47 He was dressed in a cotton shirt and blue slacks, a red silk tie and shiny
black loafers. He smelled of cologne and his blond hair was neatly combed back. On the surface, he was the embodiment of every parent’s dream, a
strong, tall, well-dressed and well-mannered boy with talent and striking looks, not to mention the wit to joke with an adult Hosseini, 90.
Besides, Assef has a talent to do flirting, in order to make someone feel
happy. He shows his ability to win Baba’s heart by complimenting him and starting a conversation about football. Then, Assef praises Baba in such a way that
Baba feels very happy. “Still playing soccer, Assef jan?” Baba said. He’d always wanted me to be
friends with Assef. Assef smiled. It was creepy how genuinely sweet he made it look. “Of
course, Kaka jan.” “Right wing, as I recall?”
“Actually, I switched to center forward this year,” Assef said. “You get to score more that way. We’re playing the Mekro-Rayan team next week.
Should be a good match. They have some good players.” “Baba nodded. “You know, I played center forward too when I was
young.” “I’ll bet you still could if you wanted to,” Assef said. He favoured Baba
with a good-natured wink Hosseini, 89.
d. The Need to Reach Personal Achievement
Assef also fulfills the fifth neurotic need that is the need to reach his personal achievement. In this case, what the writer means by Assef’s personal
achievement is his dream of imitating Hitler. He believes that Hitler has done a great action by massacring Jews and, then, making Germany becomes the land of
Aryans. Assef also wants to do the same action: he wants to make Afghanistan becomes the land of Pasthuns.
Having a German descendant, Assef adores a famous German dictator, Adolf Hitler. From Assef statements, it is obviously seen that Assef idolizes Adolf
Hitler very much.
48 “Do you know what I will tell Daoud Khan the next time he comes to our
house for dinner?” Assef said. “I’m going to have a little chat with him, man to man, mard to mard. Tell him what I told to my mother. About
Hitler. Now there was a leader. A great leader. A man with vision. I’ll tell Daoud Khan to remember that if they had let Hitler finish what he had
started, the world be a better place now Hosseini, 37.” Amir argues Assef’s opinion about Hitler by stating Baba’s view on Hitler.
Amir says “Baba says Hitler was crazy, that he ordered a lot of innocent people killed Hosseini, 37.” Yet, Assef says that he knows Hitler more than Amir does,
because he has Germany heritage. Besides, he also states that he has read many books about Hitler. He said
that his eyes have opened, meaning that he has known the ‘real truth’ about Hitler. He thought that Hitler was a great person who had made a great deed. Assef says,
“But you have to read books they don’t give out in school....I have. And my eyes have been opened. Now I have a vision, and I’m going to share it with our new
president. Do you know what it is? Hosseini, 38” Then, Assef says that it is about the statement that Afghanistan is the land of Pasthuns. He does not want
Hazaras to stay in Afghanistan. He says that Hazaras have made Afghanistan dirty.
His blue eyes flicked to Hassan. “Afghanistan is the land of Pasthuns. It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure
Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our watan. They dirty our blood.” He made a sweeping, grandiose gesture with
his hands. “Afghanistan for Pasthuns, I say. That’s my vision Hosseini, 38.”
Inspired by Hitler, Assef has a dream to make Afghanistan become the
land of Pasthuns. The narrator in the novel says, “Assef shifted his gaze to me again. He looked like someone coming out of a good dream. “Too late for Hitler”
49 he said. “But not for us Hosseini, 38.” Therefore, it is clear that Hassan wants to
do what so called as Pasthunizations. It is also implied that he wants to do it with a cruel way. It is shown from
his sweeping, grandiose gesture with hands he has performed. Besides, it is also shown from Assef’s statement: “Too late for Hitler … But not for us Hosseini,
38.” This statement gives a kind of presupposition that he wants to imitate Hitler’s way. As it is known that Hitler has massacred many people in order to
meet his dream—Germany becomes the land of Aryans. Assef’s interest in anything related to Hitler is also shown when Amir has
a birthday party, in the party, Assef comes with his parents. He speaks very friendly that successfully win Baba’s heart. Assef gives Amir a book as the
present. Assef said that it is his favourite book. When Amir tears the wrapping paper, he finds that it is a biography of Hitler. Therefore, it vividly implies that
Assef loves Hitler very much. “Anyway, I heard you like to read so I brought you a book. One my
favourites.” He extended a wrapped birthday gift to me. “Happy birthday.” Hosseini, 90 …. “I tore the wrapping paper from Assef’s present and
titled the book cover in the moonlight. It was a biography of Hitler Hosseini, 91.”
The two other basic attitudes do not fit with Assef. Assef does not have low self-esteem and he is not dependence. Therefore, the Moving toward People
attitude does not fit with Assef. Assef never drags himself. He does not isolate himself from others. Thus, the Moving away from People attitude also does not fit
with Assef.
50
2. Assef’s Social and Cultural Backgrounds
