The Haunt of A Daunting Past: A Psychoanalytic Reading of Khaled Hosseini‘S The Kite Runner and a Thousand Splendid Suns.

Abstract

Individuals are inextricably shaped by their life experiences, with early life events casting lasting shadows. As Tyson (1999) posits, the world is ―comprised of individual human beings, each with a psychological history that begins in childhood experiences in the family‖ (p. 12). This study employs the Bowen Family theory and Anna Freud‘s Defense Mechanisms, both Psychoanalytic theories, as frameworks to illuminate the life experiences and psychological developments of two pivotal characters, Amir and Mariam, in Khaled Hosseini‘s novels, The Kite Runner (2003) and A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007), respectively. This study delves into the impact of their early experiences on the course of their lives, seeking to decipher the motivations behind their actions, the enduring psychological repercussions of these experiences, and the strategies they employ to cope. Psychoanalysis contends that an unconscious drive significantly influences or shapes a person‘s behaviour. In the narratives of Amir and Mariam, we discern intricate threads of thought, emotion, and conduct that can be traced back to the unconscious forces of love and family. This study centres on the theme of family dynamics, specifically examining the childhood experiences of these protagonists and their contribution to character development. It sheds light on the roles of family and love in shaping the actions of Amir and Mariam, the haunting legacies of their past, the far-reaching consequences of which both characters grapple with in adulthood, and, intriguingly, exposes a unique manifestation of the Oedipal (male and female) Complex in both novels.