Abstract

As a profound and powerful Afghan novel in America, The Kite Runner which is created by Khaled Hosseini has received widespread attention since its publication. The Kite Runner tells a tale of two wandering souls journey of pursuit of cultural identity. Unlike previous studies which mainly discuss Hassan’s tragedy, or Amir’s betrayal and redemption and racial dispute, this thesis attempts to interpret the novel from the perspective of root-seeking awareness. As an Afghan-American novelist, Hosseini longs for his own cultural identity and expresses this desire by the description of Amir’s pursuit and love to Afghanistan, wishing the whole world to pay attention to the problems of Afghanistan: racial discrimination and terrorism after miserable wars and tribulation. 

Key words: wandering souls; cultural identity; root-seeking awareness

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1. Introduction-4

1.1 Khaled Hosseini and The Kite Runner-4

1.2 A Survey of The Kite Runner Studies-5

1.3 The Organization of this Thesis-6

2. Wanderings in The Kite Runner-6

2.1 Wandering in the Ethnic Conflict-7

2.1.1 Hassan-7

2.1.2 Ali-9

2.2 Wandering between Motherland and Migrant Cultures-10

2.2.1 Baba-10

2.2.2 Amir-11

3. An Interpretation of the Journey of Seeking Root-12

3.1 Different Ways of Seeking Root-12

3.1.1 Hassan’s Persistence in “For you, a thousand times over”-12

3.1.2 Baba’s Pursuing Cultural Identity by Saving Himself and Others-13

3.1.3 Amir’s Achieving Self-redemption-14

3.2 Kite as the Symbol of Root-16

4. Conclusion-17

References-19