THE FIGURE OF ASSEF VIEWED USING KAREN HORNEY’S PSYCHOANALYTIC SOCIAL THEORY AS SEEN IN KHALED
HOSSEINI’S THE KITE RUNNER
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Andreas Aris Ardianto Student Number: 051214097
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
i
THE FIGURE OF ASSEF VIEWED USING KAREN HORNEY’S PSYCHOANALYTIC SOCIAL THEORY AS SEEN IN KHALED
HOSSEINI’S THE KITE RUNNER
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Andreas Aris Ardianto Student Number: 051214097
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
iv
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the references, as a scientific paper should.
Yogyakarta, 20 September 2010
The Writer
v
This thesis is dedicated to
My beloved Parents:
Ngadikin Antonius & Christina Kusumastuti
My lovely Sisters:
Klara Ade Krisnawati & Lucia Astri Noviyanti
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
(The Road Not Taken — Robert Frost)
When there is a will,
vi
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama : Andreas Aris Ardianto
Nomor Mahasiswa : 051214097
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
THE FIGURE OF ASSEF VIEWED USING KAREN HORNEY’S PSYCHOANALYTIC SOCIAL THEORY AS SEEN IN KHALED
HOSSEINI’S THE KITE RUNNER
Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata
Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain,
mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan
mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis
tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya
selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal 20 Oktober 2010
Yang menyatakan
vii
ABSTRACT
Ardianto, Andreas Aris. 2010. The Figure of Assef Viewed Using Karen Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory as Seen in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.
This study is about Assef, one of the characters in Khaled Hosseini’s novel entitled The Kite Runner. In this study, Assef is analyzed using Karen Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory. This study is also concerned with the relationship between Assef’s personalities and social and cultural backgrounds surrounding him. Assef is the one who torments Hazaras rigorously. He is very proud of being a Pasthun. Interestingly, Assef is not a pure Pasthun. He has German origin. It is interesting to see that many factors, especially social and cultural background of Assef, influence his personalities.
Considering aforementioned explanations, this study proposes a problem to be analyzed. The problem is: how is Assef seen through Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory?
This study used psychological approach and sociocultural-historical approaches. As a library study, this study used two main sources. The primary source was a novel The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini. The secondary sources were some books and articles related to the topic, especially those which were about Karen Horney’s theories.
After analyzing the figure of Assef using Karen Horney’s theory, there are five points to be concluded. First, Assef is a person who has moving against people attitude. Second, Assef’s social and cultural backgrounds give a credit to his personalities. Third, Assef’s childhood also takes part in shaping his personalities. Fourth, Assef has particular personalities because he wants to protect himself against loneliness. Fifth, Assef has an idealized self-image and he rigorously wants to be like his idealized self-image. Assef also meets the requirements of a neurotic given by Karen Horney.
viii
ABSTRAK
Ardianto, Andreas Aris. 2010. The Figure of Assef Viewed Using Karen Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory as Seen in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. Yogyakarta: Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Jurusan Bahasa dan Seni, Program Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Penelitian ini tentang Assef, salah satu tokoh dalam novel berjudul The Kite Runner karya Khaled Hosseini. Di dalam penelitian ini, Assef ditelaah menggunakan teori psikoanalisa sosial Karen Horney. Penelitian ini juga membahas keterkaitan antara kepribadian Assef dengan keadaan sosial dan budaya di sekelilingnya. Assef menyiksa Hazara secara membabi buta. Dia sangat bangga dengan identitasnya sebagai seorang Pasthun. Menariknya, dia bukanlah murni Pasthun. Dia keturunan Jerman. Sangat menarik melihat banyak faktor, terutama latar belakang sosial dan budaya Assef, yang mempengaruhi kepribadiannya.
Dengan mempertimbangkan hal-hal tersebut, penelitian ini merumuskan suatu pertanyaan untuk dijawab. Pertanyaan tersebut adalah: bagaimana Assef dilihat dengan teori psikoanalisa sosial Horney?
Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan psikologis dan sosial budaya-sejarah. Sebagai suatu studi pustaka, penelitian ini menggunakan dua sumber utama. Yang pertama, sumber primer, adalah novel The Kite Runner yang ditulis oleh Khaled Hosseini. Yang kedua, sumber sekunder, adalah beberapa buku dan artikel terkait dengan topik yang dibahas, terutama yang berkaitan dengan teori Karen Horney.
Setelah dilakukan kajian terhadap tokoh Assef menggunakan teori Karen Horney, ada 5 hal yang bisa disimpulkan. Pertama, Assef mempunyai sikap melawan masyarakat (moving against people). Kedua, Latar belakang sosial dan budaya Assef memberi pengaruh terhadap kepribadiannya. Ketiga, Masa kecil Assef juga berperan serta dalam membentuk kepribadiannya. Keempat, Kepribadian Assef juga dipengaruhi oleh keinginannya untuk melindungi dirinya dari rasa kesepian. Kelima, Assef mempunyai suatu citra diri ideal (idealized self-image) dan dia dengan sangat berlebihan ingin mewujudkan citra diri idealnya. Di samping semua hal tersebut, Assef juga memenuhi persyaratan yang dikemukakan oleh Karen Horney sebagai seorang neurotik.
Penelitian ini diharapkan dapat menjadi acuan bagi para peneliti selanjutnya yang meneliti novel sejenis. Topik investigasi yang dianjurkan dalam penelitian ini adalah bagaimana cara pandang Assef terhadap Adolf Hitler (tokoh pujaannya) mempengaruhi perkembangan kepribadiannya. Penelitian ini juga berguna bagi pengajar Bahasa Inggris. Penelitian ini merekomendasikan novel yang diteliti dalam kegiatan belajar mengajar Bahasa Inggris, yaitu Intensive Reading II di Program Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to present my greatest gratitude to God, Jesus Christ, and
Mother Mary, who always guides and bless me throughout my whole life. I also
feel very thankful for God’s kindness, as God has given me many great people in
my wonderful life.
My deepest gratitude goes to my beloved parents, Ngadikin Antonius and
Christina Kusumastuti, for their eternal love, care, and prayer toward me. I am
very grateful to my dear parents, especially, due to their great patience and
support in bearing my laziness and stubbornness. Furthermore, I earnestly thank
my younger sisters, Nana and Astri, for the joy and laughter which always cheer
me up and ease my weariness. The same expression goes to my grandparents. I
truly thank them for such considerable love, care, and support they sincerely give
to me so far.
I owe an immeasurable debt to my sponsor, V. Tripihatmini, S.Pd.,
M.Hum., M.A., for her care, guidance, as well as her determined support and
encouragement in helping me finish this work. I would like to give my special
thank her because of her kindness for patiently guiding me until I finish the thesis.
I also beg her to have mercy on me because of my laziness in writing the thesis.
To all PBI lecturers who have guided me along these past five years, I do
present my deepest appreciation for such worthy knowledge, skill and tireless
teaching which eventually shape me to be a more mature person as what I am
now. I also present my great gratitude to all USD staffs—especially those who are
x
my periods of study as well as the making process of this thesis. My deepest
gratitude also goes to the Head of PBI USD, Caecilia Tutyandari, S.Pd., M.Pd.,
who has made me feel prouder of being a PBI student
I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all of my wonderful friends
in PBI, especially my beloved friends: Indro, Ruma, Mayang, Wuri, Dinar, Bagus,
Chandra, Rindang, Berlin, Patrice, Franz, Bunga, Puri, Molen, Taju, Candra,
Pandhu, Arum, Angga, Koko, Shodiq, and Agung. I am very thankful for the grins
and tears, for the glitter and gloom, and for the happy moments and sad moments
shared throughout the time spent. What a beautiful friendship I have with them!
I would like to thank to Island, Detta, Jimmy, Mbak Diah, Putri, Datia, and
Sophie for the most inspiring and insightful conversations I have ever had.
I would like to say deeply gratitude to Mega, who has let me experience
splendid times. I also would like to thank to Ari and Asuan for their supports and
friendships.
Lastly, I earnestly would like to thank all of the great people—whom I
cannot mention here one by one—who have supported me to finish this thesis and
who have taught me about life: friendship, determination, forgiveness, and being
thankful; who have enriched my knowledge and widened my awareness about
life; and who have encouraged me in passing this life; they have been bringing
such a light of hope and spirit within my life.
xi
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS……… vi
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Review of Related Theories.……….. 9
1. Approaches in the Study of Literature…...……….. 9
2. Theories on Culture………..………… 11
a. Identity…..…………...………. 11
b. Race and Ethnicity...……..…..………... 12
3. Karen Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory…… 12
a. Basic Attitudes...………. 14
1) Moving toward People...…..……….... 14
xii
C. Review of on Sociocultural-Historical……….…….… 22
xiii
2. Assef’s Social and Cultural Backgrounds………… 50
a. Communality and Individuality…………...……. 50
4. Assef’s Yearning for Protecting Himself against Loneliness……….... 60
a. Affection………..…… 61
b. Submissiveness…………..…..……….... 61
c. Achieving Power, Prestige, and Possession……. 61
d. Withdrawal………..….... 62
5. Assef’s Idealized Self-Image...……….... 63
a. Neurotic Search for Glory..………..…… 63
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS A. Conclusions… ………...…...……. 67
B. Suggestions………..……... 70
1. Suggestion for the Further Researchers.………...….. 70
2. Suggestion for Teaching Intensive Reading II……… 71
REFERENCES………..………... 74
xiv
LIST OF APPENDICES
Page
Appendix 1. The Syllabus of Intensive Reading II….………..….………. 77
Appendix 2. The Lesson Plan for Teaching Intensive Reading II……... 79
Appendix 3. The Student’s Worksheet……….………. 82
Appendix 4. The Summary of The Kite Runner……….… 89
1
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This chapter contains five parts, namely, Background of the Study,
Problem Formulation, Objectives of the Study, Benefits of the Study, and
Definition of Terms. Background of the Study will present a description of the
topic and reasons for its selection. Problem Formulation will formulate the
problem to be discussed or analyzed. Objectives of the Study will state the
purpose of the study undertaken in relation to the problem formulated. Benefits of
the Study identify which parties will benefit from the conducted study. Definition
of Terms will elaborate on the key words used in order to avoid misunderstanding
and misinterpretation.
A. Background of the Study
In this part, the writer elucidates the reason the novel is chosen as the
object of this study, the reason Assef is analyzed in this study, and the reason
Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory is used in this study.
Hapsari, in her thesis titled The Discriminations toward Hazara People as seen in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, has explained about the characteristics of Hazara, one of ethnic groups in Afghanistan. It includes how
Afghanistan people commonly react to them. Then, she explains how those
matters prove the existence of discrimination towards Hazara people. Having
representing the discrimination—even, Hapsari asserts that the character has done
the most inhuman action as a form of discrimination to Hassan, as a Hazara: a
rape.
The character is Assef, a bully who always confronts Hassan, Amir’s
closest friend. Assef is not the main character, though he plays a significant role in
the story. He controls the plots. He rapes Hassan. Amir, the main character in the
novel, witnesses this incident, but he does not have guts to reveal himself and stop
that incident. Later, that situation leads to Amir’s guilty feeling. Furthermore, this
feeling serves Amir’s actions in saving Sohrab, Hassan’s only child. Therefore, it
is bright that Assef has done something that controls the plots in the story.
Assef is a monstrous figure. He has done many evil actions subjected to
Hazaras. The actions represent the discriminations towards Hazaras. When Assef
was a child, he always mocks and insults Hassan. He also rapes Hassan and urges
his two friends to rape Hassan. In his adulthood, Assef becomes a Taliban leader.
He leads many massacres of Hazaras, including Hassan and his wife. Even, he
uses Sohrab, Hassan’s only son, to be an entertainer in a Taliban mansion. There,
a little and innocent Sohrab experiences many kinds of harassments, including
sexual harassment.
Assef treats Hazaras inhumanly. He wants to free Afghanistan from
Hazaras. He has an opinion that Hazaras make the country of Afghanistan dirty.
He believes that Afghanistan is the land of Pasthuns. Ridiculously, Assef is not a
Abovementioned details (Assef’s role in the story, his hatred to Hazaras,
his decision to be a Taliban leader, his honor to Pasthuns though he is not a pure
Pasthun)—added with Hapsari’s assertion—propel the writer’s curiosity to
conduct a study on him.
Discrimination that is followed by actions of violence and killing exists in
The Kite Runner, a novel written by Khaled Hosseini, which becomes the object of this study. The writer chooses this novel because the novel is unique: the novel
is written by an Afghan who has grown up in the United States and the setting of
the novel is Afghanistan. Besides, the novel is interesting. The novel is about
redemption as a payment for guilty feeling. The story tells about Amir who risks
his life to find Sohrab. This action is a form of redemption. Amir has done
something wrong to Hassan, Sohrab’s father. He betrays Hassan—that makes
Amir feel guilty along his life.
The writer of this study has often experienced a guilty feeling. The writer
knows how devastating it is. The writer believes that, though, human beings
cannot turn back the time, there is still a possibility to fix mistakes which have
been made. It is by redemption.
The same case exactly happens to Amir. He has made a mistake. He
realizes his mistake, and then he regrets his mistake. Nevertheless, the mistake has
been made, the time has been passed by, and there is noting can be done to haul
back the time. Consequently, he feels guilty. Then, it appears a chance to fix
everything. It is as Rahim Khan, a character in the story, tells Amir “There is a
Amir does not ravage the chance. It is indeed he wants to repay his past
mistake, so he bravely takes the chance, though taking the chance means putting
his life in peril. Aforementioned explanations are subjective subjects in the novel
which make the novel is interesting to study.
Before going further, the writer is going to exemplify the story of the
novel. This novel is about the friendship of two Afghan boys: Amir and Hassan.
However, as it is written on the back of the book’s cover, this is 1970s
Afghanistan, and Hassan is a low-caste servant who is often mocked at in the
street. Meanwhile, Amir is a high-caste boy who is also Hassan’s master. Hassan
is a Hazara, a minor ethnic group in Afghanistan which suffers from
discrimination. Amir is a Pasthun, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan.
Although, Hassan has natural courage, loyalty, and honesty which makes Amir
jealous of him, the difference of social status takes control.
Although Amir’s father, Baba, loves Amir and Hassan equally, the social
conform has its own destiny. Discrimination plays a significant role in Hassan’s
life. It influences Hassan’s life. Later, it is told that Sohrab, Hassan’s only child,
also suffers from injustice resulting from discrimination. Sohrab has to experience
hostile life because of the discrimination.
In the writer’s opinion, discrimination is the root of the problems in the
story—the one that determines the plots. If the discrimination did not exist, Baba
would not feel worry of admitting Hassan as his son. Then, the story would be
This study uses two approaches: the psychological approach and the
sociocultural-historical approach. With regard to the psychological approach,
Karen Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory is chosen. Karen Horney is one of
psychoanalysts who concerns with building the assumption that social and cultural
conditions are largely responsible for shaping someone’s personality. Karen
Horney’s psychoanalysis is exerted because the writer infers that this kind of
psychoanalysis is an appropriate tool to analyze the problem. Besides, there have
not been many students of the English Language Study Program at Sanata
Dharma University using this kind of theory.
To finish this part, the writer explicates a very brief and short biography of
Karen Horney. Karen Danielsen Horney was born in Eilbek, a small town near
Hamburg, Germany, on September 15, 1885. As a psychoanalyst, she does not
track the mainstream of Freudian psychoanalysis. She believes that culture, not
anatomy, is responsible for psychic differences. Feist and Feist state that Horney
published her most important work, Neurosis and Human Growth, in 1950. This book sets forth theories that are no longer merely a reaction to Freud but rather are
an expression of her own creative and independent thinking (163).
From the previous explanations, it makes sense to employ Horney’s theory
in this study. The theory is employed in order to explain the figure of Assef in
Hosseini’s The Kite Runner.
B. Problem Formulation
There is a problem formulated in this study, namely:
How is Assef seen through Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory?
C. Objectives of the Study
This study is intended to answer the problem formulated previously.
Therefore, the study is to search for explanations of Assef’s behaviors and ways
of thinking based on Karen Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory. The study
also tries to give explanations on what Assef’s social and cultural backgrounds
relating to his personalities.
D. Benefits of the Study
This study is expected to give benefits for many parties. This study gives
benefits for the students of Sanata Dharma University who wish to conduct a
study on literature, especially those of Hosseini’s works—this study can be used
as a reference. This study can be used as a reference for other researchers
conducting a research on the field of social sciences or Psychology, including
those who want to conduct a research on the social and historical condition of
Afghanistan.
This study is useful for the lecturers or teachers who want to use the novel
or some parts of the novel, or even, the values contained within the story to teach
their students. This study gives worthwhile information to the readers, especially
University, who are trained to be professional teachers. As professional teachers,
they should know that cultural backgrounds of somebody will significantly
influence his/her personality development. Briefly, this study provides
understanding for anyone who reads Hosseini’s novels.
E. Definition of Terms
In order to avoid misunderstanding, there are several specific terms in this
study that need to be clarified.
1. Afghanistan
In Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture, it is described that Afghanistan is a country in Asia, south west of Turkmenistan and Tajikistan
and north-west of Pakistan; the capital is Kabul; the population in 1989 was
15,814,000. Someone who is from Afghanistan or whose parents from
Afghanistan is called an Afghan (18).
In this study, Afghanistan refers to the country where the characters in the
novel, such as Assef, Hassan, Ali, Amir, Baba, and Rahim Khan used to live
together. It is a country which was a beautiful country where many festivals,
including kite-fighting festivals, held, but, then, becomes a wretched country
where stoning punishment and other cruel rules applied. Afghanistan is the
country that Baba and Amir has left. Afghanistan is the country where Sohrab
lives. Meanwhile, Afghans are the people live in Afghanistan. Afghans also refers
to people who come from Afghanistan. Therefore, Assef, Amir, Soraya, Baba,
2. Culture
Pikunas states that the term ‘culture’ refers to “the total patterns of
people’s way of life seen in terms of artifacts and achievements distinguishing
large but similar societies” (72). King says, “Culture, whether in its material or
symbolic form, is an attribute which peoples are said to have” (1). Broom and
Selznick sum up the idea of culture as mainly to ideals of enlightenment and
refinement in the realms of learning, morality, and art (55). Further, they explain
that culture includes ways of behaving derived from the whole range of human
activity (56).
In this study, culture means customs or habits. Afghanistan culture refers
to all the customs, including arts and moral values which exist in Afghanistan, as
well as believed and done by the people (Afghans).
3. Personality
Hofstede and Hofstede state, “The personality of an individual, on the
other hand, is her or his unique personal set of mental programs that needn’t be
shared with any other human being (5)”.
In this study, personality means someone’s psychic difference, someone’s
characteristic, or trait. It is about how someone is different from others in terms of
ways of thinking and particular factors which lead to certain behaviors and
9 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter consists of four parts, namely, Review of Related Theories,
Review of Related Studies, Review on the Historical-Biographical Background,
and Theoretical Framework. Review of Related Theories will review the
approaches and theories applied in conducting the study. Review of Related
Studies will review other previously done studies on similar topics or related ones.
Review on the Historical-Biographical Background will review the social and
historical of the place settled in the novel that is Afghanistan. Theoretical
Framework will explain the contribution of the theories and reviews in solving the
problem: what are needed and how they are applied in the study. In this part, those
theories and reviews will be synthesized so as to make them operationally
applicable to the problem.
A. Review of Related Theories
1. Approaches in the Study of Literature
Rohrberger and Woods mention five approaches in the study of literature.
The approaches are the Formalist Approach, the Biographical Approach, the
Sociocultural-Historical Approach, the Mythopoeic Approach, and the
Psychological Approach.
The Formalist Approach has a concern demonstrating of the harmonious
meaning is derived from structure and how matters of technique determine source.
It devotes on the entirety integrity of the literary piece (6).
This Biographical Approach emphasizes the necessity for an appreciation
of the ideas and personality of the author to understanding of the literary object.
The proponents of this approach believe that a work of art is a reflection of a
personality (8). As a result, for those who use this approach, it is vital to learn
about the life and development of the author in the attempt to understand the
work. Documentation related to the author’s life provides useful data that can help
the readers understand the work by putting the readers in a position that can make
them understand and appreciate the literary study better.
Literature is not made in emptiness. It has a relationship with the
environment and civilization where it has been produced. Civilization is the
attitudes and actions of a specific group of people and literature takes these
attitudes and actions as its subject matter. The Sociocultural-Historical Approach
is based on the previous ideas. Using this approach, investigating the social milieu
in which the work was created is necessary in studying a work of literature (9-11).
The Mythopoeic Approach aims to discuss certain universally regular
patterns of human thought. These patterns are those that found in some ancient
myths and folk rites. They are very basic, yet they cover meanings for all people
(11-13). The last is The Psychological Approach. This approach entails a kind of
attempt to discuss the literature works using theories on a different body of
knowledge which is Psychology (13-15). By using this approach, literature works
In this study, the writer employs the Psychological Approach and
Sociocultural-Historical Approach. Psychological Approach requires the use any
kind psychological theory to analyze the novel; therefore, in this study, Karen
Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory is chosen as a theory for analyzing the
novel. Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory states that there is a relationship
between people’s personalities and their social and cultural backgrounds. Hence,
in order to grasp the understanding of social and cultural backgrounds of the
character analyzed, Sociocultural-Historical Approach is used.
2. Theories on Culture
Papalia, Olds, and Feldman say “culture refers to a society’s or group’s
total way of life, including customs, traditions, beliefs, values, language, and
physical products, from tools to artworks-all of the learned behavior passed on
from parents to children (16)”. Further, they explain that culture is constantly
changing. It is often through contact with others cultures (16).
Lonner and Malpass state, “Culture is a term invented to characterize the
many complex ways in which people of the world live, and which they tend to
pass along to their offspring (7)”. Hofstede and Hofstede state that culture is
always a collective phenomenon, because it is at least partly shared with people
who live or lived within the same environment which is where it was learned (5).
a. Identity
Talking about culture, there will be what so called as identity. Rosenthal,
as cited by Wong, says that identity is fluid and shaped through experience;
and his or her individual relation to the ethnic or racial group but of that group’s
place in the wider social setting (96). Thus, the conversations people have, the
movies they watch, and the books they read all serve to mediate their identity
formation.
b. Race and Ethnicity
Wong says that the concepts of both race and ethnicity include notions of
social construction and identity formation (96). The term “race” used to have
relationship with a biologically point of view. However, now, people begin to
understand that race is the result of a certain social process in which people are
differentiated based on what are believed as the genetic inherent.
It is like what Wong explains “though for many centuries people believed
that race was biologically based, now, people know that race is really the result of
the social process of grouping people who are believed to be different based on
the genetic inherent” (96). In addition, Goldberg, as cited by Wong, calls the
process as ‘racializing’ (97).
Meanwhile, Wong explains that the concept of ethnicity is based on the
notion of collective cultural practices that are part of the socialization of groups in
specific isolated geographical communities (97). It means that the term “ethic”
refers to a certain group including its cultural practices or its cultural heritage.
3. Karen Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory
Atkinson, Atkinson, and Hilgard say that psychoanalysis is a method for
treating mental disorders and a theory of human motivation (319). Feist and Feist
personality theories (16). Psychoanalysis has become associated with Sigmund
Freud. As Atkinson, Atkinson, and Hilgard also explain that Psychoanalytic
theory began with the publication of Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams in 1900 and has evolved gradually (319).
As it is stated by Feist and Feist, Freud says that unconscious part plays
greater rule than conscious part in determining someone’s behavior since his
famous three provinces of mind: id, ego, and superego (24-25). Further, Feist and
Feist explain that Freud believes on the influence of childhood times—Freud state
that people’s childhood experiences give significant effects to their adulthood
times (31-34).
In conclusion, as cited by Feist and Feist, many people regard that Freud’s
psychoanalytic theory determines people’s personalities based on the libido or
sexual drives (31). Freud’s theory also seems male oriented and disparages
women. Therefore, there are some psychologists examining this theory and then
they make some revisions on the theory, or even reject the theory. One of the
psychologists is Karen Horney. Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist, agrees with
Freud that early childhood traumas are important, but she is different from him in
her insistence that social rather than biological forces are paramount in personality
development (161).
The psychoanalytic social theory of Karen Horney, as cited by Feist and
Feist, is built on the assumption that social and cultural conditions, especially
a. Basic Attitudes
Horney identifies what she calls as the three basic attitudes: (1) Moving
toward People, (2) Moving against People, (3) Moving away from People. The
three basic attitudes are also known as Neurotic Trends (168). Horney states that
the three basic attitudes constitute not only for neurotic people but also for normal
people. The difference is that whereas normal people choose all these three
attitudes, neurotics are limited to one of the attitudes. Each of the basic attitudes
has a certain needs or Neurotic Needs.
1) Moving toward People
It does not mean moving toward people in the spirit of genuine love.
Rather, it refers to a neurotic need to protect oneself against feeling of
helplessness—it is about moving toward people in order to get the feeling of
security. In order to achieve this want, normal people or neurotic people fulfill the
two needs: that is they desperately strive for affection and approval of others, or
they seek a powerful partner who will take responsibility of their lives (170).
Besides, for the neurotics, this attitude is the result of their continuous
feeling of insecurity—they always feel insecure. Therefore, they have this
attitude: they move toward people. It means that the neurotics have a kind of
narrow limit of life. They see their life narrow. They have no courage to develop
their lives.
2) Moving against People
This attitude is the result of the way of thinking that people are hostile.
attitude (170). People with this attitude are motivated by a strong need to exploit
others and to use them for their own benefit. They seldom admit their mistakes
and are compulsively driven to appear perfect, powerful, and superior.
The needs of this attitude include the need to be powerful, to exploit
others, to receive recognition and prestige, to be admired, and to get personal
achievement. The neurotics will be obsessed with these needs. They will
aggressively fulfill these needs. They may get high personal achievement and
admiration; though, Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist, also states the neurotics
who possess this attitude will fail to consider the meaning of love, affection, and
the capacity of true friendship (170).
3) Moving away from People
In order to be free from isolation, some people behave in a detached
manner and adopt an attitude of moving away from people. This attitude is an
expression of needs for privacy, independence, and self-sufficiency. Each of these
needs can lead to positive behaviors, with some people satisfying these needs in a
healthy fashion. However, these needs become neurotic when people try to satisfy
them by compulsively putting emotional distance between themselves and other
people.
Many neurotics find associating with others an intolerable strain.
Consequently, they are compulsively driven to move away from people to attain
autonomy and separateness. They frequently build a world of their own and refuse
to allow anyone to get close to them. They value freedom and self-sufficiency and
detachment even from their spouse. They shun social commitments, but their
greatest fear is to need other people (171).
b. Neurotic
Horney believes that people who do not have their needs for love and
affection satisfied during the childhood develop basic hostility toward their parents and, as a consequence, suffer from basic anxiety.
Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist, theorizes that people combat basic anxiety by adopting one of three fundamental styles relating to others: moving toward people, moving against people, and moving away from people (161).
Further, Feist and Feist explain “Normal individual may use any of these modes
of relating to other people, but neurotics are compelled to rigidly rely on only one.
(161)”.
In conclusion, Feist and Feist state that Horney’s view of humanity is an
optimistic one and is centered on cultural forces that are amenable to change
(164).
Neurotic is a term in Psychology, especially in Psychoanalysis. Neurotic
means syndrome. Freud, as cited by Davison and Neale, says that neurotic is
similar to fear. Concisely, neurotic—as it is stated by Davison and Neale—is a
syndrom of anxiety (36).
Speaking to the subject of neurosis, Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist,
says that neuroses also relate with the society. She says that someone becomes a
neurotic because he or she wants to find ‘a path through wildernesses’ (164).
c. The Impact of Culture and the Importance of Childhood Experiences Based on Horney’s theory, personality is the impact of culture. According
to Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist, the conditions in the society related to
cultural influences are what shape someone’s personalities (165).
Further, Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist, also believes that childhood is
the age from which majority of problems arise. She says that childhood
experiences are primarily responsible for personality development (165).
Therefore, children should experience a good environment. This idea is expressed
in Horney’s statement that is referred by Feist and Feist: Horney suggests that
children need a warm and loving environment yet one that is not overly
permissive. Children need to experience both genuine love and healthy discipline
(165-166).
Concisely, The Psychoanalytic Social Theory of Karen Horney says that
culture, especially early childhood experiences, plays a leading role in shaping
human personality, either neurotic or healthy.
d. Horney’s Theory on Ways People Protect Themselves against Loneliness Feist and Feist explain that Horney identified four general ways that
people protect themselves against the feeling of being alone in a potentially
hostile world. Those are affection, submissiveness, effort to achieve power,
power, and possession, and withdrawal (166-167).
The first is affection. It means that the people try to fulfill their affection
second is submissiveness. It means that people merge themselves to other people
or institutions such as organizations or religions.
The third is by achieving power, prestige, and possession. Power is to fight
against real or imaginary hostility of others. Besides, power also causes a
tendency to dominate others. Prestige is for protecting towards humiliation
performed by others. However, prestige also causes a tendency to humiliate
others. Possession is for protecting of poverty, though it leads to a tendency to
deprive others.
The fourth is withdrawal. It is because by doing withdrawal, the people
believe that they cannot be hurt by other people.
Further, Feist and Feist explain that Horney believes that all people use
them to some degrees; though, it becomes a problem when people feel forced to
rely on them and unable to do others interpersonal activities (167). For this
condition, the people are as neurotics.
e. The Idealized Self-Image
People have their own ideal self-image. Unfortunately, what is in mind is
not always same with the reality. The differences cause frictions and
contradictions. Neurotics believe the reality of the images in their minds.
Feist and Feist state that Horney recognizes three aspects of the idealized
image. Those are The Neurotic search for Glory, Neurotic Claims, and Neurotic
Pride (173).
1) The Neurotic Search for Glory
As neurotics come to believe in the reality of their idealized self, they
begin to integrate it into all aspects of their lives, their goals, their self-concept,
and their relations with others. Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist, refers to this
comprehensive drive toward actualizing the ideal self as the neurotic search for
glory (173).
In addition to self-idealization, Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist,
explains that the neurotic search for glory includes three other elements: the need
for perfection, the neurotic ambition, and the drive toward a vindictive triumph
(173).
Feist and Feist state that the need for perfection refers to the drive to mold
the whole personality into the idealized self (174). It means that the neurotics
want to be their idealized self. They try to alter his personality to the idealized
self.
A second key element in the neurotic search for glory is neurotic ambition.
Feist and Feist define it as the compulsive drive toward superiority (174). It means
the neurotics have exaggerated need to do what they want. Horney, as cited by
Feist and Feist, states “this drive, therefore, may take several different forms
during a person’s lifetime (174)”. It means that the compulsive drive may be
reflected in various actions during the person’s life. Feist and Feist give some
examples:
take a less materialistic form, such as being the most saintly or most charitable person in the community. (174)
Thus, a neurotic ambition is not always a drive to do bad action. It can be a
good action, such as becoming the most charitable person in the community.
The third aspect of the neurotic search for glory is the drive toward a
vindictive triumph. Feist and Feist call it as the most destructive element of all
(174). They also state that the need for a vindictive triumph may be disguised as a
drive for achievement or success. However, Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist,
says “its chief aim is to put others to shame or defeat them through one’s very
success; or to attain the power…to inflict suffering on them—mostly of a
humiliating kind (174)”.
Further, Feist and Feist state “the drive for a vindictive triumph grows out
of the childhood desire to take revenge for real or imagined humiliations (174).” It
means that the vindictive triumph is a form to take revenge for the pain
experienced in childhood. Feist and Feist also state that “No matter how
successful neurotics are in vindictively triumphing over others, they never lose
their drive for a vindictive triumph—instead, they increase it with each victory
(174)”. Therefore, it is clear that the triumph the neurotics achieve cannot satisfy
the drive.
2) Neurotic Claims
A second aspect of idealized image is neurotic claims. Neurotics believe
that something is wrong with outside world. They proclaim that they are special.
Therefore, they deserve to be treated in accordance with their idealized view of
Feist and Feist explain that neurotics cannot see that their claims of special
privilege are unreasonable (174). When normal wishes are not fulfilled, people
become understandably frustrated, but when neurotic claims are not met, neurotics
become indignant, bewildered, and unable to comprehend why others have not
granted their claims.
Feist and Feist also give an illustration example of the difference of
normal desires and neurotic claims. It is about a situation in which many people
are waiting in line for tickets of a popular movie.
Most people near the end of the line might wish to be up front, and some of them may even try some ploy to get a better position. Nevertheless, these people know that they don’t really deserve to cut ahead of others. Neurotic people, on the other hand, truly believe that they are entitled to be near the front of line, and they feel no guilt or remorse in moving ahead of others. (174-175)
3) Neurotic Pride
The third aspect of an idealized image is neurotic pride. Feist and Feist
define it as “a false pride based not on a realistic view of the true self but on a
spurious image of the idealized self (175).” Neurotics imagine themselves to be
glorious, wonderful, and perfect, so when others fail to treat them with special
consideration, their neurotic pride is hurt.
Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist, says about the differences between
genuine self-esteem and neurotic pride. She says “Genuine self-esteem is based on
realistic attributes and accomplishments and is generally expressed with quiet
dignity. Neurotic pride, on the other hand, is based on an idealized image of self
and is usually loudly proclaimed in order to support a glorified view of one’s self
Further, Feist and Feist add that in order to achieve and protect their pride,
neurotics also try to become associated with socially prominent and prestigious
institutions and acquisitions (175).
B. Review of Related Studies
There are several undergraduate theses of Sanata Dharma University,
which scrutinize The Kite Runner. However, there is only one thesis that has a relationship with the issue discussed in this study: Assef. The thesis is written by
Hapsari. The title of the thesis is The Discriminations toward Hazara People as seen in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. As it has been sketched previously,
Hapsari, in the thesis, has give details about the characteristics of Hazaras. It
includes how Afghanistan people commonly react to Hazaras. She also explains
how those matters prove the existence of discrimination towards Hazaras. In her
thesis, Hapsari glosses that there is a character representing the discrimination—
even, Hapsari asserts that the character has done the most inhuman action as a
form of discrimination to Hassan: a rape. The character is Assef.
C. Review on Sociocultural-Historical Condition of Afghanistan 1. The History of Afghanistan
As a country in the story, it is a must to have Afghanistan reviewed. The
Asian states of Turkmestan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The capital city of
Afghanistan is Kabul. It is also the largest city in Afghanistan.
Qandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, and Kunduz are the other
cities in Afghanistan. The Hindu Kush Mountains (rising to 24,000 feet) stretch
diagonally from the northeast, through the center, to the Herat region in the west,
dominating the country’s topography, ecology, and economy.
Industries in Afghanistan are rugs, carpets, and textiles, chemical
fertilizers, sugar, plastics, leather goods, soap, cement, natural gas, oil, coal, and
hydroelectric power. The people live in Afghanistan are called Afghans. Islam is
the major religion—almost 99 Afghans are Muslims. Among them, 80 percent are
Sunny and 20 percent are Shi’a. There are also small numbers of Hindus, Sikhs,
Jews, and Christians.
Afghanistan has a gloomy history. Between 1800 and 1880, Afghanistan
became a battleground during the rivalry between Britain and Russia for control
of central Asia. Afghanistan’s government was a monarchy, until 1978. In July
1973, Daud, the former prime minister who was also the king’s cousin and
brother-in-law overthrew the monarchy with assistance from the pro-Soviet group.
Then, the country became a republic called Republic of Afghanistan.
In April 1978, a communist ousted and killed Daud. Nur Muhammad
Taraki, the head of People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), was
settled as president of the revolutionary council and prime minister. He renamed
the constitution, and banned all opposition movements. In spring 1979, a rebellion
began.
Then, in September 1979, Hafizullah Amin killed President Taraki and
replaced his position. Hafizullah Amin became the president of Afghanistan.
During the Christmas 1979, Soviet invaded Afghanistan with his eighty thousand
troops. They killed Hazifullah Amin and installed Babrak Karmal as the new
president of Afghanistan.
Babrak Karmal was a leader of the Parcham, a Communist Party. Soviet
intervention became more intensive and intensive causing riots and strikes in the
major cities. It resulted in anticommunist rebellions into a jihad for the cause of Islam and national liberation. Karmal had tried to consolidate his power, reduce
factional strife, and promote national unity. Unfortunately, his attempts used to
face obstacles. Afghanistan was in chaos. Many Afghans decided to take part in
the war. They called as moejahedin which meant Islamic holy warriors.
Moscow asserted that its army had been officially invited into
Afghanistan. Though, there was no proof of it and justification killing the
supposed inviter either. Through advisers, the USSR brought Karmal’s
government to Moscow. Moscow decided that he was a failure, and then replaced
him with another ‘puppet’, Mohammed Najibullah in May 1986.
The failure of a Soviet military victory and the ever increasing outside
The accords called for withdrawal of 120.000 Soviet troops, which was completed
on February 15, 1989.
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) stated that 14.453 of its
people had been killed in Afghanistan and 11.600 had been left invalids. In the
other side, among the regime, the number of Afghans killed, moejahedin and noncombatants, was estimated between 1 and 1.5 million, which tens of thousand
of others crippled.
However, ‘the darkness has not been disappeared thoroughly’, after the
Soviet War, Afghanistan had experienced civil war. There was also a radical
Islamic group called “Taliban” which controlled the society. Afghanistan became
gloomier and Afghans became sufferer because of it.
2. The Pasthuns and The Hazaras
Based on the Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume III, South Asia
(230) and Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume IX, Africa and The Middle East (114), Pasthun and Hazara are ethnic groups. Pasthuns and Hazaras have significant role in the novel. Therefore, discussions on these two ethnic groups are
needed. The discussion on Pasthun is reviewed from Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume III, South Asia (230-233). The discussion on Hazara is reviewed from Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume IX, Africa and The Middle East
(114-115).
a. Pasthun
Pasthun, which is also called as Pathan, or Pukhun, is one of the cultural
ethnics in Afghanistan. It is the largest cultural ethnic group in Afghanistan. It
constituted from 50 to 60 percent of the population of prewar Afghanistan. They
have dominated the society and politics of the country for the past 200 years. The
Pasthuns inhabit southern and eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan. Besides,
they also inhabit an area roughly bounded by Kabul in the northeast and Heart in
the northwest, it extends as far east as the Indus River and in the south an
approximate boundary can be drawn from Sibi through Quetta to Qadahar.
Their language is Pushto (Pashto), except for a small minority. They are
Sunni Muslims. Observing the economic point of view, in large towns and urban
areas, The Pasthuns have earned reputations as successful traders and
businessmen.
Speaking on the subject of marriage, though polygamy is permitted under
Muslim law, monogamy is prevalent. Marriages are overwhelmingly endogamous
within the clan and to a large degree within the subsection. Moreover, a divorce is
very rare among Pasthuns—despite the ease of obtaining a divorce under Muslim
law. It is because for Pasthuns, the union is commonly contracted on the basis of
bride-price. The bride-price and also the man’s honour are lost if the woman
remarries.
control. Traditionally, social control was maintained by a code of behavior and
honour called Pakhtunwali. It combines the principles of revenge, hospitality to guests, defense of those who have sought protection in one’s care, the chastity of
married women, and restraint toward those considered weak or helpless (Hindus,
women, and boys). Pakhtunwali in some cases contradicts and generally takes precedence over Islamic law. The penalty for illegal sexual behavior is harsh, e.g.
is death.
Religious practitioners or leaders are called mullahs. The mullah is a man who has attained a religious training.
b. Hazara
Hazara is one of the ethnic groups in Afghanistan. Most of them live in
central Afghanistan in an area known as Hazarajat. Others live in areas north or
Hindu Kush Mountain. The Hazarajat and other hazara territories are
mountainous. The climate is severe in winter, with heavy snowfall; summers are
mild but short, particularly at higher elevations. The Hazarajat, considering its
harsh terrain, is densely populated.
Hazara people are roughly estimated to number between 1 and 1.5 million
in Afghanistan and between 17.000 and 70.000 in Pakistan. They are thought to
have several affinities with the Mongols, including physical appearance, language,
and kinship system. Hazaragi is the traditional language of the Hazara people.
Hazaragi is spoken in the home and, in the more isolated areas.
minggan. This word was used by the Mongols in order to call a fighting unit because the unit consisted of a kinship group that provided a thousand horsemen.
Thus, the word actually means “tribe”. After the Hindu Kush Mongols acquired
Farsi, they replaced the word by the Farsi equivalent word.
By the fifteenth century, “hazara” meant “mountain tribe”, and later, it
came to refer to the group now known as “Hazara”. Hazara people were
traditionally nomads who subsisted by herding sheep and goats. They also raised
horses for fighting feuds. Hazara kinship is organized in lineages—descent in
traced through the male line. Hazaras seldom marry outsiders, and when they do,
it is usually women who are given to men other groups. Hazaras are one of
Afghanistan’s most impoverished ethic groups and one of the most resistant to
central government control.
3. Sunni and Shi’a Islam
The difference in religion can be problematic. It is because religion is very
complex. Religions may have a significant and powerful influence to someone,
people, and society. It is in line with what Nakayama and Martin have stated:
Further, Nakayama and Martin explains why a religion is able to bring a
great influence. They state that it is because a religion has both personal precinct
and social precinct.
One of the reasons that religion is such a powerful force is that it is often an extension of an individual’s deeply held values or worldview. However, it is also important to remember that while religious beliefs may appear to be simply a personal matter, these beliefs quickly move from the realm of the personal to the social. Religious differences, for example, can be an important influence in nationalist movements, as they demarcate cultural differences and differences in beliefs, attitudes, and values. (21)
Sunni and Shi’a Islam, each of them is a religion of Pasthun people and
Hazara people. The difference also becomes the reason of discrimination.
Therefore, it is needed to have discussions on Sunni Islam and Shi’a Islam. The
discussions are reviewed from The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World.
a. Sunni Islam
Practiced by the majority of Muslims, Sunni Islam refers primarily to the
customary practice of the prophet Muhammad. The term Sunni derives from
sunnah, which has the general meaning of “customary practice”. This practice, this sunnah, is preserved in the hadith, the tradition, which consists of the accounts of what the Prophet said or did sometimes of his tacit approval of an
action.
The tradition, in addition to the Qur’an is one of the sources of Sunni
religious law. Another source is the consensus of religious scholars, al-ijma. This concept of consensus reflects the emphasis in Sunni Islam on community and its
have referred to themselves as ahl al-sunna wa al-jama’ah (“people of the sunnah
and the community”).
b. Shi’i Islam
The term shi’ah literally means followers, party, group, associate, partisan, or supporters. Expressing these meanings, shi’ah occurs a number of times in the Qur’an, for example, surahs 19.69, 28.15, and 37.83. Technically, the term refers to those Muslims who derive their religious code and spiritual inspiration, after
the Prophet, from Muhammad’s descendants, the ahl al-bayt.
The focal point of Shiism is the source of guidance after the Prophet;
although, the Sunnis accept it from the sahabah (companions) of the Prophet, the Shi’is people restrict it to the members of the ahl al-bayt. Therefore, one that distinguishes Shi’i from Sunni Islam is based on two important factors: one
sociocultural and the other drawn from the Qur’anic concept of the exalted and
virtuous nature of the prophetic families.
D. Theoretical Framework
There are some theories applied in order to answer the problem
formulated. The writer applies Karen Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory to
describe Assef. In the light of critical approaches of this study, the writer decides
to employ the Sociocultural-Historical Approach and Psychological Approach
proposed by Rohrberger and Woods.
The reason of using two approaches is because the writer employs the
relationship between people’s personalities with their social and cultural
backgrounds, so the understanding related to social, cultural, and historical
information is needed. The writer applies the theory to explain the relationship
between Assef’s socio-cultural backgrounds and his personalities. Besides, the
theory is also used to determine what kind of person Assef is.
The information about social, cultural, and historical knowledge is derived
32 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter consists of three sections, namely: Object of the Study,
Approaches of the Study, and Method of the Study. Object of the Study will
describe the work to be studied along its physical description. It will also mention
briefly what the work is generally about. Approaches of the Study will present the
approaches employed in the analysis, their descriptions, the reasons for the
selection, and the procedure taken in the application. Method of the Study will
describe the steps taken in analyzing the work, from reading up to reporting the
findings. It will include whether the study is a library research or field research,
and the primary and secondary sources used in this study.
A. Object of the Study
This thesis studied a novel entitled The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini. The novel, which has 340 pages, is divided into 25 chapters. It was
published by Bloomsbury in 2003 and received international bestseller.
An article in Newsweek (January 11, 2010) written by Kolesnikov-Jessop told that The Kite Runner novel had been sold more than 10 million copies until that article was written (46). In the same article, Jo Lusby, a general manager of
Penguin China, also commented that The Kite Runner novel had been sold in more than 24 languages (47). Therefore, it is clear that the novel has been widely
The novel is about the story of two Afghan boys: Hassan and Amir. The
setting is in Kabul, Afghanistan, 1970s. Amir and Hassan are friends. However,
Amir and Hassan are different. Amir is a Pasthun and Hassan is a Hazara. These
differences lead to many poignant plots.
There is one character functioned like a trigger and an amplifier of the
conflicts in the story. Besides, the character also makes the effects of the conflicts
greater. The character is Assef. He is a bully who always tries to hurt Hassan. He
is the one who has an idea to rape Hassan. After he rapes Hassan, Assef also asks
their two friends, Wali and Kamal, to rape Hassan. However, they reject it, so
Assef just asks them to hold Hassan down. Amir sees that incident, yet he does
not have the courage to do any action. The incident always haunts Amir’s mind
and influenced his behavior towards Hassan. Moreover, the friendship between
Amir and Hassan has never been the same since that incident.
The novel has a historical content of Afghanistan. In the novel, it is
explained the condition of Afghanistan; from the time before Soviet War until the
Taliban Era. Many places in Afghanistan are described vividly and lucidly. There
is no need to question on the validity of the data because the author, Khaled
Hosseini, is a real Afghan who has ever grown in Afghanistan.
There are some words in Pakhtu, Persian, and Hazaragi, in the novel which
makes the novel unique and possessing an original taste. In an addition, having
reading the novel, the writer realizes there are several words of Afghanistan
The novel is interesting. There are many beautiful matters dwelling in the
novel. There are many points to learn in the novel, such as friendship, love,
struggle, discrimination, and prejudice. Besides, by reading the novel, people will
get knowledge on Afghanistan history. By reading the novel, people are also
invited to watch a journey of a country; from a calm and cozy country with its rich
cultural heritage to a country of agony which is like vouching no hope to its
people. Shortly, the novel is also scholarly worthwhile.
All the aspects stated previously had encouraged the writer to conduct a
study on the novel. The novel has fulfilled Ferster’s two considerations in
choosing a literary work to be studied: the work has to be rich enough to be
scholarly analyzed and the work has to be interesting (208-209).
B. Approaches of the Study
Prentice and Miller state that there is a relationship between people and
their environment (3). Human beings are shaped by their environment. Grasping
the idea, this study employs Psychological Approach and Sociocultural-Historical
Approach. The Psychological Approach would deal with the human beings’
aspects. Meanwhile, the Sociocultural-Historical Approach would deal with the
matters influenced the aspects of human beings.
As the paramount aim of this study is to find out the effect of the social,
cultural, and historical backgrounds in shaping someone’s personality, in this case
is Assef, as it is seen in the novel; therefore, the two approaches were seen as the
Using the two approaches, the writer was required to find some references
about some theories in the discipline of Psychology telling about the personality
and aspects influenced it. Besides, the writer also gathered information related to
social, cultural, and historical points within the scope of the study.
C. Method of the Study
This study was library study. This study was done using references from
various sources on the fields of Psychology and Social Science. There were two
kinds of sources used in this study: the primary source and the secondary sources.
The primary source was a novel titled The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini. The secondary sources were some books, articles, and journals related
to the topic researched and the approaches employed in this study.
The writer borrowed the books and read the journals, and the articles from
Sanata Dharma University’s library. In order to get the understanding of the novel
and the author, the writer read a biography of the author, Khaled Hosseini, taken
from the internet and the postscript of Khaled Hosseini’s second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns.
In order to obtain deeper understanding of the topic and scope researched
in this study, the writer browsed some articles from internet. Besides, the writer
also read and copied several parts of books from UIN Sunan Kalijaga’s library.
The writer had made several steps in order to conduct this study. First, the
writer consulted his lecturer and his friends about the novel to discuss and analyze
analyzed in this study. Second, the writer read the novel carefully and thoroughly
until he found the understanding of the content of the novel. This step also
required the writer to read some books, articles, and journals related to the novel
and the issues lied within.
Third, the writer formulated the research question to be answered in this
study. This step required the writer to contemplate and muse on the novel—what
the novel was really about. This step craved the writer to have many conversations
with others about the novel and the topics existed in the novel. In this step, the
writer made an outline about what to write. Besides, the writer also made a note
on the references which might be used in this study. Fourth, the writer stockpiled
information from books, articles, and journals. The writer also asked for
suggestions from his lecturers and friends. This step also obliged the writer to
select the most appropriate references for this study.
Fifth, the writer analyzed the sources in order to answer the formulated
research question. Sixth, the writer wrote the report. It was about presenting the
result of this study in a written form. The writer also drew a conclusion of this
study. Seventh, the writer related this study to the EFL (English as a Foreign
Language) teaching learning in Indonesia.
37 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter presents the analysis to find out the answer of the problem
formulation mentioned in the first chapter. This chapter will give elaborated
explanation on the figure of Assef in The Kite Runner novel.
A. The Figure of Assef Viewed Using Karen Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory
1. Assef’s Basic Attitudes
Horney states three basic attitudes or neurotic trends. The three basic
attitudes are Moving toward People, Moving against People, and Moving away
from People. Normal people will have these three attitudes in balance. However,
neurotic people will be obsessed in one.
Assef, one of character in a novel titled The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini, is obsessed in one of the attitudes: Moving against People. Assef also
fulfills Horney’s theory on the neurotic needs occupying this attitude. The
neurotic needs are the need to be powerful, the need to exploit others, the need to
receive recognition and prestige, the need to be admired, and the need to reach
personal achievement.
In the novel, it is clear that Assef is motivated by a strong need to exploit
