Abstract
This research highlights the impact of war zone on a child victim’s psyche by taking into account Khalid
Hosseini’s The Kite Runner in the light of Thomas Joiner’s ‘Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide
Behavior’. The novel is set in three different places; Afghanistan, America and Pakistan, over a span of a few years,
from 1975 to 2001. It deals with Amir, Hassan and Sohrab being the major characters in the novel. Readers are
introduced to Sohrab in the second half of the novel, who happens to be Hassan’s son and half nephew to Amir. The
main focus of this research is to critically analyze Sohrab’s character, to breakdown the events that led up to his
attempt at suicide; and his slow and gradual recovery process towards the end of the novel. Joiner’s theory
comprises of three common traits found in people who are inclined to committing a suicidal attempt or have
committed it, these include; the feeling of alienation, the feeling of being a burden and the acquired capability to
fatal self-harm. Sohrab’s character is explored in accordance with the aforementioned three points by keeping in
view his actions and words that give a hint towards the whirlpool of emotions and feelings he might be
psychologically struggling with. This is because of the traumatic experiences he went through while in Afghanistan
before he was rescued, which includes losing both parents at the hands of the Taliban, him being sold to them,
getting abused by them both psychically and psychologically, whereas the Taliban defend their atrocious acts in the
name of Islam and self-defense. Towards the end a very slow and gradual wellbeing in Sohrab’s character is noticed
with the change of his environment.
Sadia Nazeer, Hoor Shamail Khattak, Shumaila Ashee. (2022) Sohrab’s Trauma and Psychological Struggle in The Kite Runner, Journal of the Research Society of Pakistan, volume 59, issue 1.
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