A Journey To Individuation Jungian Study Of A Thousand Splendid Suns

Khaled Hossein（1965—）is one of the most outstanding Afghan—Ameriean novelists ofthe21st century. After his successful debut The Kite Runner, Hosseini published his secondnovel A Thousand Splendid Suns in may2007. Once published, it attracted vast attentionfrom the American mainstream media, and it was regarded as a “heart-wrenching novel”telling a “stirring”almost “impossible to resist” story. This work mainly reflects the miserablelife of Afghan women who were suffering the pressure from the society and the violencefrom their husbands. Therefore, it arouses the worldwide readers’ and critics’ attention on thefate of Afghan women, the war and the characters’ personality. The author of this thesisviews that Khaled Hossein tries to proclaim the power of love and hope by telling the sad andtouching life of those two common Afghan women, and setting forth their inner world, ortheir valuable friendship between mother and daughter or sisters.This thesis takes the Afghan women’ journey of individuation in chaos as target of thetheme by applying Jungian theory of individuation. It mainly stresses the developing processof the protagnost’s self-lost, awaking, and further fighting, meanwhile, analyzes a series ofconflicts between the inner and the outer world during the process of individuation. AThousand Splendid Suns truefully reflects the problems and predicament of Afghan women ina patriarchal society.It contains five parts as follows:Firstly, the introduction involves three aspects. They are Khaled Hosseini’s life and hisworks, Carl Gustav Jung and Jungian theory, the modern situation of the literary research onA Thousand Splendid Suns and the theme of this thesis.The first chapter briefly introduces the understanding of the persona archetype in theprocess of individuation. Then, it analyzes the patricharchal society and family situation inwhich Mariam lives. Finally, it analyzes the persona of Mariam and the confrontation with itsnegative influence—Mariam moves towards the self-awakening.The second chapter briefly introduces the understanding of the shadow archetype in theprocess of individuation. Next, it analyzes the inner shadow in Mariam and her self-awakening by the violation of the the negative side’s over expansion of the shadow.The third chapter briefly introduces the understanding of the anima and animusarchetype in the process of individuation. Then, it points out the self-awakening and theself-realization of Mariam by analyzing the integration and balance of the opposites in animaand animus. With the guidance of love and hope, Mariam gradually realizes a harmoniousintegration between her true inner self and the outside world.And in the conclusion: to some degree, through the combination of Jungian theory andthis novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a novel about self-realization. The inner heart of theprotagonist gradually forms a harmonious whole integration, which typically presents theprocess of individuation. And the theme about love and hope is poignantly proclaimed. Inreality, one would achieve the development of individual personality as long as he has abetter and deeper understanding for his self, meets the challenge from inner aspects, andmakes internal determination. Finally, from the psychological exploration for the commonfemale’s self-individuation in such a typically particular era and society, it has pointed theway for the psychological mature individuals and aroused the consideration of modern peoplewho live in a free and peaceful social environment. Therefore, it does have a profound socialand real significance. Meanwhile, the understanding of this novel and Jungian theory hasbeen deepened further.