Self Esteem Need Amir’s Motive
Amir’s willing to show Baba that he is worthy represents Amir’s need for respect from other. Amir believes, if he could win the kite-fighting
tournament, he would get back his good reputation toward Baba’s perception about him.
Besides that, Amir’s self esteem need which controls him to follow the kite-fighting tournament and makes him believes that he can win the tournament,
shows his general description as an optimistic person. Since, Amir shows his confident as an optimistic person by the sentence “I was going to win, and I was
going to run the last kite.” The explanation above is based on the data number 10 below:
I was going to win, and I was going to run the last kite. Then I’d bring it to home and show it to Baba. Show him
once and for all that his son was worthy.
Hosseini, 2003:49
Beside wants to get a good reputation from Baba, another reason that Amir have, to win the kite-fighting tournament, is Amir willing to get Baba’s
respect and recognition. In Amir’s life, Amir always feels like his Baba never paying attention
and recognizing Amir. Amir feels like Baba never account his existence. Amir’s feeling for not being recognized, described by the sentence “my life as a ghost in
this house.”. So that Amir believes if he can win the kite-fighting tournament, Baba will recognize his existence. Dealing with the explanation before, Amir’s
motive, to win the kite-fighting tournament, belongs to need of respect from other as part of self esteem need.
Getting Baba’s recognition is not the only Amir’s willing to win the kite- fighting tournament. Another Amir’s reason to win kite-fighting tournament is
getting Baba’s respect toward him. The respect Amir tries to get by winning the kite-fighting tournament can be seen by the way he wants to be called as Amir
Jan by Baba. Dealing with the suffix jan in a Afghan name, the purpose of adding jan is to show a respect to the addressee.
The explanation above is based on the data number 11 below: Then maybe my life as a ghost in this house would finally
be over. ... Maybe he’d call me Amir jan like Rahim Khan did.
Hosseini, 2003:49
The last proof which emphasizes Amir’s motive to win kite-fighting tournament is belonging to his self esteem need, is his willing to be looked at not
just seen, to be listened to and not just be heard. From Amir’s willing to be looked and to be listened, it can be concluded that Amir is a boy who lack of
recognition. Yet as a boy who grows up motherless he needs Baba’s attention. Dealing with the condition and Amir’s willing to be recognized, a motive behind
Amir’s willing to win the kite-fighting tournament belongs to second level of self esteem need, known by need of respect from other.
The explanation above is based on the data number 12 below: ..this was my one chance to become someone who was
looked at, not seen, listened to, not heard. Hosseini,
2003:57
Dealing with the analysis above, it can be concluded that from the five Abraham Maslow’s theory about hirearchy needs, Amir as the main character of
The Kite Runner shows three dominant needs namely safety and security need, belongingness and love need, self esteem need dealing with his goal to get Baba’s
recognition and respect, his problem to overcome his anxiety dealing a betrayal he did toward Hassan , and his effort to redeem his betrayal toward Hassan as his
illegitimate half brother by taking out Sohrab from Kabul and giving him a better life. But, from those three dominant motive Amir has, the most dominant motive
is safety and security need. Since, Amir’s betrayal toward Hassan, as the source of his safety and security need, gives Amir more conflicts and impacts toward his
personality, behavior and general description as the main character of the story.