A New Historicist Interpretation Of The Kite Runner

Emerging, developing, and booming in the 1980s, New Historicism is a mode of literary study based on the parallel reading of literary and non-literary texts, usually of the same historical period. New Historicism, as a kind of literary criticism, origins from the European Renaissance, with its emphasis on interpretation in the form of political literature and culture, paying attention to the survival of cultural historical context, in order to deconstruct orthodox academic with the attitude of edges and subversion. The Kite Runner, the first novel of Khaled Hosseini, conforms to the trend in time, re-examining Afghan in about 30 years of chaotic wartime with a fresh perspective, new words, which fits as well in to the concept of New Historicism, enriching the vision of art. New Historicists attend primarily to the historical and cultural conditions which produced a text, as well as the meanings, effects and later critical interpretation and evaluation of the text.The author will combine the unique cultural history of Afghan with the writer’s own experience in order to interpret The Kite Runner from the perspective of New Historicism. First, this thesis starts with the concept of "the historicity of text and the textuality of history" put forward by New Historicists as a breakthrough point, analyzing the novel both form the historicity of text and the textuality of historical background. Then the author aims to analyze both sexes under the concept of "subversion and containment".In the end, the thesis focuses on the narrative strategies of The Kite Runner within the New Historicist framework.Chapter One introduces New Historicism, from its origin and development to definitions and characteristics. It interprets the novel basing on three aspects, that is the historicity of text and the textuality of history; historical ideology decentralizing "big history" into small one; the ideological edges of history and literature, all laying a theoretical foundation for main chapters of this article.Chapter Two discusses the historicity and textuality of The Kite Runner, analyzing the specific cultural,social and historical elements which shape this novel as well as the different interpretations constructed by different readers basing this novel. In the discussion of the historicity of the novel, The thesis explores deeply on the integration between reality and history for almost 30 years. The first section is about the binary identities of the author. As an in-between writer who is deeply influenced by in both Afghan and American cultures, he cannot erase the marks of either culture in his novels. The second section is on the sad fate of eventual redemption for the distorted youth after suffering for 26 years.In the discussion of the textuality of the novel, the paper interprets the life scene and the confliction between characters under the destruction of war, influence of religious and discrimination of race, by depicting reoccurrence of Afghan history and society.Chapter Three probes characters of both men and women within New Historicism framework. First it talks about male image who are representatives of social energy and power. The second is on women’s unfair treatment in patriarchy society. First of all, starting from two male characters of the novel, it analyses the bumpy fate of both Amir and Hassan in certain social environment and religious background, in order to display the author’s attacks and subversion to the unreasonable social and religious factors. Secondly, the thesis aims to focus on females’ submission and initiation to track the development of their miserable fate. From two aspects of mothers and wives, it exposes the situation of Afghan women who can’t get rid of the powerful patriarchal society and only to be contained by the mainstream society, represented by the four hostess in the novel. Above all, from the New Historicism’s point of view, Hosseini realizes the mission of historical interpretation in The Kite Runner, making those in the edge position strive for their right of speech to write their own small histories.Chapter Four analyzes the narrative strategies of The Kite Runner. The reason why Hosseini can deeply and centrally display the theme of sin and redemption so that is able to leave unforgettable impression on the readers is that inseparable connection with the novel narrative strategies. It makes readers feel so huge the aesthetic impact when enjoying the text that the narrative tension of this novel.This chapter tends to display some other deeper aesthetic experience. Through the special construction of three pairs of father and son, as well as the use of metaphor, it not only serves the themes of the novel, but also adds cultural flavors to it.The last part serves as a conclusion of the former four parts, interpreting the novel The Kite Runner and its author Khaled Hosseini via the perspective of New Historicism, the interrelationship between the society, history and culture reflected in the novel can be further comprehended, and the subversive themes of the novel can be better understood.