Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner: A Study through Lawrence Buell's Theory of Ecocriticism

Abstract

Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner (2003) is often explored in terms of friendship, betrayal, guilt, and the search for redemption set against the reality of Afghanistan. The previous research articles focus on trauma, identity, ethnicity, and what it means to be Afghan after invasion and war. This paper examines how nature acts as an external factor depicting human emotions rather than just being the backdrop in the story. This study attempts to fill this research gap by applying Lawrence Buell’s four criteria to analyze literature and environment. Buell’s theory helps to understand how humans, nature, and fates are interconnected. He talks about how stories represent humans’ shared responsibility in the world and the need for ethical balance between humans and all other living beings. This study focuses on the natural setting, which includes gardens, trees, seasons, and even the weather, to portray the psychological change that happens in the characters’ lives. It shows how nature helps to shape people’s memory, history, and the possible ways to discover strength and offer forgiveness. This article concludes that ecological spaces play an active role in shaping humans’ lives and offers various possibilities to change and improve life’s circumstances amidst uncertain moments.