132202014.Pdf

THE DESCRIPTION OF PROTAGONIST FOUND IN THE NOVEL THE KITE RUNNER WRITTEN BY KHALED HOSSEINI

A PAPER

RIZKA FHADILA REG.NO 132202014

DIPLOMA – III ENGLISH STUDY PROGRAM FACULTY OF CULTURE STUDY UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA MEDAN 2016

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Approved by

Supervisor,

Dra. Siti Norma Nasution, M.Hum NIP. 19570720198303 2 001

Submitted to Faculty of Culture Study, University of North Sumatera In partial fulfillment of the requirements for Diploma-III in English Study Program

Approved by

Head of Diploma III English Study Program,

Dr. Matius C.A. Sembiring, M.A. NIP. 19521126198112 1 001

Approved by the Diploma-III of English Study Program

Faculty of Culture Study, University of North Sumatera

As a Paper for the Diploma (D-III) Examination

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Accepted by the Board of Examiners in partial of the requirements for the D-III Examination of the Diploma-III English Study Program, Faculty of Culture Study, University of North Sumatera.

The examination is held on May 2016

Faculty of Culture Study, University of North Sumatera

Dean,

Drs. Syahron Lubis, M.A. NIP. 19511013197603 1 001

Board of Examiners/Readers

No. Name Signature

1. Dr. Matius C.A. Sembiring, M.A. (Head of ESP)

2. Dra. Siti Norma Nasution, M.Hum (Supervisor)

3. Drs. Siamir Marulafau, M.Hum. (Reader)

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA AUTHOR’S DECLARATION

I am RIZKA FHADILA, declare that I am the sole author of this paper.

Except where the reference is made in the text of this paper, this paper contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a paper by which I have qualified for or awarded another degree.

No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of this paper. This paper has not been submitted for the award of another degree in any tertiary education.

Signed :

Date :

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA COPYRIGHT DECLARATION

Name : RIZKA FHADILA

Title of Paper :THE DESCRIPTION OF PROTAGONIST FOUND

IN THE NOVEL THE KITE RUNNER BY

KHALED HOSSEINI

Qualification : D-III / Ahli Madya

Study Program : English

I am willing that my paper should be available for reproduction at the direction of the Librarian of the Diploma III English Department Faculty of

Culture Study USU on the understanding that users are made aware of their obligation under law of the Republic of Indonesia.

Signed :

Date :

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA ABSTRAK

Kertas karya ini berjudul : Gambaran dari tokoh utama yang ditemukan dalam novel The Kite Runner yang ditulis oleh Khaled Hosseini. Novel ini menceritakan tentang karakter tokoh utama. Tujuan dari kertas karya ini adalah untuk menemukan dan mengerti : aspek id dari tokoh utama, aspek ego dari tokoh utama dan aspek superego dari tokoh utama. Data dari kertas karya ini adalah aspek kepribadian dari karakter utama dalam novel. Sumber data dari kertas karya ini adalah novel The Kite Runner yang ditulis oleh Khaled Hosseini. Metode yang digunakan dalam kertas karya ini adalah penelitian perpustakaan. Data dikumpulkan dengan mencari dan mengumpulkan beberapa buku yang bersangkutan dengan kertas karya. Kesimpulan dari kertas karya ini adalah : (1) Aspek id dari tokoh utama memperlihatkan dirinya sebagai anak yang mengecewakan dan mengkhianati Babanya, keinginanya yang kuat untuk memenangkan perlombaan layang-layang dan kesalahannya karena telah meninggalkan Hassan dan berpura-pura tidak tahu apa yang terjadi kepadanya. (2) Aspek ego dari tokoh utama adalah usahanya untuk menyelamatkan Sohrab dari Assef dan keputusannya untuk melindungi dan merawat Sohrab. (3) Aspek superego dari tokoh utama adalah menyadari bahwa egonya yang salah ketika memutuskan untuk melarikan diri dan meninggalkan Hasssan. Setelah penjelasan aspek dari karakter tokoh utama berdasarkan teori psikoanalisis, penulis menemukan bahwa ego lebih hebat daripada id, tapi kemudian ada keseimbangan di antara tiga aspek tersebut yaitu : id, ego dan superego

Kata Kunci: Novel, Karakter Utama, ID, Ego dan Superego.

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UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA ABSTRACT

The title of this paper is : The Description of Protagonist Found In The Novel The Kite Runner Written by Khaled Hosseini. The novel tells the story about protagonist character. The aims of this paper are to discover and understand : the id aspect of the protagonist, the ego aspect of the protagonist and the superego aspect of the protagonist. The data of this paper are the aspects of personality of the main character in this novel. The source of data in this paper was the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini’s. The Method of this paper used library research. The data were gathered by searching and collecting some books which are relevant. The conclusion of this paper are : (1) The id aspect of the protagonist such as reveals himself as a disappointing son and betraying his Baba, his strong desire to win the kite tournament and his guilt for leaving Hassan and pretends do not know what happens to him. (2) The ego aspect of the Protagonist are his attempt to rescue Sohrab from Assef’s and his decision to keep and care for Sohrab. (3) The superego of the protagonist is realizing that his ego is wrong when he decides to run away and leave Hassan to get the blue kite. After description the aspect of protagonist character based on psychoanalysis theory, the writer finds that the ego greater than id impulse at first, but then there is a balance between the three aspect of id, ego and superego.

Keyword: Novel, Protagonist Character, ID, Ego and Superego.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA ACKNOWLEDGMENT

First of all, i would like to express my great grattitude to my almighty god Allah SWT. Who has given mercy, health, and guidance to me so , that i can complete this paper as one of the requirements to get degree of

Diploma English at the Faculty of Culture, University of North Sumatera .

My great greeting is also directed to our prophet Muhammad S.A.W.

On this occasion, i would like to express my sincere gratitude to the appreciation, and love to the dean of Faculty of Cultural Studies, Dr. Drs.

Budi Agustono, MS and the head of Diploma III English Study Program,

Dr. Matius C.A. Sembiring, M.A who give me their time and knowledge about doing this paper. Then I would like to express my special gratitude to my supervisor Dra. Siti Norma Nasution, M. Hum for her availability, spirit, time, guidance, and advice to correct the process of writting this paper. And my sincere thank to Drs. Siamir Marulafau, M. Hum my reader for his time, knowledge and suggestions.

My deepest gratitude is also due to all the lecturers of Fib because without their knowledge and assistance through the duration of my study. I would not have been successful to finish my study at the faculty.

An honorable mention goes to my beloved parents, Mr. Fahrizal, SH and Mrs. Dra. Nila Safina, M.Pd for the endless support,pray,money, and understanding. My special thanks are also conveyed to my brother

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Muhammad Fauzi and to all my graduate friends Meiliana Liu,Rini

Boeng,Syafa Mahardina,Irma Desnelita and MawaddahTussiha for sharing the literature and invaluable assistance. I would like to beloved friends Febri Amira, Anggi Dhanisa, Yurike Elanda and Leli Wardhani.

Apart from my efforts, the success of any project largely on this encouragment and guidelines of many others and i take this oppurtunity to express my grattitude to them who have been instrumental in this usccessfull completion of this study.

Medan, May 2016 The Writer,

Rizka Fhadila Reg.No.132202014

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUTHOR’S DECLARATION ...... i COPYRIGHT DECLARATION ...... ii ABSTRAK ...... iii ABSTRACT ...... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... v TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... vii

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 1 1.1 Background of the Study ...... 1 1.2 Problem of the Study ...... 2 1.3 Scope of the Study ...... 2 1.4 Purpose of the Study ...... 2 1.5 Significance of the Study ...... 3 1.6 Method of the Study ...... 3

2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERARTURE ...... 4 2.1 Novel ...... 4 2.2 Protagonist ...... 5 2.3 Theory Psychoanalysis ...... 9

3. THE ANALYSIS ...... 14 3.1 Id of the Protagonist ...... 14 3.2 Ego of the Protagonist ...... 17 3.3 Superego of the Protagonist ...... 22

4. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ...... 29 4.1 Conclusion ...... 29 4.2 Suggestion ...... 29

REFERENCES ...... 30

APPENDICES ...... 31 A. BIOGRAPHY OF THE NOVEL ...... 31 B. SUMMARY OF THE NOVEL...... 38

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UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Novel is one form of a literrary work. Novel is a fictional story in writing or words. A novel usually tells about human life interact. In a novel, the author tried as much as possible to direct the reader to the images of the reality of life through the stories contained in the novel. The story in a novel usually a fantasy or creativity of the author about a ideal world according to his/her thinking. Nurgiyantoro (1995:4) says that the novel as a work of fiction offers a world, world of idealized models of life, imaginary world,that is built through intrinsic elements such as events, plot, character

(characterization), setting, point of view and others, all of which, of course, also be imaginary.

Character is an important element in novel. Character are about who though not real people are drawn from life. Roberts (1985 : 131) says that in fiction, a character may be defined as a verbal representation of human being. Through action, speech, description and commentary, authors potray characters who are worth caring about, rooting for and even loving, although there are also characters people may laugh at, dislike, or even hate.

The writer chosen this topic because the subject matters are important.

Characterization of the novel is a manifestation of the characters in the real world. As Esten (1978:12) says that novel is an expression of fragments of human life where there is a conflict that eventually Ied to changes in the

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA way of life among the actors. Conflicts that occur as a result of the changes in the idividual self with the surroundings in order to feel more comfortable.

These changes can be analyzed with psychological stories, one of which is the theory of psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud. Analyzing the characters in the novel with the refrences of psychoanalysis theory will provide a deeper understanding of the characters. Due to the character in the novel is incarnation of the living creatures of the real world, this topic will provide an understanding of what actually exist inside him/herself is or even ourselves.

1.2 Problem of the Study

The problem of study is :

1. What is the the protagonist written in the novel?

1.3 Scope of the Study

The description deals with the protagonist found in the characters by the author of the novel.

1.4 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is describes the protagonist in Khaled

Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 1.5 Significance of the Study

The significance of the study is expected to provide benefits to the writer and for other readers of this paper. Hopefully this paper provides the understanding of the protagonist character in a novel and raises interest to others examine a novel as well as willing to develop it futher.

1.6 Method of the Study

The method of the study used is library research. Library research is a kind of method research that is used to find certain data and information written in the novel.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Novels

Novel is a story longer, more realistic and more complicated. Novel used to describe a short, compact, broadly realistic tale popular during medieval period. Novel had got something like its present meaning which characters and action that represent of real life whose are portrayed in a plot of more or less complexity. Now, the novel is most widely read all of kinds of literature and the new from of such kind of prose was then called ‘novel’ means new.

Grill (1985:77) explains that a novel is a world especially made in words by an author. It means that novels are not real life. Novels are fictional and they have been made up because an author has chosen to put it together in a particular way. Taylor (1981: 460) says that a novel is a form of literary work. Novel is normally a prose work of quite some length and complexity, which attempts to reflect and express something of the quality or value of human experience or conduct. Novel creates by authors to represent their life experience that they put in written form. The novel deals with a human character in a social situation, man as social being.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 2.2 Protagonist

Character in the literary work is vitally important for it is one of the intrinsic elements and as a medium used by author to tell the story. Without figure can be no events in the story. Authors are free to express style, nature and gender of the figures to play the characters in the story, such as short stories, plays, poems and novels in particular. In literature, there are two elements, namely character and characterization.

Resseguie (1998: 19) argues that the character are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being edowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say - the dialogue - and what they do - the action. While Jones in

(Nurgiyantoro: 2012: 165) says that the characterization is depicition a clear picture about a person who apperas in a story. So character is the actor told in a dramatic or narrative work, while characterization are imaging of the figures shown in the narrative work.

Nurgiyantoro (2012:178-179), based on the function of the appearance, character can be divide into the protagonist and antagonist. The protagonist is a character who plays a leading role in a story. Generally, the protagonist is a good-natured character and a figure who attract sympathy of the reader or spectator. Wicaksono (2014: 183) says that protagonist is character that admired-one of the kinds according to popular called hero characters that

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA are norms personification, the values, which ideal for reader.The protagonist is usually the center or central of attention in the story (Sudjiman, 1998:18).

Typically, readers have great hopes. Protagonist who are not in line with expectations of the reader will make the figures less preferred. Good description of the state of the figures will determine the magnitude desire of the reader to read novel.

In literary work there must be some element that should be included to make it attractive to be seen or heard. Those elements are:

1.) Raj (1991 : 128) says that plot is the term used for plan, design,

scheme, or pattern of events in a play, poem or work fiction.

2.) Beckson and Ganz (1990 : 255) says that theme is sometimes used

to indicate the subject of work. The term theme is more frequently

employed to designate its central idea or thesis. A theme may be

stated directly or indirectly. When not specifically given, it may be

abstracted from the work .

3.) Beckson and Ganz (1990 : 255) says that setting is the time and

place in which the action of a story or a play occurs. In the theatre,

the world setting may refer to the Physical appurtenances of a

production, the scenary and properties, or to the scenery alone.

4.) Beckson and Ganz (1990 : 40) says that character is literary genre,

especially popular in the seventeenth and eightheenth centuries,

deriving from the Characters of Theophrastus.The character is a

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA brief essay describing the virtues or vices of a particular social type,

such as the fop or the country squire. Character is divided into some

parts, they are antagonist, deutragonist, tritagonist,and protagonist.

In this subchapter, the writer would like to present more, especially

about protagonist. However, she would like to put some definitions

of antagonist, deutragonist and tritagonist. They are as follows :

a. Beckson and Ganz (1990:14) says that antagonist is the major

character in opposition to the hero or the protagonist of a narrative or

a drama.

b. Beckson and Ganz (1990 : 61) says that deutragonist is the second

Greek drama,often synonymous with antagonist although deutragonist

could,when necessary, assume more than one role. In subsequent

usage, the term has been applied to the character of second

importance.

c. Beckson and Ganz (1990 : 289) says that tritagonist is the three actors

assumed by various roles in the play by changing masks and

costumes.

d. Abrams (1999) says that protagonist is the chief character in a plot, on

whom our interest centre or alternatively the hero or heroine.

As stated previously the protagonist is one of the variables that would be presented with more understanding to make the writer clear enough of what would be done in her anaylsis. Protagonist is the chief character in a

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA play or story who may also be opposed by an antagonist.Originally,in ancient Greek theatre, the protagonist was the principal actor in a drama.

Abrams (1999) and Chris Baldick (2001) have similarity in their defenitions about protagonist. A protagonist is a main character either in a plot or play, or a story and it becomes a lime light of the audience. Basically,a protagonist is always a hero or heroin in a story. A protagonist always becomes the opponent to the atagonist as well as it is says by Beckson and

Ganz (1990: 217) that a protagonist is the first actor, who plays the leading part. The term now refers to the most important character, usually the hero, in a play or story. This definition in line with Raj ( 1991: 134) who says that protagonist refers to the first actor in a play: thence the principal actor or character.

Based on some definitions of protagonist above, we can conclude that a protagonist is the first actor in one literary work. Moreover, there are some people say that protagonist should not always a man, woman has the same opportunity to be a protagonist in one story. Carlos Fuentes is one of them who says that we need to write a novel with a woman protagonist. He says:

“ I always felt a little worm inside me : “Now you need to write a novel with a woman protagonist” : This idea is supported by statment stated by Ann

Beattie: “Quite often my narrator or protagonist may be a man but i am not sure is the more interesting character, or if the more complex character is not the woman”. Ann’s statment implies that is not only a man who has

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA interesting character, still, a woman has more complex charcaters.

Therefore, woman is also possible to be protagonist in a literry work. The statment is more supported when Daniel Clowes says that people need a likeable protagonist is more than ever”. David Mc Cullough says that I am drawn particullary to stories that evolve out of the character of the protagonist”. Finnally, a protagonist is the main actor in one literary work that is commonly a hero or an oppponent of an antagonist, furthermore, a protagonist is not always a man but also a woman.

2.3 Theory Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis is a theory that can be seen as a therapy technique and as an approach in psychology. As an approach in psychoanalysis much talk about the personality,particularly in terms of structure, dynamics, and development. Psychoanalysis is a personality theory developed a lot more by Sigmund Freud, a doctor and psychiatry, from the earlier research done by his teacher, dr. Joseph Breuer. Bokanowski (2006:3) says that psychoanalysis is the name of method for the treatment of neurotic disorders. In this theraphy, Freud invites the patient in conversation,open the dialogue or mention certain words that can trigger a spontaneous reaction of patients of these words. Of the reaction shown by the patient to the word,will be known the problem he is facing. From the result of this therapy, Freud discoverd that many behaviors of people with neurological disorders that come from the unconscious. Freud represented the mind as

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA consisting of three level of consciousness : the conscious, the preconscious, and the unconscious Nevid (2009 : 481). He described the unconscious in human beings like The Iceberg that exist in the oceans where the smallest piece that appears on the surface of the water is part awareness

(conciousness),beneath is a part of the pre consciousness

(Subconsciousness) and the biggest part located at the base is the unconscious (unconsciousness). The unconscious control almost the whole of the human soul and much of human behavior is derived from the unconscious part, but the man himself does not realize when it happens. In addition,Freud also introduces the psychological aspects in human’s personality. Freud proposed that personality consist of three mental entities called id,ego, and superego. These are explained about:

1. ID

Bartens (2006: 32-33), id is the most fundamental psychic layer and at once became the basic material for the formation of psychic life futher. This means that the id is the earliest system of personality of human beings. Id is the first personality aspect that already operates even when baby has not been in touch with the outside world. From this id then appear ego and superego. Id contains things that are inborn in the form of innate biological instincts ( sexual and aggresive ) and repressed desire. Id works in the human unconscious, representing subjectivity that never realized throught the ages. Id operates based on the enjoyment (pleasure principle), that

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA purpose is to release a person from tension or reduce the tension so that it becomes less and wherever possible be fixed. Id is not ordered by the law of sense (mind) or logic and has no ethical or moral values. There are only two ways that conducted by id in fulfilling the desire namely through reflexes and through the primary process (such as imagining or fantasizing about something). If both methods are less statisfy the id it will be submitted to the influence of the ego.

2. Ego

Freud (2012:126) says that ego is the aspect of personality and raises because the organism needs to correlate well with the world of fact or reality. Ego is the different from the id. If id is something inborn in the form of biological instincts and repressed desires, here the ego serves to embody the things that are desired. If id is controlled by the principle of enjoyment, ego is precisely controlled by the principle of fact.

Koeswara (1991 : 33-34), ego is the personality system that acts as the influence of the individual to the objects of fact, and perform its function based on the principle of fact. It can be said that the ego is formed in the system of the human personality as a result contact with the outside world.

The process which is owned by executed by the ego is an attempt to meet the needs or reduce tension. Ego is an executive of personality, which integrate and harmonize the three aspects of personality. Ego can control

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA and commond id and superego as well as maintaining the relationship with the outside world for the benefit of the whole personality that has extensive purposes. If the ego can meet the needs of id as meet the needs of the moral

(superego) then there will be harmony and alignment. But if the ego succumb to one of the strength either the id or the super ego, there will be an imbalance or awkwardness. If the ego can not satisfy the desire of the id on a state, actually that desire will not be eliminated, but only postponed for the time beig until find the fact. The process to find or produce a fact in certain ways that are developed by the mind or sense is called the secondary process.

3. Superego

Bartens (2006 : 33-34), superego is formed through internalization, means that prohibition or commands that come from outside (caretakers, especially parents ) processed such that finally radiates from within.

Freud (1957: 35) says that the main function of superego are:

1. To inhibit the impulses of the id, particularly those of a sexual of

aggresive nature, since these are the impulses whose expression

is most highly condemned by society.

2. To the persuade the ego to subtittle moralistic goals for realistics

one, and

3. To strive for perfection.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA The moral norms exactly explains the meaning of taboo, sin and the truth. In case of violation of moral values, the superego wil punish ego guilt or sin. Superego prefer perfection rather than pleasure and is regarded as the moral aspect of personality. Its function is to determine whether something is right or wrong, appropriate or not, moral or immoral, to fit with the community. Alwisol (2004 : 21) says that the superego is the moral ethical force of personality, that operate using the principle of idealistic as opposed to the principle of satisfaction of id and realistic principle of ego. Superego work irrationally in demanding perfection,punish with hard errors of ego, for the things that have been conducted or are still thinking, Superego can delay satisfication of id or hinder the fulfillment of desire of the id in order to control it.

Finally, superego, ego and id to create a world fit to the ideal conception. Although all three of these aspects has its own characteristic in practice, but can interact dynamically.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 3. THE ANALYSIS

3.1 Id of the Protagonist

Id is the biological aspect, an original system in the most basic of human personality. It works with pleasure principle. Id is the first personality aspect that already operates even when baby has not been in touch with the outside world. Id works in the human unconscious, representing subjectivity that never realized throughout the ages.

Amir is the protagonist in the novel The Kite Runner. He is a boy who lives with his father, Baba in an estate in Kabul, Afghanistan. He considers himself as a disappointing son because unlike his father who always fight for his wishes. Id aspect that is inside Amir assumes that he was the inverse of his father’s nature.

But despite Baba’s successes, people were always doubting him. They told Baba that running a business wasn’t in his blood and he should study law like his father. So Baba proved them all by not only running his own business but becoming one of the richest merchants in Kabul. ....With me as the glaring exception, my father molded the world around him to his liking. (Hosseini, 2011 : 14-15)

From the quote above, it can be concluded that Baba, his father, is a man who does not give up easily. He can prove that the doubts of others about him is wrong. Baba may even be more severe than other people ever

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA imagined, as if he could arranged the world as he likes. Not so with Amir.

He describes himself as the “glaring exception” to Baba successes.

Although Amir has tried to be like him, it seem he did not succeed. As it is seen in the following quatation.

....the least i could have done was to have had the decency to have turned out a little more like him. But i hadn’t turned out like him. Not at all. (Hosseini.2011 : 18) Amir feels not only that he has disappointed Baba but also has betrayed him because he thinks that he has “killed” his mother when she is giving birth to him. It is seen in the following quotation:

....Because the truth of it was, I always felt like Baba hated me a little. And why not? After all, i had killed his beloved wife, his beautifull princess, hadn’t I? (Hosseini, 2011 : 18 ) Baba loses his loving wife. Amir thinks it has led to Baba hates him a little. To redeem himself, Amir constatly tries to please Baba by becoming a better son. Amir wants to be a child who can boast in any way, such as winning a big kite-fighting tournament. It is seen in the following quotation:

...When he lit a match and said, casually “I think maybe you’ll win the tournament this year. What do you think? Baba smoked his pipe and talked. I pretended to listen. But I couldn’t listen, not really,because Baba’s casual little comment had planted a seed in my head : the resolution that I would win that winter’s tournament. I was going to win. There is no other viable

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA option. I was going to win, and i was going to run that last kite. Then I’d bring it home and show it to Baba. Show him once and for all that his son was worthy. (Hosseini, 2011 : 52 ) The quotation above shows that there is only a single way Amir can do to make Baba proud of him, be no longer as a disappointing son and redeem guilt for “ killing” his mother.

The way is winning the kite tournament. Id aspcts depicted in the quotation above is Amir’s strong desire to win the kite tournament. Amir’s desire to win the kite tournament is a result of encouragment of the id which is inside Amir.

Id aspects work based on the principle of pleasure and the purpose to free a person from tension or anxiety. Anxiety or tension perceived as suffering while free from anxiety feels as pleasure. Amir thinks that being a winner and brings home the last kite for Baba can free himself from anxiety as a disappointing son and betraying Baba. This is in accordance with the pleasure principle of the id aspects. But there are other worry arises because of Amir’s desire to win this kite tournament. Amir just wants to take home the blue kite (the last kite in the tournament). He dose not think about

Hassan, his servant and also his companions, who helped him winning the tournament. Amir leaves Hasan when he experienced sexual abuse from

Assef, the antagonist in the novel. Guilt for leaving Hassan and pretending

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA did not know what happened to Hassan causes worries or tension within

Amir. As it see in the following quotation:

...I waited for him to say something, but we just stood here in silence, in the fading light. I was grateful for the early-evening shadows that fell on Hassan’s face and concealed mine. I was glad i didn’t have to return his gaze. Did he know I knew? And if he knew,then what would I see if I did look in his eyes?...... he began to say something and his voice cracked. He closed his mouth, opened it, and closed it again. ...I thought he might burst into tears, but, to my relief, he didn’t, and i pretended I hadn’t heard the crack in his voice. Just like I pretended I hadn’t seen the dark stain in the seat of his pants...(Hossein, 2011: 73-74)

The quote above illustrates the aspect of id. It is anxious feelings and fear. It happens when Amir wonders if Hassan learns that he actually knows what has happened to him However, Hassan behaves as usual and it makes

Amir relief. Being relief is a way of id to reduce anxiety.

3.2 Ego of the Protagonist

Ego is precisely controlled by the principle of fact (reality principle). It means that instinctual energy is restrained in order to maintain the safety of the individual and help to integate the person into society. The ego is sometimes called as the excecutive of an individual’s personality. The ego

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA makes the decisions, controls actions and allows for a higher capability of problem solving.

Ego aspect which is reflected in the character of Amir in The Kite

Runner novel is his effort to be a proud son by winning the kite tournament, as it is seen in the quotation below :

“You’re almost there, Amir agha! Almost there!” Hassan panting. Then the comment came. I closed 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 hear the crowd’s roar to know. I didn’t need to see either. Hassan was screaming and his arm was wrapped around my neck. “Bravo! Bravo, Amir agha!” “We won! We won!” was all i could say. ...Then I saw Baba on our roof. He was standing on the edge, pumping both of his fists. Hollering and clapping. And that right seeing Baba on that roof, proud of me at last. (Hosseini, 2011 : 62-63)

The success of Amir in winning the tournament finally comes true. To see Baba proud of him is his expectation so far. Amir is happier for he wins the kite tournament and brings home the trophy. It seen in the following quotation :

...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. Their heads turned. Then a smile played on my father’s lips. He opened his arms. I put the kite down and

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA walked into his thick hairy arms. I buried my face in the warmth of his chest and wept. Baba held me close to him rocking me back and fort. (Hosseini, 2017 : 74)

The quote above explains that Amir owns the ego aspect. He wants to boast Baba by bringing home the kite tournament victory trophy. Seeing

Baba’s smile is a sign that Amir is no longer a disappointing son. Amir’s ego also can be seen from the his efforts to rid himself of guilt against

Hassan as in the following quotation :

....An hour later, I still couldn’t sleep. I kept tossing and turning as my relatives grunted, sighed and snored in their sleep. I sat up. A wedge of moonlight streamed in through the window. “I watched Hassan get raped,” I said to no one. Baba stirred in his sleep. Kaka Homayoun grunted. A part of me was hoping someone would wake up and hear, so I wouldn’t live with this lie anymore. But no one woke up and in the silence that followed. I understood the nature of my new course: I was going to get away with it. (Hosseini, 2011: 80)

From the quotation above Amir tries to free himself of his guilt by confessing aloud that Hassan had the sexual abuse when everyone was sleep. He wishes there is someone wakes up and hears the word thus guilt no longer burden him. Apparently this is not making Amir freed from guilt.

Amir tries another way. He accuses Hassan stole his money and his

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA watches. He intends Baba wil expel Hassan. Thereby Amir no longer sees

Hassan and his guilt can disappear by itself. It seen in the following quotation :

Then I took a couple of the envelopes of cash from the pile of gifts and my watch, and tiptoed out. I paused before Baba’s study and listened in. He’d been in there all morning, making phone calls. He was talking to someone now, about a shipment of rugs due to arrive next week. I went downstairs, crossed the yard and entered Ali and Hassan’s living quartess by the loquat tree. I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bill under it. I waited another thirty minutes. Then I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies. ..Baba came right out and asked “Did you steal that money? Did delivered in a thin, raspy voice: “Yes” (Hoseini, 2011: 97)

So powerful the urge of id to be free from anxiety causing the ego inside Amir does not make it happens in a proper way. This is due to Amir who wants to be free from the anxiety earlier. Amir success to expel Hassan finally. This success is only a redirection of his desire to be free from guilt.

The fact is guilt still tucked inside Amir for many years of his life. It seen in the following quotation :

...One day last summer, my friend Rahim Khan called from Pakistan. He asked me to come see him. Standing in the kitchen with the receiver to my ear, I knew it wasn’t just

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins. (Hosseini, 2011: 11)

From this quote it can be seen that the phone calls from Rahim Khan such as a calls of his guilt that must be redeem immediately. Amir assumes that the phone calls from Rahim Khan is an attempt that Amir can do to atone for his past sin against Hassan. Furthermore, Rahim Khan told a good way to redeem all his mistakes in the past by resscuing Hassan’s son,

Sohrab.

...”Amir jan, I summoned you here because I wanted to see you before I die, but that’s not at all.” I said nothing, I think already knew what he was going to say. I want you to go to kabul. I want you to bring Sohrab here,” he said. (Hosseini, 2011 : 203)

From this quote it can be seen that the purpose of Rahim Khan asks

Amir to see him is for bringing Sohrab back to Kabul, Pakistan. Sohrab is part of Hassan that still lives on (after the death of Hassan). If Amir wants to fix his past, he must save Sohrab. Ego aspect that later appears in Amir is his effort to rescue Sohrab that turned out to be in the hands of Assef.

Although Amir had to fight very hard with Assef, eventually Amir can bring

Sohrab :

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA ...I don’t know if I gave Assef a good fight. I don’t think I did. How could I have? That was the first time I’d fought anyone. I had never so much as thrown a punch in my entire life. ...Getting hurled againts the wall. The knuckles shattering my jaaw. Choking on my own teeth, swallowing them, thinking about all the countless hours I’d spent flossing and brushing. Getting hurled against the wall. Lying on the floor, blood from my split upper lip staining the mauve carpet, pain ripping through my belly and wondering when I’d able to breathe again. Sohrab screaming... (Hosseini, 2011 : 264)

This quote shows that the ego aspect uses to achieve the desire of id is his great effort to redeem his past mistakes. It can be seen from the difficulty that he must faced to get Sohrab. Although not sure Amir can fight with Assef, he still deal with it. He asks Sohrab to say with him and his wife in America. It seen in the following quotation :

....”Sohrab, I can’t give you your old life back, I wish to God I could. But I can take you with me. That was what I was coming in the bathroom to tell you. You have a visa to go to America, to live with me and my wife. It’s true. I promise.” ( Hosseini, 2011: 325)

3.3 Superego of the Protagonist Freud (2010 : 127) superego is the sociological aspects of personality, which is representative of traditional values and ideals of society as interpreted by parents to their children who entered with a variety of

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA commands and prohibitions. Prohibition or command is usually implanted under penalty if the child violated, and will get a reward if obeyed. In case of violation of moral values, the superego will punish ego with guilt.

Superego prefers perfection rather than pleasure and is regarded as the moral aspect of personality. Its function is to determine whether something is right or wrong, appropriate or not, moral or immoral, to fit with the community.

Superego aspect of Amir can be seen when he decides to leave Hassan for the blue kite eventhough Amir learned that Hassan was a very faithful servant. Hassan has fulfilled his promise to Amir that he would get that blue kite for Amir victory. Amir also knows that Hassan is even prefers to bring home the kite rather than hand it over to someone else. It is can be seen in the following quotation :

....Even from where I was standing, I could see the fear creeping into Hassan’s eyes, but he shook his head. “Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly. This is his kite” (Hosseini, 2011: 68)

In this quotation it can be seen that Hassan still defends Amir even though he feels frightened and retains the kite for the sake Amir. Instead,

Amir sacrifices Hassan for the blue kite, a trophy for the winner. Amir

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA realizes that all his dreams and aspirations exist on the blue kite. It is the key

Baba’s heart.

....I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decided who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan-the way he’d stood up for me all those times in the past-and accept whateve would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I run ” (Hosseini, 2011: 72)

The quotation above shown that the ego prefers to follow the id rather than the superego. Amir’s decisions to run and leave Hassan shows that this superego is weak. This is due to the over domination of id. The ego becomes unrealistic in making decision. The ego will breaks the rules or norms. Besides, Amir’s superego also becomes weak when he accuses

Hassan stole his money and watches, the birthday gift from Baba. It seen the following quotation below :

Then I took a couple of the envelopes of cash from the pile of gifts and my watch, and tiptoed out. I paused before Baba’s study and listened in. He’d been in the all morning, making phone calls. He was talking to someone now, about a shipment of rugs due to arrive next week. I went downstairs, crossed the yard, and entered Ali and Hassan’s living quartess by the loquat tree. I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it. (Hosseini, 2011 : 97)

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Amir’s decision to leave Hassan and accuses him stole his money do not conform with moral values. It turns out that his actions leave a very deep sense of guilt. Guilt perceived by Amir shows that the superego within Amir punishes him for his action which does not conform with moral or norm. As it seen in the quotation below :

“I watched Hassan get raped,” I said to no one...A part of me was hoping someone would wake up and hear, so I wouldn’t live with this lie anymore. But no one woke up and in the silenced that followed. I understood the nature of my new curse: I was going to get way with it. (Hosseini, 2011 : 80)

Yet Amir’s superego also can be strong. It can be seen when he follows

Baba’s desire to become a member of the football team, as in the following quotation :

...He signed me up for soccer teams to stir the same passion on me. But I was pathetic, a blundering liability to my own team, always in the way of an opportunate pass or unwittingly blocking an open lane. (Hosseini, 2011 : 19)

In this quotation it can be seen that Amir tries to please Baba by playing soccer, Baba’s favorite sport. Amir’s superego looks strong because he obeyed Baba’s wishes altough Amir knows he is a terribble player. Amir’s action to obey his father is the one of the characteristic of the superego. In addition, Amir’s superego also look strong when Amir did his best to save

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Sohrab from the sadistic man, Assef, and from a very critical situation for commit suicide as it is seen in this quotation:

....He says the boy had cut himself deeply and had lost a great deal of blood and my mouth begins to mutter that prayer again : La illaha il Allah, Muhammad rasul ullah. They had to tranfuse several units of red cells- How will I tell Soraya? Twice, they has to revive him- I will do namaz, I will do Zakat. They would have lost him if his heart hadn’t been young and strong- I will fast. He is alive. (Hosseini, 2011 : 319)

The quotation above shows that Amir feels responsible for Sohrab’s suicide and he feels that he punished for his sins once again. He asks god to forgive him his neglect and betrayal. He promises to pray everyday, pay zakat and do fasting if only God will save Sohrab’s life. The superego in

Amir has been strong since it can act in accordance with the rules or religious norms.

The action taken by the ego also be influenced by superego when Amir promised to always care about Sohrab. Amir tries to entertain Sohrab by playing the kite togehter to eliminate his trauma with his past. It seen in the quotation below:

....I hadn’t flow a kite in a quarter of century, but suddenly I was twelve again and all the instincts came rushing back

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA I felt a presense next to me and looked down. It was Sohrab, Hands dug deep in the pocket of his raincoat. He had followed me. “Do you want to try?” I asked. He said nothing. But when I held te string out from him, his hand lifted from his pocket. Hasitated. Took string. My heart quickened as I spun the spool to gather the loose string. We stood quietly side by side. Necks bent up. ( Hosseini, 2011 : 338)

Based on the description that has been done above, can be stated some findings as follows :

1. The Id of Amir appears when : (1) he considered himself as a

disappointing son. (2) he feels that he had betrayed Baba by “

killing” his mother when giving birth. (3) he had a strong desire

to win the kite tournament, (4) he feels guilt for leaving Hassan

and pretends do not know what happens to him.

2. The ego of Amir appears when : (1) he tries to be proud son by

winning the kite tournament. (2) he wants to boast Baba by

through home the kite tournament victory. (3) his attempt to

rescue Sohrab from Assef although he does nt sure can fight with

Assef. (4) he decides to keep and care for Sohrab.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA

3. The superego of Amir appears when : (1) he realize that his ego

is wrong when he decides to run away and leave Hassan for the

blue kite. Guilt experienced by Amir controlling id impulses

inside Amir, directing ego to the destination accordance with

moral values, and makes him a better human being than

previously.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 4. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

4.1 Conclusion

The conclusion of this paper are as follows :

1.) Good or bad someone’s personality is determined by which aspect is more prominent whether id, ego or superego.

2.) One’s anxiety shows that the ego aspect of him/herself unable to control his/her id impulse.

3.) Everyone must have aspects of the id,ego or superego in him/herself.

4.) Superego will punish someone who abuses the moral rules with guilt.

4.2 Suggestion

The suggestions of this paper are as follows :

1.) The writter hopes the readers can understanding about id, ego and superego aspects of protagonist character found in the novel The Kite

Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

2.) The writter realize that this paper work is still far from being perfect,it is caused by the writter limitation. Therefore, all the criticism and suggestions of the readers are expected to enhance and complete this paper.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA REFERENCES

Alwisol. 2004. Psikologi Kepribadian. Malang: Universitas Muhammadiyah

Bokanowski, Thierry. 2006. The Practice of Psychoanalysis. London: Karnac(Books) Ltd.

Hall, Calvin S and Lindzey, Gardner. 1957. Introduction to Theories of Personality. New York: John Willey and Sons.

Hosseini, Khaled .2011. The Kite Runner. London: Bloomsburry.

Koeswara, E. 1991. Teori-Teori Kepribadian. Bandung: Eresco.

Moleong, Lexcy J. 1993. Metodelogi Penelitian Kualitatif. Medan: The University of North Sumatera

Sembiring, Matius C.A. 2014. Buku Panduan Program D3 Bahasa Inggris Fakultas Ilmu Budaya USU. Medan: Unpublished.

Sembiring, Matius C.A. Kompilasi Bahan Kuliah. Medan: Unpublished.

Suryabrata, Sumadi. 2002. Metodelogi Penelitian. Jakarta: Raja Grafindo Persada

Nurgiyantoro, B. 1995. Teori Pengkajian Fiksi. Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada University Press.

Resseguie, James L. 1998. Revelation Unsealed: A Narrative Critical Approach to John’s Apocalypse. Leiden. Brill.

Wicaksono, Andri. Pengkajian Prosa Fiksi. 2014. Yogyakarta.Garudhawaca

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA APPENDICES

A.Biography of the Author

Khaled Hosseini was born in Afghanistan, the oldest of five children, and spent the first years of his childhood in the capital city, Kabul.

His family lived in the affluent Wazir Akbar Khan district of the city, in a cultivated, cosmopolitan atmosphere, where women lived and worked as equals with men. His father worked for the foreign ministry, while his mother taught Persian literature, and Khaled grew up loving the treasures of classical Persian poetry. His imagination was also fired by movies from

India and the United States, and he enjoyed the sport of kite fighting he portrayed so vividly in his book The Kite Runner.

In the early '70s, Hosseini's father was posted to Afghanistan's embassy in Tehran, Iran, where young Khaled deepened his knowledge of the classical Persian literary tradition that Iran and Afghanistan share. Although

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Afghan culture lacked a long tradition of literary fiction, Hosseini enjoyed reading foreign novels in translation and began to compose stories of his own. He also made the acquaintance of his family's cook, a member of the

Hazara ethnic group, a minority that has long suffered from discrimination in Afghanistan. Young Khaled Hosseini taught the illiterate man to read and write, and gained his first insight into the injustices of his own society.

The Hosseini were at home in Kabul when the 200-year-old Afghan monarchy was overthrown in 1973. The king's cousin, Daoud Khan proclaimed himself president of the new republic, but a long era of instability had begun. In 1976, Hosseini's father was assigned to the embassy in Paris and Khaled moved, with the rest of his family, to France.

Although he did not know it at the time, it would be 27 years before he would see his native country again. Only two years after their arrival in

Paris, a communist faction overthrew the government of Afghanistan, killing Daoud Khan and his family.

Although the new government was purging civil servants from the old regime, the Hosseinis still hoped that they might be able to return to

Afghanistan. Infighting among the new leaders, and armed resistance to the regime in the countryside, plunged the country into chaos. The Hosseinis were still in France when the Soviet army entered Afghanistan in December

1979. The Soviets attempted to reinstate their communist allies, while

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA numerous armed factions attempted to expel them. The Soviet occupation would last nearly a decade, while 5 million Afghans fled their country.

A return to Afghanistan was now out of the question for the Hosseini family, and they applied for political asylum in the United States. Young

Khaled arrived in San José, California in the fall of 1980 at age 15, speaking almost no English. Having lost everything, his family subsisted for a time on welfare, and father and son went to work tending a flea market stall alongside fellow Afghan refugees.

In his first year of school in the U.S., Khaled Hosseini struggled with

English, but his encounter with John Steinbeck's Depression-era novel The

Grapes of Wrath rekindled his love of literature, and he began to write stories again, this time in English. Khaled's father found work as a driving instructor, and the family's situation gradually improved, but Khaled, as the oldest child, felt a particular responsibility to succeed in the new country.

Determined to make a better life for himself and his family, Khaled

Hosseini studied biology at Santa Clara University and medicine at the

University of California, San Diego. He completed his residency at UCLA

Medical Center and began medical practice in Pasadena. Now married,

Khaled and his wife Roya decided to return to Northern California to be nearer their families. Dr. Hosseini joined the Kaiser Permanente health

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA maintenance organization and settled in Mountain View, California to start a family.

Throughout his medical studies, Hosseini had continued to write short stories in his spare time. Happily settled in his new country, he found his thoughts returning to the land he left behind. After the departure of the

Soviets in 1998, the extremist Taliban faction had seized control of

Afghanistan, imposing a brutal theocratic rule and providing a base for anti-

Western terrorists. Women's rights, which previous regimes had promoted, were completely eliminated along with all foreign art or culture. Hosseini felt compelled to tell the world something of the life he had known before his country was consumed by war and dictatorship. In 2001, with the encouragement of his wife and father-in-law, he decided to try expanding one of his stories into a novel.

For a year and a half, he rose at four o'clock every morning to work on his novel before a full day of seeing patients. When the United States and allied countries launched military operations in Afghanistan, he considered abandoning the project, but with the defeat of the Taliban, he felt it more important than ever to tell his story to the world. With the eyes of the world turned on his country, he completed his tale of two Afghan boys, childhood friends separated by the calamities of war, and the divergent paths their lives take. Once Hosseini found an agent to handle the manuscript, the book was

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA soon placed with publisher Riverhead Books, a division of the Penguin

Group. The Kite Runner was published, with little publicity, in 2003.

Initial sales of the book in hard-cover were slow, but word of mouth built gradually as copies of the book were passed from reader to reader. The paperback edition found an enthusiastic audience around the world. The Kite

Runner spent more than two years on The New York Times bestseller list, and returned to the list, five years after its initial appearance. As of this writing, it has sold more than 12 million copies, with editions published in more than 40 languages. Although it was greeted with acclaim in most circles, some Afghans objected to Hosseini's portrayal of ethnic prejudice in

Afghanistan. Hosseini had no regrets, and hoped that his treatment of the subject would spark an overdue dialogue among his fellow countrymen.

Following the success of his book, Hosseini returned to Afghanistan for the first time in 27 years. He was shocked by the devastation that years of war had wrought on the city he knew as a child, but moved to find the traditional spirit of hospitality and generosity was unchanged. Everywhere, he heard stories of the tragedies his countrymen had suffered.

Hosseini continued to practice medicine for a year and a half after his book was published, but the demands on his time eventually compelled him to take a leave of absence. In 2006, he agreed to serve as a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, assisting displaced

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA persons in war zones around the world. In this capacity he has traveled to eastern Chad to meet with refugees from Darfur and returned to Afghanistan to meet with refugees returning from Iran and Pakistan.

Since his 2003 visit to Afghanistan, Hosseini had been at work on a second novel, focusing on the experience of women in pre-war Afghanistan, during the Soviet occupation and the civil war, and under the Taliban dictatorship. His new book, eagerly awaited by an army of readers, was published in 2007. A Thousand Splendid Suns takes its title from a poem by the 17th century Persian poet Saib-e-Tabrizi. The story follows two women,

Mariam and Laila, both married to the same abusive man. Like its predecessor, A Thousand Splendid Suns became a massive international bestseller, topping the bestseller lists as soon as it was published. The paperback edition spent over two years on the New York Times bestseller list.

Later that year, The Kite Runner became a highly acclaimed motion picture, photographed in Kashgar province in the far west of China.

Although the producers of the film were American, they chose to shoot the film in the Dari language to preserve the authenticity of the story. A controversy erupted in Afghanistan because a sexual assault against a young boy is depicted in the film. The child actor and his family were threatened with violence by traditionalists who believed this portrayal to be shameful.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Release of the film was postponed while the boy and his family were relocated.

For the time being, Dr. Hosseini has given up his medical practice to write and continue his work for the United Nations. His third novel, And the

Mountains Echoed, was hailed by The New York Times as his "most assured and emotionally gripping story yet." He and his wife Roya, and their two children, make their home in Northern California.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA B. Summary of the Novel

The Kite Runner is the story of Amir, a Sunni Muslim, who struggles to find his place in the world because of the aftereffects and fallout from a series of traumatic childhood events. An adult Amir opens the novel in the present-day United States with a vague reference to one of these events, and then the novel flashes back to Amir's childhood in Afghanistan. In addition to typical childhood experiences, Amir struggles with forging a closer relationship with his father, Baba; with determining the exact nature of his relationship with Hassan, his Shi'a Muslim servant; and eventually with finding a way to atone for pre-adolescent decisions that have lasting repercussions. Along the way, readers are able to experience growing up in

Afghanistan in a single-parent home, a situation that bears remarkable similarities to many contemporary households.

One of the biggest struggles for Amir is learning to navigate the complex socioeconomic culture he faces, growing up in Afghanistan as a member of the privileged class yet not feeling like a privileged member of his own family. Hassan and his father, Ali, are servants, yet at times, Amir's relationship with them is more like that of family members. And Amir's father, Baba, who does not consistently adhere to the tenets of his culture, confuses rather than clarifies things for young Amir. Many of the ruling-

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA class elite in Afghanistan view the world as black and white, yet Amir identifies many shades of gray.

In addition to the issues affecting his personal life, Amir must also contend with the instability of the Afghan political system in the 1970s.

During a crucial episode, which takes place during an important kite flying tournament, Amir decides not to act — he decides not to confront bullies and aggressors when he has the chance — and this conscious choice of inaction sets off a chain reaction that leads to guilt, lies, and betrayals.

Eventually, because of the changing political climate, Amir and his father are forced to flee Afghanistan. Amir views coming to America as an opportunity to leave his past behind.

Although Amir and Baba toil to create a new life for themselves in the

United States, the past is unable to stay buried. When it rears its ugly head,

Amir is forced to return to his homeland to face the demons and decisions of his youth, with only a slim hope to make amends.

Ultimately, The Kite Runner is a novel about relationships — specifically the relationships between Amir and Hassan, Baba, Rahim Khan,

Soraya, and Sohrab — and how the complex relationships in our lives overlap and connect to make us the people we are.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA