22 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 review on Afghanistan is taken from Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East,
Volume 1 43-51. Afghanistan is a country sharing borders with Iran, Pakistan, the Xinjiang province of China, and the newly independent successor Central
23 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 country became the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan DRA, abolished
24 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 military and financial support from the moejahedin from 1984 to 1988 led to the
signing of the Geneva accords on April 14, 1988, under United Nations backings.
25 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.
26
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. A.S. Ahmed, as cited in Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume III,
South Asia, has identified two principles of social organization among the Pasthuns: nang honour and qalang taxes or rent. Honour is also used in social
27 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. The term hazara is a Mongol-Persian blend. It means “thousand” in Farsi,
and is believed to be the Persian equivalent of the Mongol word for thousand,
28 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: Religion can be a divisive and explosive topic, as people often hold very
strong feelings about their own religion and those of other people. Religious differences have tremendous implications for intercultural
communication. Religion is a powerful force in marking cultural differences, which can lead to both intercultural conflict and intercultural
cooperation. Even when not explicitly noted, religion may influence our attitudes about right and wrong and may influence our own behavior. 21
29 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 collective wisdom, guided by the Qur’an and the sunnah. Thus, Sunni Muslims
30 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
Psychoanalytic Social Theory of Karen Horney. Since the theory relates the
31 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 from encyclopedias, namely: Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East, Volume 1,
Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume III, South Asia, Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume IX, Africa, and the Middle East, and The Oxford Encyclopedia
of The Modern Islamic World.
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
spread and read by many people.
