A Study Of Inferiority Complex Of Amir In The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner is the first novel written by Afghan-American writer Khaled Hosseini.Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul,Afghanistan,and moved to the United States in 1980.He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Kite Runner,A Thousand Splendid Suns,and And the Mountains Echoed.Hosseini is also a U.S.Goodwill Envoy to the UNHCR,the UN Refugee Agency,and the founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation,a nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.In this novel,the protagonist Amir’s betrayal of his loyal servant and friend Hassan provokes many scholars to investigate the reasons behind Amir’s behavior.By employing the theory of “inferiority complex” propounded by the Austrian psychoanalyst Alfred Adler,this thesis aims to explore the psychological development of Amir,that is to analyze Amir’s symptoms of the inferiority complex,the causes of his development of an inferiority complex,and how he recovered from it.The thesis mainly includes three parts: introduction,body,and conclusion.First,the introduction part briefly introduces the basic information about the author Khaled Hosseini and his novel The Kite Runner,reviews studies on The Kite Runner from various perspectives,and presents the reasons for writing this thesis.Second,the body part is divided into three chapters.Chapter One delves into the proof and the developing process of the protagonist Amir’s inferiority complex,which is clearly distinguished from “inferiority feelings.” And it is discussed from three groups of symptoms of inferiority complex Amir exhibited,among which some belong to those of neurosis,namely convictions about self-deficiencies and impotence,defeat evasion and domain restriction,as well as lack of interest in others and subsequent superiority complex.Chapter Two analyzes the causes of Amir’s inferiority complex.And it is studied from two aspects: one is the adverse influence from family,which includes the absence of maternal love,authority and indifference of his father,and preference for the other child in the family,Hassan;and the other is his deviant meaning of life.Chapter Three seeks to find out the way in which Amir overcame his inferiority complex.It is mainly analyzed from two sources: one is the guidance of the role of teacher,which Rahim Khan took,the best friend and business partner of Amir’s father;and the other is participating in social cooperation,including occupation,romantic love,and friendship.The third part serves as a conclusion of the whole thesis,from the symptoms Amir displayed of an inferiority complex,to the causes of it,and to his recovery from it.Meanwhile,this part also points out the significance,innovations,and limitations of the thesis.Predicated upon the “inferiority complex” theory propounded by Alfred Adler,this thesis attempts to analyze the psychological states and behavior of the protagonist of The Kite Runner,Amir,the causes of his inferiority complex,and the remedies for it,hoping to help understand the causes of his behavior from a new perspective and to provide for readers who are also troubled by an inferiority complex,a reference for analyzing the causes and some methods to remedy it.