Author(s)

Chen Ying ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Hankou University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430200, China

Corresponding Author

Chen Ying

ABSTRACT

"The Kite Runner" is the first work of Afghan-American writer Khaled Hosseini, who has gained recognition in the world of literature with this work. He book was widely acclaimed by literary critics after its publication in 2003, topping the New York Times bestseller list for two years in a row, selling more than 7 million copies in the United States and 20 million copies worldwide in 42 languages. The novel tells the story of betrayal and redemption as two Afghan teenagers grow up. This paper focuses on the text of "The Kite Runner" as the primary object, utilizing close reading as the fundamental research method. It analyzes the choices made by characters in relation to human nature amidst the backdrop of war, and explores the influence of situational factors on these choices. This paper is divided into five parts. The introduction provides an overview of the author Khaled Hosseini, his masterpiece "The Kite Runner," and the research objectives and methods. In the first chapter, the author briefly narrated the story background of the kite runner and the introduction of the author. In the second chapter, the author analyzes the different human choices made by Amir, Hassan and Assef in combination with specific situations and character experiences, and explores the nature of human nature through the analysis of character images. The second chapter expounds the defects of human nature under the deformed education, discusses the choice of human nature and the betrayal of morality under the war-torn environment of Afghanistan, explores the dark side of human nature and the loss of human nature of Amir and Hassan. The third chapter details the causes and effects of the loss of humanity under the background of war. Personal growth and family, school, society imperceptibly education and formation of ideas to affect the choice of human nature. Khaled Husseini portrays the characters while also casting their souls, when we see some human defects in the characters, just like looking in the mirror, facing the reality of humanity, some people choose to escape, some choose to face, at the crossroads of humanity, our choices make us who we are now. Although Husseini lives in the peaceful soil of the United States, he does not forget that his native land is still in deep trouble with his Afghan compatriots and contributes to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. The author believes that Hosseini and his works are full of humanitarian light, and the revelation of human nature in The Kite Runner has deeper research significance. This paper cuts into the Kite Runner from the perspective of humanity, hoping to inject fresh blood into the Kite Runner and provide broader vision for the in-depth study of the work.

KEYWORDS

Khaled al-Husseini; Human nature; The kite runner

CITE THIS PAPER

Chen Ying, Interpretation of Human Nature in the Kite Runner. Lecture Notes on Language and Literature (2024) Vol. 7: 37-46. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/langl.2024.070305.

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