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f. Pakhtunwali
As well as religion, Pakhtunwali, a kind of moral code about good or bad, also influences someone’s actions. Pakhtunwali requires Pasthuns’ hospitality and
many high-moral principled-deeds. However, Pakhtunwali also deals with punishments given for the crimes or actions considered as false or sinful.
The punishments stated in Pakhtunwali are harsh and rigorous, one example is a punishment subjected for fornicator. The couple who are proven
committing action of fornicator have to be stoned until death. Previously, the writer has stated that Pasthuns have a great sense of
dignity. Therefore, Pasthuns react radically to anyone who tries to insult them. It is seen when communist Russian attacked Afghanistan, there are many Pasthuns
who become moejahid. It means they fight against the invaders. They fight savagely because they feel that they have been insulted. Unfortunately, some of
them become too radical; then, when war is over, they change themselves to be Taliban.
Taliban control Afghans. They legalize many rules binding people’s freedom. The punishments for the people who break the rules are very harsh.
Taliban make Afghans sufferer. They implement many rules which must be obeyed. Otherwise, harsh punishments, or even punishments to dead, will take
control. In the novel, it is told that Assef, as a Taliban leader, leads a stoning
punishment. Assef, who is described as ‘the tall Talib with the black sunglasses’,
59 walked to the pile of stones they had unloaded from the truck. As a leader, he gets
the first turn to throw the rock. He picked up a rock and showed it to the crowd. The noise fell, replaced
by a buzzing sound that rippled through the stadium. I looked around me and saw that everyone was tsk’ing. The Talib, looking absurdly like a
baseball pitcher on the mound, hurled the stone at the blindfolded man in the hole. It struck the side of his head. The woman screamed again. The
crowd made a startled “OH” sound. I closed my eyes and covered my face with my hands. The spectators’ “OH” rhymed with each flinging of
the stone, and that went on for a while. When they stopped, I asked Farid if it was over. He said no. I guessed the people’s throats had tired. I don’t
know how much longer I sat with my face in my hands. I know that I reopened my eyes when I heard people around me asking, “Mord? Mord?
Is he dead? Hosseini, 249” The previous explanations have explains about Assef’s personalities and
how the social and cultural factors surround him give credits to him. The social and cultural factors play as elements which shapes his personalities. It is in
concord with Horney’s personality theory, saying that social and cultural factors shape someone’s personalities. Based on Horney’s theory, personality is the
impact of culture. Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist, says that the conditions in the society related to cultural influences are what shape someone’s personalities
165.
3. Assef’s Childhood
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