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Amir is Born
Amir says he was "twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975" (Hosseini 1). This indicates that an important event occured in the winter of 1975. Also, it reveals Amir's birth date. -
Hassan gets surgery on his cleft lip
When Hassan turned 10 in the "following winter of 1974, Hassan and [Amir] were playing in the yard one day, building a snow fort, when Ali called him in" to bring him to his birthday gift (Hosseini 44). Every year, Baba never missed Hassan's bithday, dur to the fact later discovered in the novel that Hassan is Baba's son. Baba's huge gift to Hassan, the surgery on his harelip, shows how much Hassan means to Baba. -
The Kite- Fighting Competition
Amir states, "In the winter of 1975, I saw Hassan run a kite for the last time"(Hosseini 55). This statement foreshadows the major event about to happen to Hassan. It hooks in the reader, becasue the reader wants to know what will happen next to make sure that Hassan doesn't run a kite again, or at least with Amir. -
Amir turns 13
Amir had his 13th birthday party, a huge celebration due to his success in the kite- fighting tournament, in the "summer of 1976, Afghanistan's next to last summer of peace and anonymity" (Hosseini 93). The only reason that Baba threw such a huge party for Amir was because of his success in the kite-fighting tournament. Therefore, Amire thinks of all of his gifts as blood money except for Rahim Khan's gift and Ali and Hassan's gift. -
Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan
The New York Times article on Afghanistan states, "The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979, to assist Babrak Karmal" (2). -
Amir and Baba are smuggled out of Kabul
During the first truck ride, Amir threw up 3 times due to his car sickness, and stated, "Baba never said so, but I knew he saw my car sickness as yet another of my array of weakness" (Hosseini 110). Baba is always embarrased by Amir's weaknesses, whether it is carsickness or not defending himself from bullies like Assef. As a child growing up, Baba was never like that, so he can't see himself in Amir, which contributes to their constant gap in between them. -
Amir graduates high school
After Baba and Amir celebrate his graduation, Baba tells Amir, "'I wish Hassan had been with us today'"(133). When Baba says this, Amir is reminded of his guilt of that winter day all of those years ago in 1975. This is also another clue that Baba is Hassan's father; he always loved Hassan, and never stopped missing him even after Ali and Hassan haad left many years ago. -
Amir meets Soraya
After Amir's encounter with Soraya, he states, "My heasrt stuttered at the thought of her. Soraya Taheri. My Swap Meet Princess" (142). Soraya had indeed made a huge impression on Amir. However, due to her past experience with suitors, she has been difficult to marry off by her father. That fact doesn't stop Amir from being attracted to her; in fact, it even strengthens his determination to see her. -
Baba is diagnosed with lung cancer
After Amir catches Baba coughing up blood, he takes him to see a doctor, which results inn Baba being diagnosed with lung cancer. Amir says, "It turns out that, like Satan, cancer had many names. Baba's was called 'Oat Cell Carcinoma.' Advanced. Inoperable" (156). When Amir thinks of losing Baba, he can't bear the pain, and he doesn't know what he would do without Baba. This brings out Amir's fears into the open- that he will have no one left beside him, and save him in his time of need. -
Rahim Khan goes to Hazarjat to find Hassan
When Rahim Khan goes to Hazarjat to find Hassan, he finds him rolling dough. Rahim Khan describes Hassan's reaction as, "He dropped the dough when he saw me [Rahim Khan]. I had to make him stop kissing my hands" (205). Even after not seeing Rahim Khan for a long time, Hassan still recognizes him, and faithfully kisses his hands, showing his respect. Hassan didn't change one bit since he left Amir; he still was loyal, humble, and faithful to Amir and his friends and family. -
Amir finishes his first novel
When Amir finds out that he is a published novelist, he celebrates with Soraya and her parents. Khala Jamila, Soraya's mother, says to Amir, "'I am so proud of you...Kaka [Baba] would have been proud too'" (183). All of these positive events happening to Amir remind him of his guilt and his one secret that he never told anyone. This guilt brings Amir to question whether or not Baba would actually be proud of him if he knew Amir's secret. -
Hazaras are massacred in Mazar-i-Sharif
When Rahim Khan is telling Amir his story, he states, "A few weeks later, the Taliban banned kite fighting. And two years later, in 1998, they massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif" (213). What is ironic about this is that Rahim Khan celebrated when the Taliban had arrived. Now, when all of the Hazaras are being killed, no one feels like celebrating because they realize the true nature of the Taliban. -
Soviet Troops Withdraw from Afghanistan
Due to pressure from the UN, "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal" (The New York Times 2). -
Soraya discovers her infertility
Amir describes, "The next few months were a blur of tests on Soraya" (185). Amir and Soraya's determination to figure out why they can't have children reflects on their desperate want for children. Amir tries to atone for his sins by raising a child to the best of his ability, outweighing his sins with good actions. However, that does not effectively atone for Hassan's violation. -
Pakistani Officers begin to aid the Taliban
The Taliban gained popular support, and "[a]s early as 1994, Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money, and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisors to help guide them in battle" (The New York Times 3). -
Sanaubar passes away
Rahim Khan describes Sohrab after Sanaubar passed away as, "He kept walking around the house, looking for Sasa [Sanaubar], but you know how children are, they forget so easily" (212). Even though Sanaubar had left Hassan for most of his lifetime, she still came back into his life after many years and played a huge role in the raising of Sohrab. Sohrab became very attached to her, demonstrating what Hassan would have once done if Sanaubar had stayed after Hassan was born. -
Osama bin Laden arrives at Jalalabad Airport
The article states, "The Taliban also provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden, who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996, and for Al Qaeda" (The New York Times 3). -
Rahim Khan calls Amir
After decades, Rahim Khan calls Amir, with the phrase, "Come. There is a way to be good again, Rahim Khan had said on the phone just before hanging up. Said it in passing, almost as an afterthought" (192). This phrase reveals that Rahim Khan knew about Hassan's incident all along, and also hat Amir did in response. The fact that Amir had to wait until Rahim Khan called him to go visit Kabul and find out what happened to Hassan shows that Amir never cared about Hassan the way Hassan loved Amir. -
Amir fights Assef for Sohrab
While Amir is being beat up by Assef, he realizes that, "What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace" (289). ASmir feels at peace now because ever since he saw Hassan be raped, he was never caught and punished for his sins. Now, decades later, he is finally being punished and now Amir feels that this is what he deserved. -
9/11 Terrorist Attack
In 2001, the US decided to interfere in Afganistan after "the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" (The New York Times 1). -
George Bush makes an offer to the Taliban
The New York Times Article states, "After the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden" (3). -
Hamid Karzai becomes Interim President
After the Taliban were defeated, Hamid Karzai "took office as interim president in June 2002" (The New York Times 3). -
Hamid Karzai elected president of Afghanistan
Hamid Karzai, who was a supporter of Mohammad Zahir Shah, "was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004" (The New York Times 3). -
General Petraeus takes control of the United States Central Command
According to the article, "General Petraeus... had taken charge of United States Central Command in October 2008" (The New York Times 4). -
Obama makes a speech at West Point
The article states, "In a speech delivered Dec. 1, 2009, Mr.Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (The New York Times 4).