Abstract: The Kite Runner, the first novel of the Afghan American writer Khaled Hosseini, was published in 2003. Since its publication it has been well received and highly appreciated. This book got almost all the prizes for a new writer in the English-speaking countries and made the record of occupying the top position of nine major book rankings for over ten weeks at the same time. The novel relates a story about the growth of Amir, an Afghan boy. Based on the persona, the shadow, the anima／animus, the wise old man and the self, which play critical roles in shaping personality and behaviors, this thesis is to analyze the protagonist’s psychology in The Kite Runner from the perspective of Jungian archetypal theory and thus presents the protagonist’s inner affection and his mental process.

Key words: Khaled Hosseini; Jungian Archetypal Theory; The Kite Runner; Amir

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 Khaled Hosseini and The Kite Runner-1

1.2 Literature Review-2

2. Carl Gustav Jung and Jungian Archetypal Theory-4

2.1 The Persona Archetype-4

2.2 The Shadow Archetype-5

2.3 The Anima Archetype-5

2.4 The Self Archetype-6

2.5 The Wise Old Man Archetype-6

3. An Analysis of Amir’s Betrayal-6

3.1 Amir’s Persona-7

3.2 Amir’s Shadow-8

3.3 Unfulfilled Anima-10

4. An Analysis of Amir’s Atonement-12

4.1 Guidance from the Wise Old Man-12

4.2 Fulfilled Anima-14

4.3 The Realization of the Self-15

5. Conclusion-16

References-18