Tracing Post-Traumatic Growth in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner

Abstract

This paper attempts to explore post-traumatic growth (PTG) - a positive psychological change post-traumatic period in a literary text.  PTG, as theorized by Tedeschi and Calhoun, identifies positive changes during the post-traumatic period resulting in “self-perception, interpersonal relationships, and philosophy of life, leading to increased self-awareness and self-confidence, a more open attitude towards others, a greater appreciation of life, and the discovery of new possibilities” (Dell’Osso). It examines how deep suffering can also lead to a positive psychological development in an individual’s life after experiencing trauma. In this context, Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner serves as an appropriate literary text for examining post-traumatic growth, as the novel traces Amir’s trauma into transformation. While the novel had been previously analyzed from the perspectives of trauma, guilt, memory, blame, and redemption, this paper presents the text from the perspective of post-traumatic growth, analyzing Amir’s rebuilding of his identity through the two domains of personal strength and new opportunities.