Abstract:The Kite Runner is an initiation novel written by an Afghan-born American novelist--Khaled Hosseini. It tells a story about the growth of an Afghanistan boy who is bewildered, betrays his friend and finally seeks redemption. This paper tries to prove that The Kite Runner is an initiation novel by analyzing its typical initiation novel characteristics. The analysis is devoted to three aspects: the plot pattern, the spiritual guides and the initiation themes. Firstly, The Kite Runner describes a boy’s growth from bewildering to final disillusion, which is the typical initiation novels’ plot pattern. Secondly, the leading character usually has several positive or negative spiritual guides in his adolescence. In The Kite Runner, the leading character, Amir, also has several guides, including positive guides, his father and his friend, Rahim Khan, and a negative guide, Taliban terrorist Assef. Last but not least, the reason why The Kite Runner is an initiation novel is that it has several initiation themes. In conclusion, The Kite Runner is definitely an initiation novel. 

Key words:The Kite Runner; the Initiation Plot Pattern；the Spiritual Guide；the Initiation Themes

CONTENTS

摘要

Abstract

1.Introduction1

  1.1 Introduction to Khaled Hosseini and The Kite Runner

  1.2 Introduction to the Initiation Novel

2. The Initiation Novel Characteristics in The Kite Runner.2

2.1 The Plot Pattern

2.2 The Spiritual Guides

2.3 The initiation Themes

3. Conclusion 9

Bibliography

Acknowledgements