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Kite Runner
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Hassan is born
Hassan is just one year younger than Amir, and they two of them fed from the same breast as infants, bonding them with "a kinship that not even time could break," (11). This bond that Amir and Hassan share makes them brothers in a sense, so this can be interpreted as foreshadowing for the fact that they are eventually revealed to be brothers. Furthermore, their bond is of such strength it's probably the reason that Hassan is willing to fight for Amir, and the reason that Amir carries such guilt. -
Baba's orphanage opens
The day of Baba's orphanage opening was a big deal, but Amir, "wanted Baba all to [himself]," (13), and so decided not to let Hassan come celebrate with them. This outlines the larger them about power in the book; as much as Amir is friends with Hassan, he still feels that, to a degree, he is surperior to Hassan. This may be in part due to socioeconomic status in that Hassan is a Hazara and therefore poorer and of less societal value than Amir. -
Amir writes his first short story
As Amir is reading to Hassan, he plays a trick on him by re-writing the story himself, and is shocked to learn that he has a, "special talent," (32) for writing. This is key in several ways, one being that it is the moment when Amir discovers the skill which he will later turn into a career. It's also important because Rahim Khan encourages Amir while Baba does not, reinforcing the feeling of being a disappointment that Amir experiences. -
Hassan and Amir face off with Assef
Assef is the most violent kid in the neighborhood, and when Hassan stands up to him, he says menacingly that, "it doesn't end today," (42). The stand-off that occurred here is important because it shows once again that Hassan is willing to fight for Amir. It also foreshadows for events later in the book, including the rape of Hassan and the fight between Amir and Assef. -
Baba fixes Hassan's harelip
For Hassan's 10th birthday, Baba pays for the plastic surgery that will fix Hassan's harelip, saying that "this present will last [HAssan] forever," (46). This is another place in the book where it's clear that Amir is jealous of the 'special treatment' he feels Baba gives Hassan. This in turn shows that Baba is trying to make up for the guilt of not owning up to being Hassan's father by giving expensive presents. -
Assef rapes Hassan
Assef finally seeks out the revenge he brought up 2 years earlier when he rapes Hassan as Amir runs, thinking "he's just a Hazara, wasn't he?" (77). This is probably the most important part of the book because it outlines all the important themes about guilt, atonement, and the problems that can happen when socioeconomic power is seen as being more important than true values. This event is the cause of the guilt that Amir carries around with him for the rest of his life. -
Amir pushes Hassan and Ali to leave
The extreme guilt that Amir feels surrounding Hassan eventually gets to be too much for him and he wanted to "lessen [Hassan's] suffering. And [his own] too," (102). This is another pivotal moment in the book because it's another place where Amir very easily could have owned up to his mistakes and solved every issue between himself and Hassan. It shows that, as strong as one's principles may be, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are able to uphold said principles -
First Introduction Soviet Troops to Afghanistan
A nine-year-long occupation of Afghanistan by Soviet troops began when said troops came in "response to a plea for help from a legitimately constituted Karmal government" ("Afghanistan - An Overview" 2). -
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Modern Afghan History
The history of Afghanistan, beginning with the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1970s, and continuing on to present-day events. -
Baba and Amir leave Afghanistan
Amir sums up Baba's life as they leave Afghanistan as, " one disappointing son and two suitcases," (124). This line is essentially foreshadowing for Amir and Baba's opposite lives in Afghanistan and the US, and the power shift that occurred to create the rift between them. In Afghanistan, Baba is wealth and status and reputation, but in the US he is a suitcase and a father. -
Baba gets in a fight with the Nguyens
Amir tells the Nguyens that Baba, "is still adjusting to life in America," (128) after Baba throws a fit in their grocery store when he is asked for ID. This is symbolic of the general power shift that has occurred in the relationship between Baba and Amir in the US. Amir acts more like a father than a son now because he understands the way the US works and can manipuate it, while Baba is completely unwilling to change his ways. -
Soraya accepts Amir's marriage propsal
Just after Amir proposes to Soraya, she makes a confession of guilt about her past, but Amir is still unable to, saying that, "Soraya Taheri [is] a better person than [him] in many ways. Courage [being] just one of them," (165). This is the moment when it becomes clear how important forgiveness is. The guilt that Soraya had been weighing her down in the same way that Amir's guilt is destroying him. Just by telling Amir, she released her guilt, showing the reader the first stage of atonement. -
Baba dies
As Amir attends Baba's funeral, he is faced with the horror of, "Baba [not showing him] the way anyomore; [him having] to find it on [his] own," (174). This shows that it's possible that for all the values Baba tried to instill in Amir, he was really just making it worse by not allowing Amir to make little mistakes in the hopes of avoiding big ones. -
Soviet Troops Leave Afghanistan
The last of the Soviet troops occupying Afghanistan left the country as a result of UN peace talks, leaving the country a "beacon to Islamic extremists" (Afghanistan- An Overview 2) -
Pakistan starts giving money to Afghan Talibs
One of the major reasons the Taliban was able to maintain such a strong hold on Afghanistan was that "Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money, and supplies to Mullah Omar's men" (Afghanistan - An Overview 3). -
Afghanistan governed by warlords
After the Soviets left, Afghanistan fell to anarchy and local warlords scrambled for power, dividing the country "among competing warlords and individual fifedoms," (Afghanistan- An Overview 2). -
Taliban gains support as student movement
The Taliban originally gained support in Afghanistan as a student movement and was centered around healing the violent nation by "restoring the centrality of Islam to daily life" (Afghanistan - An Overview 2). -
Sanaubar atones for her sins
Sanaubar, who abandoned Hassan as a tiny baby, redeems herself by being a grandmother to Sohrab, and eventually, "looked calm, at peace, like she did not mind dying," (211) in death. The fact that Sanaubar was able to make up her mistakes with Hassan by helpong Sohrab is key because both Amir and Baba are in the same situation. Sohrab is their shot at redemption after screwing up with Hassan. -
Taliban controls Afghanistan
The Taliban in Afghanistan became prominent enough to excercise its power in 1996 when Talibs started "imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law" (Afghanistan- An Overview 3). -
Taliban begins sheltering Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden, a leader of the terrorist organization AL Qaeda, was taken in and sheltered by the Afghan Taliban in 1996 when he arrived "by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport" (Afghanistan- An Overview 3). -
Rahim Khan calls Amir from Pakistan
Amir, now an adult man, recieves a call from his old friend Rahim Khan, who comes bearing Amir's "past of unatoned sins" (1). This call is what spurs Amir into action after the many years he spent avoiding his guilt from the things he had done. The call is also symbolic of the change that has occurred in Amir; he was never able to face his guilt until he understood that doing so could save the life of the person he most owes assistance. -
Amir and Assef fight
As Amir fought Assef to save Sohrab, he said that, "[His] body was broken... but [he] felt healed," (289). This brings together all the main plot points of the book, Amir is atoning for Baba's sins as well as his own by saving Sohrab (who is taking the place of Hassan). Furthermore, it concludes the inner battle that Amir has been facing since even before Hassan's rape. Amir has finally found the ability to stand up for the values and morals that he clearly believes in very strongly. -
US begins attack on Taliban
When the Taliban refused to turn Osama bin Laden over to the US after 9/11, President Bush sent US troops to Afghanistan. They joined with Afghan rebel militias and "drove the Taliban out of major Afghan cities" (Afghanistan- An Overview 3). -
Sohrab smiles
At the very end of the book, Sohrab give a tiny smile, and while Amir understands that this doesn't mean the struggle is over, he thinks that the spring, "melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe [he had] just witnessed the first flake melting," (371). Sohrab's smile draws another connecting line between him and Hassan because after Hassan was raped, he eventually healed and was able to function normally. This means that it's very possible that Sohrab will be able to recover with more time. -
Announcement for more US troops in Afghanistan
Because the US attempted to give a lot of support to Afghanistan under the Obama administration, the government felt that it was too risky to withdraw and so "[deployed] 30,000 additional troops" (Afghanistan- An Overview 4). -
Pullout date from Afghanistan pushed back to 2014
Because US troops were not able to sufficiently subdue, let alone erradicate Afghani Talibs by the planned withdrawal date of July 2011, that date was pushed back to at least 2014 to "warn the Taliban that aggressive attaks against them [will] continue" (Afghanistan- An Overview 4).