and "the United States has been militarily involved in Afghanistan since 2001 when it led an invasion" (1). -
President George Bush gives an ultimatum to the Taliban
President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden "after the attack on the World Trade Center in New York" (3). -
Hamid Karzai becomes the leader of Afghanistan
The new leader of the country took the pace of the defeated Taliban. He was "Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the exiled former king of Afghanistan" (3). -
General Petraeus responsible for military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan
In October 2008, General Petraeus, "the Iraq commander who recieved much of the credit for the success of the surge there, had taken charge of United States Central Command" (4) and put in charge of Iraq, Afghanistan and across the region military operations. -
President Obama delivers a speech
President Obama delivers a speech announcing "his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops. He vowed to start bringing American forces home from Afghanistan in the middle of 2011 saying the United States could not afford and should not have to shoulder an open-ended commitment" (4).