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Amir is born
The first sentence of The Kite Runner reads "I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975" (Hosseini 1). This quote is significant not only because of its deeper meaning, but because it tells the reader when Amir, the main character, was born. By doing a bit of math, one can conclude that Amir was born in 1963, and the birthday of anyone, let alone the birthday of the main character of a book, is important. -
Amir Writes His First Story
After making up a story in his head and telling it to Hassan, Amir "wrote [his] first story. It took [him] thirty minutes" (Hosseini 30). Looking back, this event was a very big deal for Amir. After all, he went on to become a fairly successful author in his adult life.Had Amir never written his first story, he probably never would've become a writer. -
Mohammed Daoud Coup
Afghanistan's recent political history has been full of turmoil. However, it wasn't always that way, and one event in particular really set it off. BBC writes in one of their timelines "Mohammed Daoud seizes power in a coup and declares a republic. Tries to play off USSR against Western powers." (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253). After Daoud took power, a lot happened to Afghanistan, and it hasn't been the same as it once was ever since. -
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Kite Runner and the History of Afghanistan
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Amir Witnesses Hassan's Rape
On this date, Amir witnessed the rape of Hassan and told no one about it. This is probably the single most important event within the book, since it was the ultimate pivot point in Amir's life. When describing the event, Amir writes "I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be" (Hosseini 77). This quote encapsulates the significance of the event. Amir describes it as an opportunity to decide who he was going to be, which is very important. -
Amir and Hassan win Kite Tournament
On this day, Amir finally earned Baba's respect and admiration that he'd longed for his entire life. He did it by winning a kite tournament, which is a big deal in Afghanistan. When describing the event, Amir writes "And that right there was the single greatest moment of my twelve years of life, seeing Baba on that roof, proud of me at last" (Hosseini 66). Winning the kite tournament meant everything to Amir. It was the only thing that could bring him closer to Baba, and it did. -
Hassan Leaves
After Amir witnessed Hassan's rape, he simply couldn't live with himself. To try to get rid of some of his guilt, he framed Hassan for stealing to get rid of him, eventually leading to Hassan and Ali leaving permanently. When Hassan and Ali left Amir for good, Amir "watched Baba's car pull away from the curb, taking with it the person whose first spoken word had been [Amir's] name" (Hosseini 109). This quote shows how much Hassan meant to Amir, and how much it hurt Amir to see Hassan go. -
Soviets Invade
In 1979, the "Soviet Army invades and props up communist government" (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253). The Soviet army would go on to be present in Afghanistan for ten years, and the some remnants of their stay there can still be found today. -
Baba and Amir Leave Afghanistan
When the fighting in Afghanistan started, it didn't subside. As a result, Amir and Baba were forced to flee. While looking at his and Baba's suitcases, Amir thinks to himself "[The suitcases] made me sad for Baba. After everything he'd built, planned, fought for, fretted over, dreamed of, this was the summation of his life: one disappointing son and two suitcases" (Hosseini 124). This quote perfectly sums up how leaving the only life they ever knew must have felt for Baba and Amir. It was tough. -
Exodus Commences
By 1982, "Some 2.8 million Afghans have fled from the war to Pakistan, and another 1.5 million have fled to Iran. Afghan guerrillas gain control of rural areas, and Soviet troops hold urban areas." (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/). Clearly, Afghanistan was feeling the effects war could have on a previously peaceful country. -
Amir Graduates From High School in America
Two years after arriving in the U.S., Amir "graduated from high school at the age of twenty" (Hosseini 131). Graduating from high school is a big milestone for anyone, with Amir being no exception. Baba and Amir celebrated the event that night by getting kabobs and going to a bar, and the evening was capped off with Baba giving Amir a car as a graduation present. Receiving so much love from Baba was huge for Amir, who'd longed for his father's love his entire life. -
Rahim Khan Finds Hassan
After living alone for a while, Rahim Khan "went to Hazarajat to find Hassan in 1986" (Hosseini 203). This event was utterly important because Rahim Khan did, in fact, find Hassan, and he even got Hassan and his family to come and live with him. When Amir later returned to Afghanistan, he received a letter from Rahim Khan, written by Hassan and intended for him. Had Rahim Khan never found Hassan, Amir wouldn't have bee able to read the letter and he never would've found out about Hassan. -
Amir and Soraya get Married
While it isn't fully possible to determine the exact date of Amir and Soraya's wedding, this is roughly around when it was. This event was important since it was a very thoroughly described event in the book, and any marriage is a pretty big deal. In addition, "Baba spent $35,000, nearly the balance of his life savings, on the awroussi, the wedding ceremony" (Hosseini, 169). Baba spending that much money on anything is a big deal, let alone spending it on Amir's wedding. -
Geneva Peace Accords
As stated by PBS, in 1989 "The U.S., Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Soviet Union sign peace accords in Geneva guaranteeing Afghan independence and the withdrawal of 100,000 Soviet troops. " (PBS). This event was of so much significance because the Soviets had been in Afghanistan for a full ten years. After they left, there was a power vacuum, and rarely do power vacuums end up well. -
Sanaubar Returns
After being gone for multiple decades, "a woman covered in a sky blue burqa knocked on the front gates one morning" (Hosseini 209). The woman referenced in this quote is Hassan's mother, Sanaubar, and the gates in the quote are the front gates to Amir's childhood home, now home to Hassan's family and Rahim Khan. Sanaubar coming back was important because it meant Hassan could finally meet his mother, and because she would go on to play a prominent role in the upbringing of Hassan's son, Sohrab. -
Taliban Assembles
In 1985, a "Newly formed Islamic militia, the Taliban, rises to power on promises of peace" (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/). When the Taliban first entered Afghanistan, they were almost welcomed with open arms, as everyone wanted nothing more than an end to the war. However, that attitude toward them would completely shift when they started to severely abuse and torture people. -
Amir Returns to Afghanistan
After receiving a letter from Rahim Khan asking him to come back to Pakistan, Amir "sat on a window seat aboard a Pakistani International Airlines flight, watching a pair of uniformed airline workers remove the wheel chocks" (Hosseini 194). Amir going back to Afghanistan was a major event, largely because everything that occurs later in the book pivots off of that single decision. -
Amir Reads Hassan's Letter
After living in San Francisco for a while, Amir went back to Pakistan to visit Rahim Khan. Upon Amir's arrival, Rahim Khan filled Amir in on what had happened since his departure and showed him a picture with a letter Hassan had written for him. After receiving it, Amir "read the letter twice. [He] folded the note and looked at the photograph for another minute" (Hosseini 218). The fact that Amir read the letter twice and looked at the picture for so long proves how much the letter meant to him. -
Amir Finds Out Hassan is His Brother
When Amir went back to Pakistan to see Rahim Khan, he found out that Baba was actually Hassan's father, not Ali. After finding out, Amir "felt like a man sliding down a steep cliff, clutching at shrubs and tangles of brambles and coming up empty-handed" (Hosseini 222). Amir was shocked to learn that much of his childhood had been a lie, and finding out about the fact forever changed his perception of his entire upbringing. -
Assef Becomes "One-Eyed Assef"
Amir ended up going back to Kabul to find Hassan's son, Sohrab, only to encounter Assef. Assef then forced Amir to fight him until one of them died, and that person was very nearly Amir. The only thing that saved him was Sohrab, who'd used his slingshot to shoot out Assef's left eye, causing Assef to "put his hand where his left wye had been just a moment ago" (Hosseini 290). Sohrab saved Amir's life, and caused Assef to have only one eye left, making him "One eyed Assef." -
U.S. Gets Involved In War
The attacks on 9/11 were the most devastating acts of terrorism ever to occur on U.S. soil, and the Americans were furious about them. As stated by BBC, "US-led bombing of Afghanistan begins following the September 11 attacks on the United States. Anti-Taliban Northern Alliance forces enter Kabul shortly afterwards" (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253). The U.S. would go on to have a pretty big impact on Afghanistan in the years to follow, though not perhaps in the best way. -
Hamid Karzai Becomes Leader of Afghanistan
In 2001, "Hamid Karzai, a royalist and ethnic Pashtun, is sworn in as the leader of the interim government in Afghanistan. Karzai entered Afghanistan after living in exile for years in neighboring Pakistan" (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/). This event shows just how much turmoil Afghanistan was in at the time. The fact that the new leader of the country was previously living in exile away from it says a lot about the state of Afghanistan. -
NATO Enters Kabul
In 2003, "Nato takes control of security in Kabul, its first-ever operational commitment outside Europe" (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253). NATO entering Afghanistan was significant because NATO had previously never left Europe. This shows what a big deal Afghanistan was to countries all over the world, as NATO wouldn't have gotten involved if it weren't one. -
Sohrab Smiles
After living with Amir and Soraya for a year, Sohrab (Hassan's son), hadn't spoken a word. Broken and scarred from his traumatic childhood experiences, neither Amir nor Soraya heard him speak. Then, "[Amir] looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile." (Hosseini 370). While this event may not seem to be of much significance, it is actually extremely important. Sohrab smiling could have been a step to him one day speaking again, and to Amir, that meant the world. -
Obama Sends Reinforcemens
In 2009, "US President Obama decides to boost US troop numbers in Afghanistan by 30,000, bringing total to 100,000. He says US will begin withdrawing its forces by 2011" (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253). This piece of information is significant not only because thirty thousand troops were added, but also because the US would soon begin withdrawing troops, which would be a big deal to Afghanistan. -
Osama Bin Laden Killed
As stated by PBS, in 2011, "U.S. forces overtake a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and kill al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden" (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/). This event was a huge moment for both the U.S. and Afghanistan because at the time, Bin Laden was the most wanted person in the world.