PERSONALITY TRAITS OF AMIR IN THE KITE RUNNER: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

ABSTRACT

PERSONALITY TRAITS OF AMIR IN THE KITE RUNNER: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

KEYWORDS:Jealousy,Personality,Id,Ego,Superego,redemption

INTRODUCTION:

KhaledHosseiniisanovelistandshort-storywriter OfAfghanistanorigin,heis nowanAmericancitizenandlivesinNorthernCalifornia.Heiscurrentlyagoodwill envoy for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). ThroughtheKhaledHosseiniFoundation,heprovideshumanitarianassistance in Afghanistan. He was inspired to initiate this foundation when he visited Afghanistanin2007.HehasenchantedtheliteraryworldwithgemslikeTheKite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, And the Mountain Echoed etc. His novels The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns were international bestsellers, published in more than thirty countries. He was awarded the 'South African BooksPrize'forhisdebutnovel“TheKiteRunner”in2006and2007.

Thispapershedslightonthenovel“TheKiteRunner”byAfghan-bornAmerican writerKhaledHosseiniwhichtellsthestoryofaboynamedAmirwhoisanimmigrant ofAfghan and lives inAmerica and who has committed a mistake in his childhood and makes redemption of his fault by sacrificing his ego, from the first-personpointofview Thepaperalsoanalysesthethreedifferenttypesofthe personalityofAmirbyusingFreud'striplepersonalitytheorywhichareid,ego, and superego By using Freud's Personality Theory, he creates a clear understandingofAmir.Howhelost,howheformedapowerfulselfandfinallycompletedthesublimationofpersonalitytobeagoodmanhavebeendiscussedwith great clarity Meanwhile, it aims to analyse howAmir forms his own ego, by friendship,loyalty,cruelty,longingforacceptance,redemptionsandsurvival.

RESEARCHMETHODOLOGY:

Inthepresentanalysis,theresearchproblemistoinvestigatehowsocio-cultural and psychological factors have been employed in the novel.The data was collectedfrombothprimaryandsecondarysources.

Thetechniqueforcollectingdataareasfollows:

Ÿ Detailedanalysisofthenovel.

Ÿ Browsing the internet to get several information and papers related to theobjectofthestudy

Ÿ Takingnotesofimportantdatafrombothprimaryandsecondarydata.

RESULTS:

Basedonthedatawhichhasbeenanalysedinthisresearchwebecomeawareof the protagonist's mind i.e.Amir's and his personality according to Freud's PersonalityTheory

DISCUSSION:

Id:

IdistheearliestpartofFreud'spersonalitytheory Itispresentatthetimeofbirth andrunsonpureinstinct,desireandneed.Itisentirelyunconsciousandbasically works on the pleasure principle.Amir is the protagonist in the novel The Kite Runner Heisaboywholiveswithhisfather,Baba,inanestateinKabul,Afghanistan.AsfarasAmir'sfatherisconcerned,Amirisacoward,lackingtheabilityof self-defenceandprefersburyinghisheadinbookstodoingsportsvigorouslyas hisfatherwisheshimtodo.Healwaysdiesforhisfather'sloveandaffectionbut hisfathergivesthesameloveandaffectiontohishalf-brother,Hassanbypaying extraattentiontohim.Thisfactgetsreflectedinthefollowinglines:

“OnHassan'sbirthday,Babasummonedhimtothehouseasusualtocollect hispresent.Hassan,AmirandAliwereshocked,babahadhiredaplasticsurgeon to correct Hassan's harelip. Amir was jealous that baba has given

Hassansuchspecialattention.”(Hosseini2013:41-43)

From the above quotation, it is clear thatAmir is jealous of Hassan. However, Hassanreallylovesandcaresforhim.Amir'sjealousytowardshisbestfriendis unreasonablebecausehisjealousyisallaboutwantinghisfather'sloveandaffection.Hewishesthatheistheonlyspecialpersoninhisfather'slifeandhealso wants that his father doesn't divide his love and affection with anyone except him.HealsothinksthathisfatherwilldoeverythingforthekitebecauseHassan wasagoodkiteplayerwhereasAmirwasnot.

Unfortunately,hisfathergiveshimandHassanthesamething.SuchthingAmir reallydoesn'tlikebecausehisIdisdominant.Hisjealousyisallaboutthepleasureprinciple.So,Amir'sIdisreflectedinhisdesiretoplaywithHassanandcontinuallytrickhim.

Ego: In the theory of Personality, the Ego operates from the reality principle which workstosatisfytheId'sdesireinthemostreasonableandrealisticways.Amir's egoisreflectedinhisdecisiontoavoidanunpleasantexperience,andhiseffortto beaproudsonbygoingtowinthekitefightingcompetition,asisseeninthequotationbelow:

“You'realmostthere,Amiragha!Almostthere!”Hassanpanting.Thenthe comment came. I closed my eyes and loosened my grip on the string. It sliced my fingers again as the wind dragged it.And then...I didn't need to hearthecrowd'sroartoknow Ididn'tneedtoseeeither Hassanwasscreamingandhisarmwaswrappedaroundmyneck.

“Wewon!Wewon!”wasallIcouldsay ...ThenIsawBabaonourroof.He wasstandingontheedge,pumpingbothofhisfists.Holleringandclapping. AndthatnightseeingBabaonthatroof,proudofmeatlast.(Hosseini,2013: 62-63)

Fromtheabovequote,hisbraveryappearsduetohisfatherwhowillbeproudof him.Amirishappierbecausehewinsthekitetournamentandbringshomethetrophy Itiswitnessedinthefollowinglines:

...I opened the door to the smoky study and stepped in. Baba and Rahim Khan were drinking tea and listening to the news crackling on the radio. Theirheadsturned.Thenasmileplayedonmyfather'slips.Heopenedhis arms.Iputthekitedownandwalkedintohisthickhairyarms.Iburiedmy faceinthewarmthofhischestandwept.Babaheldmeclosetohimrocking mebackandforth.(Hosseini,2013:74)

ThequoteaboveexplainsthatAmirownstheegoaspect.HewantstoboastBaba by bringing home the kite tournament victory trophy Seeing Baba's smile is a signthatAmirisnolongeradisappointingson.Amir'segocanalsobeseenfrom his efforts to rid himself of guilt against Hassan as mentioned in the following quotation:

Anhourlater,Istillcouldn'tsleep.Ikepttossingandturningasmyrelativesgrunted,sighedandsnoredintheirsleep.Isatup.Awedgeofmoonlightstreamedinthroughthewindow

MahwashFatma

ResearchScholar,Dept.ofEnglish,L.N.M.U,Kameshwarnagar,Darbhanga,India.

“Bravo!Bravo,Amiragha!”

ThepresentResearchPaperattemptstoanalyzeAmir'striplepersonalityinthenovel, The Kite Runner towardshisfather(Baba)andhisfriend(Hassan)byapplying Freud's personality theory His jealousy toward Hassan brings him dominance over Id, so he feels guilty for his past mistakes and makes redemption by rescuing Hassan'ssonSohrabfromAssefandcompletinghisredemption.Andfinally,hebecomesagoodmanagain.AllthepersonalitytraitsofAmirhavebeenidentifiedbut hispersonalitytraitsvarysignificantlydependingontheperceivedpresenceofhissocialcontext.

“I watched Hassan get raped,” I said to no one. Baba stirred in his sleep. KakaHomayoungrunted.Apartofmewashopingsomeonewouldwakeup andhear,soIwouldn'tlivewiththislieanymore.Butnoonewokeupandin thesilencethatfollowed.I understoodthenatureof mynew course:I was goingtogetawaywithit.(Hosseini,2011:80)

FromtheillustrationaboveAmirtriestofreehimselfofhisguiltbyconfessing aloud that Hassan had the sexual abuse when everyone was asleep. He wishes someonewakesupandhearsthewordandthushedoesnothavetoundergothe misery and suffering which no longer burdens him. Apparently, this does not makeAmir free from guilt.Amir tries another way He accuses Hassan that he stole his money and his watches. He wants Baba will expel Hassan. Thereby AmirnolongerseesHassanandhisguiltdisappearsbyitself.Thissituationhas beenelaboratedinthefollowingparagraphs:

ThenItookacoupleoftheenvelopesofcashfromthepileofgiftsandmy watch,andtiptoedout.IliftedHassan'smattressandputmynewwatchanda handfulofAfghanibillunderit.

Iwaitedanotherthirtyminutes.ThenIknockedonBaba'sdoorandtoldwhat Ihopedwouldbethelastinalonglineofshamefullies...Babacameright out and asked “Did you steal that money? Did delivered in a thin, raspy voice:“Yes.”(Hosseini,2013:97)

Hehasdonethistosatisfyhisegoinanimproperway ThisisduetoAmir whowantstobefreefromtheanxietyearlier AmirsuccesstoexpelHassan finally Thissuccessisonlyaredirectionofhisdesiretobefreefromguilt.

ThefactisAmirhasbeensufferingfromthisguiltformanyyearsofhislife.This guiltsurfacesinthefollowinglinestoo:

One day last summer, my friend Rahim Khan called from Pakistan. He askedmetocometoseehim.Standinginthekitchenwiththereceivertomy ear,Iknewitwasn'tjustRahimKhanontheline.Itwasmypastofunatoned sins.(Hosseini,2013:01)

Amirdoesn'tknowhowtoatoneforhissintowardsHassanthenhetriesforhis redemption.AmiriswillingtoseeRahimKhan.RahimKhansaysthatheknows thewayforAmirtobegoodagainandfindsanotherreasontogobacktoAfghanistan.Amirhopesthathewillcorrectthethingsthatlingeredfouryearsago.Amir has found out the truth about Hassan that Amir is his biological brother by anothermother Furthermore,RahimKhantoldagoodwaytoredeemallhismistakesinthepastbyrescuingHassan'sson,Sohrab.

“…Amirjan,IsummonedyouherebecauseIwantedtoseeyoubeforeIdie, butthat'snotatall.”Isaidnothing,Ithinkalreadyknewwhathewasgoingto say I want you to go to kabul. I want you to bring Sohrab here,” he said. (Hosseini,2013:203)

From this passage, it can be seen that the purpose of Rahim Khan is to rescue Shorab. Amir's effort to rescue Sohrab turns out to be in the hands of Assef. AlthoughAmirhadtofightveryhardwithAssef,eventuallyAmirbringsSohrab andgiveshimabetterlife.

Superego:

Thesuperegoisthemoralcompassofthepersonality,upholdingasenseofright or wrong. These values are initially learned from our parents. However, the superegogrowswithtime.Superegoprefersperfectionratherthanpleasureand is regarded as the moral aspect of personality Superego aspect ofAmir can be seenwhenhedecidestoleaveHassanforthebluekiteeventhoughAmirlearns that Hassan is a very faithful servant. Hassan has fulfilled his promise toAmir that he will get that blue kite forAmir's victory Amir also knows that Hassan evenpreferstobringhomethekiteratherthanhanditovertosomeoneelse.This situationgetslifeandsustenanceinthefollowingparagraph:

Even from where I was standing, I could see the fear creeping into Hassan'seyes,butheshookhishead.“AmiraghawonthetournamentandI ranthiskiteforhim.Iranitfairly Thisishiskite”(Hosseini,2013:68)

Inthistext,HassanstilldefendsAmireventhoughhefeelsfrightenedandretains thekiteforAmir Instead,AmirsacrificesHassanforthebluekite,atrophyfor thewinner Amirrealisesthatallhisdreamsandaspirationsexistonthebluekite. ThebluekiteholdsBaba'sheart:

....Ihadonelastchancetomakeadecision.Onefinalopportunitytodecide whoIwasgoingtobe.Icouldstepintothatalley,standupforHassan-the way he'd stood up for me all those times in the past and accept whatever wouldhappentome.OrIcouldrun.Intheend,Irun.”(Hosseini,2013:72)

WhenAssefrapesHassanandAmirseesthesituationbutcan'tdoanything,Itcan beexperiencedinthefollowingparagraph:

“IranbecauseIwasacoward.IwasafraidofAssefandwhathewoulddotome.I wasafraidofgettinghurt”(Hosseini,2013:72)

Theparagraphaboveshowsthattheegopreferstofollowtheidratherthanthe superego.Amir's decision to run and leave Hassan shows that his superego is weak.This is due to the over-dominance of id.The ego becomes unrealistic in makingdecisions.Theegowillbreaktherulesornorms.Besides,Amir'ssuperegoalsobecomesweak.Furthermore,aftertherapeincident,Amirdecidesheis unabletohandlethepainofdealingwithHassaneveryday Ratherthanadmitting that he does not stand up for Hassan, he hides his money and watch under Hassan'smattressinanattempttogethimandAliisdismissed.ThisshowsAmir has a weak superego and a strong id.Amir knows that hiding his money with HassanwillgetHassanintrouble,buthedoesitanywayforhisowngood.

Amir'sdecisiontoleaveHassanandhisaccusationthathehasstolenhismoney donotconformwithmoralvalues.Itturnsoutthathisactionsleaveaverydeep senseofguilt.GuiltperceivedbyAmirshowsthatthesuperegowithinAmirpunisheshimforhisactionwhichdoesnotconformwithethicsormoralityas isseen inthequotationbelow:

“I watched Hassan get raped,” I said to no one...Apart of me was hoping someonewouldwakeupandhear,soIwouldn'tlivewiththislieanymore. Butnoonewokeupandinthesilencethatfollowed.Iunderstoodthenature ofmynewcurse:Iwasgoingtogetawaywithit.(Hosseini,2013:80)

YetAmir'ssuperegocanbestrong.ItcanbeseenwhenhefollowsBaba'sdesire tobecomeamemberofthefootballteam:

...Hesignedmeupforsoccerteamstostirthesamepassiononme.ButIwas pathetic, a blundering liability to my own team, always in the way of an opportunepassorunwittinglyblockinganopenlane.(Hosseini,2013:19)

TheabovetextconfirmsthatAmirtriestopleaseBababyplayingsoccer,Baba's favourite sport.Amir's superego looks strong because he fulfils Baba's wishes althoughAmirknowsheisaterribleplayer Amir'sactiontoobeyhisfatherisone of the characteristics of the superego. In addition,Amir's superego also looks strongwhenAmirdoeshisbesttosaveSohrabfromthesadisticman,Assef,and fromaverycriticalsituationforcommittingsuicide:

....Hesaystheboyhadcuthimselfdeeplyandhadlostagreatdealofblood andmymouthbeginstomutterthatprayeragain:LaillahailAllah,Muhammadrasulullah.Theyhadtotransfuseseveralunitsofredcells.HowwillI tellSoraya?Twice,theyhavetorevivehimIwilldoNamaz,IwilldoZakat. They would have lost him if his hearthadn't been young and strong, I will fast.Heisalive.(Hosseini,2013:319)

The above text shows thatAmir feels responsible for Sohrab's suicide and he feelsthatheispunishedforhissinsonceagain.HeasksGodtoforgivehimfor hisneglectandbetrayal.Hepromisestoprayeveryday,payzakatanddofasting ifonlyGodwillsaveSohrab'slife.ThesuperegoinAmirhasbeenstrongsinceit canactinaccordancewiththerulesorreligiousnorms.Theactiontakenbythe ego is also influenced by the superego when Amir promises to take care of Sohrab.

CONCLUSION:

Inthispaper,wehavetriedtoanalysetheprotagonist(Amir)ofthenovel, The Kite Runner byusingFreud'spersonalitytheory Andalsoanalysethewayhow Amirhas donesomewrong thingswithHassan for his innerpleasureonly, but laterhisegoandsuperegoturnhimtogetoffhisguiltandmakearedemption.

So,theprotagonist'spersonalitychangesatdifferentstagesofhislife.Thisfact clarifiesthatthepersonalityofapersonwillchangeineverystageofhislifeifhe iswillingtoadaptandchangeandlivealifeofjoyandfulfilment.

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