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Kite Runner
As Assef and his crew prepare to beat up Amir, Hassan interferes by loading his slingshot and saying "If you make a move, they'll have to change your nickname from Assef the Ear Eater to One Eyed Assef, because I have this rock pointed at your left eye" (Hosseini 42). Hassan's leadership goes beyond being a good friend. He's going against societal norms and defending himself from someone in the upper class, who traditionally have higher authority over him. -
Kite Runner
During the rape incident, as Amir is contemplating whether or not to stand up for Hassan, he thinks, "Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba" (Hosseini 77). Amir desperately wants to interfere and save Hassan, but he knows that if he does, then Assef will take the blue kite and he won't win the competition. He i then forced to decide between saving his best friend, or getting the love and affection that he lacks with Baba. -
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Kite Runner Timeline
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Kite Runner
Baba loads Ali and Hassan's bags into his car while Amir stays inside and watches from the window and thinks "I watched Baba's car pull away from the curb, taking with it the person whose first spoken word had been my name" (Hosseini 109). Amir finally sees the backlash to his actions which resulted in Hassan and Ali leaving. This can be traced back to the rape incident, when Amir selfishly chose Baba's gratitude over saving his friend. Ever since then, Amir is unable to deal with the burden. -
Kite Runner
Baba and Amir are taking care of the tulips in their garden, and Amir suggests getting rid of Ali and Hassan by saying "Baba, have you ever thought about getting new servants" (Hosseini 89). We can see that Amir is starting to reach his breaking point and is unable to display how he feels towards Hassan. He seeks atonement for abandoning his best friend, but doesn't know how to get it in an appropriate manner. -
Kite Runner
One of Amir's tactics to get rid of Hassan was to place his expensive birthday presents under Hassan's pillow and frame him. Baba found out, so he confronts Hassan and asks, "'Did you steal Amir's watch Hassan? Hassan's reply was a single word, delivered in a thin, raspy voice: Yes"' (Hosseini 105). Here, Hassan may realize that Amir is using him a sacrifice in order to gain back Baba's love, and he's forced to say yes because Amir has the power to overrule him. -
Kite Runner
Amir takes Hassan to the pomegranate tree behind their house and starts screaming and hurling the fruits at him. During his rage, he yells "'Hit me back goddamn you! I wished he would. I wished he'd give me the punishment I craved, so maybe I'd finally sleep at night" (Hosseini 92). Amir doesn't know how to deal with his frustration and get over the conflict with Hassan, so he lashes out at him. He feels that he deserves a punishment that will justify what he did. -
New York Times Article
When introducing the Soviet Union's breach into Afghanistan, the article states "Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, has known little peace since 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded" (New York Times). -
New York Times Article
Marking the initial attacks by the soviet union on Afghanistan, the article states, "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). -
Kite Runner
While people pay their respects to Baba at his funeral, Amir overhears them talking and thinks to himself, "Listening to them, I realized how much of who I was, what I was, had been defined by Baba and the marks he had left on people's lives" (Hosseini 174). Amir is able to grasp the fact that up until that moment, his inner values had been instilled on him by Baba, even though some of them he personally doesn't agree with. With Baba gone, Amir now has to face his own challenges without support. -
New York Times Article
After killing off around 15,000 soviet troops, the Afghan military was able to build a more solid defense when "the Soviet Air Force was also rendered largely useless by advanced Stinger anti aircraft missiles supplied by the United States to the rebels" (New York Times). -
Kite Runner
Following the engagement party, Amir and Soraya are putting Baba to bed and she "pulled up his blanket. [She] closed the door. Baba never woke up" (Hosseini 173). This event is valuable because Amir will be forced to make decisions on his own without Baba's support. In the past he's relied on Baba's masculine figure to take control of situations and cover up his shy nature. -
Kite Runner
At Baba's funeral, Soraya notices people talking behind her back and vents her emotions to Amir by saying through tears, "'Their sons go out to nightclubs looking for meat and get their girlfriends pregnant, they have kids out of wedlock and no one says a goddamn thing"' (Hosseini 179). This is an example of what the societal norms were like in the Afghan community, and how unfair it was towards women. They feel pressured to act a certain way based on what others tell them to do. -
New York Times Article
As the Soviet Union was defeated, "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). -
New York Times Article
When describing the origin of the Taliban, the article states, "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" (New York Times). -
New York Times Article
After the Taliban took control in 1996, they imposed many strict laws, "banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-enveloping burqa clothing" (New York Times). -
Kite Runner
Shortly after the engagement, Soraya and Amir are talking over the phone and she reveals a deep secret, saying "I ran away with an Afghan man. I was eighteen at the time ... rebellious ... stupid, and ... he was into drugs... we lived together for almost a month" (Hosseini 164). Soraya wants atonement for her actions many years ago, because she feels that if she doesn't come clean, then it will negatively affect their marriage. After hearing the story, Amir realizes her courage and is envious. -
Kite Runner
After finding put that Hassan was his brother, Amir thinks about all of Baba's actions throughout his life and realizes, "Baba and I were more alike than I'd ever known" (Hosseini 226). Throughout the novel, Baba is portrayed as a perfect person who is wealthy and charitable, but in reality, he was only doing that to atone himself for his previous mistakes. Up until this point, Amir thought Baba was the embodiment of the masculine figure, until he realized everything he's done. -
New York Times Article
Following the ambush of the twin towers, "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). -
New York Times Article
After initial attacks from the US military, the article says, "With American military efforts focused on Iraq, the Taliban made a steady comeback, fueled by profits from the opium trade, dissatisfaction with the weak and often corrupt Afghan government, and safe havens in Pakistan" (New York Times). -
Kite Runner
During their fight, Assef continually punches Amir, but he surprisingly starts laughing because “for the first time since the winter of 1995, [he] felt at peace” (Hosseini 289). Although this is a rather vulgar way of dealing with guilt, Amir thinks that getting fatally beat up is a way to forgive himself for not saving Hassan all those years ago. This reveals Amir’s inner values of receiving a punishment that fits the crime, which was taken to an extreme level in this circumstance. -
Kite Runner
While Assef beats up Amir profusely, Sohrab stood up for him by using his slingshot that "made a thwiiiiit sound when Sohrab released the cup. Then Assef was screaming. He put his hand where his left eye had been moments ago" (Hosseini 291). This is valuable, because Sohrab has gone against the social status norms and greatly wounded someone of a higher class. Also, Assef was a Taliban leader which would've placed him at the top of the power ladder at that time. -
Kite Runner
As Amir receives the news that Sohrab can come back to America with him, he's on his way to tell him and "Suddenly I was on my knees, screaming. Screaming through my clenched teeth. Screaming until I thought my throat rip and my chest explode" (Hosseini 343). The quote reveals that Sohrab can't handle his past traumatic experiences and would rather take his own life then continue living. It also explains Sohrab's depression and why he hasn't spoken much ever since being rescued by Amir. -
Kite Runner
During halftime of the soccer match, the Taliban host public executions by hurling stones at people until they eventually die. Amir describes one of the men as "a mangled mess of blood and shredded rags. His head slumped forward, chin on chest" (Hosseini 271). This quote displays how corrupt Afghanistan was when the Taliban had control. Torturing people until death was used as a form of entertainment and all government had collapsed, so nobody could stop them from doing what they wanted. -
New York Times Article
As the Taliban started to restore power in Afghanistan, Barrack Obama prevented it by "drawing troops out of Iraq and increasing the number in Afghanistan by almost 50,000" (New York Times). -
New York Times Article
while illustrating the US military involvement in Afghanistan, the article asserts, "In a speech delivered Dec. 1, 2009, at West Point, Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (New York Times).