Candidate Number: 8016

Compare and contrast the way in which loss is represented in both Heaney’s
‘Death of a Naturalist’ and Hosseini’s ‘The Kite Runner.’
Hosseini's 2003 coming-of-age historical novel, 'The Kite Runner', and Heaney's 1966 poetry collection,
'Death of a Naturalist', both explore the theme of loss through different subdivisions: innocence,
masculinity, and fatherhood. Although their geographical location is miles away, the notion of loss,
within the context of their respective country and culture, appears crucial in catalysing a feeling of
disconnection in both protagonists at the heart of their works. Divulging further into Heaney's poems, we
discover autobiographical overtones giving his work “a kind of double awareness”1 , which Hosseini
also incorporates in his own novel, linking both texts through the central theme of loss.
One of the many representations of loss in both works is the loss of the protagonists’ ancestral homeland,
culminating in alienation and isolation of their family and past. In Chapter 11 of Hosseini's novel, Amir
and Baba are forced to flee his homeland, Afghanistan, due to the political unrest of 1966 when the
Taliban took control of Afghanistan, imposing strict laws. The Afghan government was unable to deal
effectively with the Taliban insurgency, resulting in volatile security situations, which caused extreme
poverty and lack of economic opportunities drove many Afghans to seek asylum, and so Amir and Baba
fled to USA for safety. In California, Baba becomes increasingly frustrated by his misunderstandings of
American customs, taking great insult at others' ignorance of his status. Amir, on the other hand,
assimilates far more quickly, finding solace in the hope that leaving Afghanistan will distance him from
his past. Even through adulthood, Amir is ashamed that he did nothing to stop Hassan’s rape, wishing to
wash away his sin through the metaphor: ‘America was a river, roaring along, unmindful of the past’,
which holds two meanings: one indicating the new route America carved for him, as Amir is eagerly
rushing to find a calm body of water to steer him from the guilt of witnessing Hassan’s rape. The second
meaning for the river would hold religious connotations- Amir viewing the river as a symbol of washing
away his sin connotes to Baptism, symbolises purification and regeneration in Christianity. Amir thereby,
wishes to be reborn and ‘drown (his) sins’ for failing Hassan. Additionally, while Amir uses America to
‘drown (his) memories’, America for Baba, is a ‘place to mourn his (homeland)’. In Kabul, he would send
Amir and Hassan to the baker with a stick; however, when the manager at the convenience store asks
Baba for ID, Baba feels insulted, assuming it as a sign of distrust and systemic racism that he is subjected
to as opposed to the power he held in Kabul. The reader shares Baba's feelings of homesickness, and
isolation, putting “a human face to the painful history of Afghanistan”2, as they are placed in Amir's
shoes, who experiences confusion and lack of familiarity, but also an opportunity full of new beginnings,
whilst Baba struggles to adapt to his new lifestyle.
Similarly, Heaney explores the loss of homeland in 'Storm on the Island', creating the image of a storm to
instil a sense of disconnection, fear, and anxiety within the reader. Heaney uses the storm motif to
represent the anxieties and danger of being stranded in a hostile environment, alongside a wind motif that
‘blows ferociously, pummel[ing] your house’ to frighten the readers, despite the stability demonstrated in
stanza 1 through the statement ‘we are prepared’. The use of present tense creates a sense of urgency for
the reader and the imminence of the upcoming storm. Heaney uses this significant imagery to elicit the

1S. Deane, ‘Talk with Seamus Heaney’, New York Times, (1979) [Date last accessed 01/02/2023]
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/12/20/specials/heaney-talk79.html
2C. Kerr, ‘The Kite Runner, York Notes Advanced’, (2009) [Date last accessed 01/02/2023]
https://www.yorknotes.com/alevel/english-literature/yna-the-kite-runner/overview

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 Candidate Number: 8016

reader's sense of isolation and reposition as he describes the storm enveloping the island. Akin to
Hosseini’s historical overtones, Heaney’s entire poem can be interpreted as a metaphor for the political
climate in Northern Ireland at the time; Bond attests that the “island and Ireland the country are
homophones of each other”3, with the wind as a symbol of violence and upheaval in Ireland, and the
‘tragic chorus’ is personified to represent the cries of the people. The lack of a formal rhyme scheme
elevates the sense of fear and lack of security the people feel. Heaney captures the fear of the islanders,
as they have ‘no natural shelter’ and the sense of loss when they are forced to ‘sit tight’ awaiting
imminent damage and repercussions as the storm wrecks on their home. Utilising these powerful images,
Heaney conveys the sense of loss and dislodgement that comes from facing and surviving nature’s cruelty
to one's homeland. Arguably, the poem serves to remind us of the fragility of our lives and how quickly
external forces can change them. The poem is a powerful reminder of the sense of disposition and
insecurity of being away from one's homeland. Both works explore the pain and trauma that come with
the loss of a homeland, emphasising the importance of having a home and the deep sense of loss one
experiences when it is taken away.
Another representation of loss in both texts is loss felt through losing a loved one. In 'The Kite Runner',
Amir's grandfather had taken Ali and Hassan in, and the two boys formed a strong bond, spending their
days together and looking out for each other. Amir helped Hassan out in small ways: buying him ‘Coca-
Cola’ and ‘Rosewater ice cream’. In return, Hassan was always loyal and protective of Amir, risking his
safety by ‘pulling the wide elastic band’ of the ‘slingshot’ to defend Amir from Assef. Hosseini’s
prolonged relational juxtapositions of the boys early on, invites a Marxist interpretation where their
social discourse deliberately provokes the bourgeoisie’s exploitation of the working classes. This is
reinforced by Amir’s Pashtun ethnic background – the group that held power and historically persecuted
the Hazaras (Hassan’s ethnicity)- yet to the boys, ‘no history, ethnicity, society or religion would change’
their friendship. However, Hosseini’s dramatic development of this loving relationship takes on political
overtones in America’s climactic act of cowardice, as in Chapter 9, Amir hides ‘his new watch’ and
‘Afghani bills’ under Hassan's mattress, believing Baba will condemn Hassan; however, he does not.
Amir’s cowardly and shameful act, served as a catalyst to tear the boys further apart, irrevocably
destroying their relationship, as ‘Hassan’s final sacrifice’ of admitting to stealing, serves a harsher
sentence on Amir’s already guilty conscience, as Hosseini conveys the finality of the boys’ friendship in a
short, sharp statement: ‘Hassan knew’. Hassan’s awareness and acceptance of Amir’s cowardice and
reluctance to confront Hassan for his behaviour, takes an emotional toll on Amir as he does not know
how to deal with the dismemberment of their friendship, leaving him consumed with guilt. Hosseini
thereby projects Amir as unjust and cruel to Hassan, who does not show characteristics to the meaning of
his name in Afghani language- a ruler, chief or commander- but a boy who acts selfishly to preserve his
relationship with Baba, leading to his estrangement from Hassan that leads to a loss of respect and trust
between the boys. This loss is further amplified in Chapter 18, when Amir learns of Hassan's tragic death,
as he ‘whispers’ ‘no’ repeatedly, as he regrets not reconciling with his brother. Anna Freud's
psychoanalysis4 corroborates that Amir is in a state of denial as he refuses to accept the hard and bitter

K. Bond, ‘Storm on the Island – Poem Analysis’, (2020) [Date last accessed 01/02/2023]
3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q90JNLx3cR8
4
A. Freud, Psychoanalysis of Denial, (1965) [Date last accessed 06/02/22]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial_(Freud)

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 Candidate Number: 8016

truth that he can “never seek forgiveness from Hassan”5. This tragic event serves as a reminder of the
consequences of Amir's actions and a symbol of the emotional loss that Amir experiences.
Identically, the emotional loss of a loved one is explored in Heaney's poem ‘Mid-Term Break,’ written in
the first-person narrative. The poem begins with Heaney waiting to arrive home from college, where he is
met with an ‘ambulance bell’, evoking a sense of impending tragedy. The ‘ambulance bell’ foreshadows
death, instilling dread, and sadness in the reader for Heaney, who struggles to comprehend this own
brother’s loss. The poem encapsulates the sadness of Heaney and his family through structure; the poem
has no rhythmic pattern signifying to the reader the unpredictability of death. Heaney observes his ‘father
crying’ and his mother who ‘coughed out angry tearless sighs’, conveying the grief and pain the narrator
feels to mourn the death of his brother. The poem highlights the impact of death on the community – ‘Big
Jim saying it was a hard blow’. Heaney makes ‘Big Jim’ speak on behalf of the father as the loss is too
profound to be discussed. Additionally, ‘strangers’ tell the narrator they are ‘sorry for the trouble’ the
noun ‘trouble’ reinforces the magnitude of the situation, as they are unable to talk about the death. This
poem mirrors Heaney's brother's death – Christopher, who tragically died in a road accident at age four
while Heaney was boarding at St Columb's College in Derry. 6 “Heaney brings his personal history to
form a unique, insightful style of writing” 7 establishing the emotion the reader feels. Sigmund Freud 8
would argue that Heaney uses of the pronoun ‘him’ instead of the brother's name creates distance from
his brother to disassociate himself, putting the reader under the impression that the narrator's loss is so
immense that he unconsciously disassociates himself emotionally from his brother. This dissociation is
upheld throughout, especially when the narrator hears the ‘whispers’ of everyone calling him ‘the eldest’,
this causes the responsibility of the death to shift onto him as he was ‘away at college’ and was isolated
from his brother’s death, causing a sense of disjointedness from everyone. This illustrates how both
characters experience long-lasting grief due to the loss of a family member.
Lastly, a striking difference between the authors explanation of loss is while, Heaney builds a
bridge between his new vocation and his old traditions, Hosseini demonstrates that this creates a
fractured connection between father-son bonds, as the representation of loss examined across both texts
is the sentiments of lost masculinity, via the lack of continuity in family traditions. Baba believes that
‘real men didn't read poetry and God forbid they should ever write it!’ This moment provides irony to
readers, but it’s also a pivotal moment in the novel where Hosseini links himself with Amir, perhaps to
signifying his feeling of being inadequate to the cultural expectations set upon him. The exclamation mark
highlights this. This provides an insight into both Amir and Hosseini’s own feelings about not meeting
expectations. Amir’s actions juxtapose to the patriarchal society typical Afghan masculine values,
wherein men are required to be strong: physically and emotionally, to support their families, and to

5C. Kerr, The Kite Runner Notes Advanced, (2009) [Date last accessed 06/10/22]
https://www.yorknotes.com/alevel/english-literature/yna-the-kite-runner/overview

6‘Seamus Heaney’s Biography’, (2016) [Date last accessed 03/02/23]

https://seamusheaneyhome.com/about-seamus-heaney/

7I. Robert, ‘Coming of Age in Afghanistan’, Literary Criticism, ( 2016) [Date last accessed 03/02/23]
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-kite-runner-literary-criticism.html
8
S. Freud, API, Article Library, ‘A Brief Introduction to Disassociation’ (2010) [Date last accessed 03/02/23]
https://www.aipc.net.au/articles/a-brief-introduction-to-
dissociation/#:~:text=Sigmund%20Freud%20regarded%20dissociation%20to,an%20expression%20of%20unconscious%20conf
lict

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 Candidate Number: 8016

exude brevity in immediate danger, Hosseini portrays Amir as struggling to abide by this. Moreover,
Amir’s aversion to athletics, also means he fails to comply to the conventional image of an Afghan man
and Baba's expectations of him, causing him to “deviate from the typical narrative of heroism and
goodness”9 Additionally, Baba feels that ‘a boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t
stand up to anything’, demonstrating his overall disappointment in his son’s character, reinforcing the
toxic masculinity that contemporary society praises. Amir's lack of masculinity causes conflict in his
relationship with Baba, and this implores the readers to take a stance on issues that are crucial to
themselves, lest they become a person who cannot act.

Contrastingly, in ‘Digging’ Seamus Heaney examines the loss of masculinity by comparing his father's
manual labour in the field to his new vocation of writing. The poem is structured in five stanzas, with
each stanza containing four lines; this reflects the physical action of digging, as the stanzas move steadily
downward. Heaney writes that his father ‘drove his spade/ Deep and silver-salvaged the sod’ and that his
job is to ‘dig with words and not with spades’. He writes that his father was ‘just like his old man’ who
‘could handle a spade’, while Heaney in contrast, uses a ‘squat pen’ Heaney effectively forges a
connection between his father's physical labours and his intellectual labours. This comparison reflects the
way in which the traditional idea of masculinity has been lost in the transition to the modern world. The
‘sod’ of a potato is a poignant image, as it symbolizes the hard work and dedication it takes to grow
potatoes and the intimate connection between generations. It can also represent the connection between
the past and the present; he planted and dug up the potatoes together symbolizing the mutual contentment
pursuing the same task. However, as he changes his vocation this creates the wedge that Heaney tries to
mend with the use of his poems; he is ‘digging’ into the soil with his father with his writing, as he knows
the importance farming plays in Ireland’s economic stability, and so he "gracefully combines [his] love
and admiration"10 for tradition and his writings, creating a link between them. Heaney ends the poem
with a moment of revelation on how important his history and tradition must carry forward in the future.

In conclusion, both texts explore the theme of loss in numerous ways and how the impact of the authors’
lives for better or worse have influenced them. Allowing both modern and contemporary readers to
empathise, uncover, and “comprehend real human truths”11  about the eras of their respective texts as
well as the authors’ respective ways of dealing with loss in their lives.

(2,201 words [1,983 excluding quotes]) [Last Checked: 24/04/23, 09:25 am]

9
J. Spiegel, ‘Khaled Hosseini’s Debut Novel Brings Fresh Humanity to a World Trapped in Political Cliché’, (2007) [Date last
accessed 09/02/23]
https://www.theviennareview.at/archives/2007/kite-runner-brotherhood-and-courage

10L. Ricks, ‘Among the Unseen’, (2017) [Date last accessed 10/02/23]
https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/19658/1/Full%20Version.docx
11
L. DeMichele, (2015) [Date last accessed 10/02/23]
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/37261655/critical-perspectives-on-khaled-hosseinis-the-kite-hellesdonorg

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 Candidate Number: 8016

Bibliography:

• Hosseini, K. (2003). The Kite Runner. Paperback Edition, 2013. London, Bloomsbury
Publishing.
• Heaney, S. (1966). Death Of a Naturalist. Kindle Edition, 2006. Faber & Faber
Publishing.
• Kerr, C. (2009). The Kite Runner, York Notes Advanced. Available at:
https://www.yorknotes.com/alevel/english-literature/yna-the-kite-runner/overview
• Fred, B. (2009), Genius. Available at:
https://genius.com
• Poem Solutions Limited (2022), Poem Analysis. Available at: https://poemanalysis.com
• Deane, S. (1972). ‘Talk with Seamus Heaney’ – New York Times. Available at:
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/12/20/specials/heaney-
talk79.html
• Robert, I. (2016). ‘Coming of Age in Afghanistan’ – Literary Criticism. Available at:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-kite-runner-literary-criticism.html
• Freud, A. (1965). ‘Psychoanalysis of Denial.’ Available at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial_(Freud)
• ‘Seamus Heaney’s Biography’ (2016). Available at:
https://seamusheaneyhome.com/about-seamus-heaney/
• Between The Lines, ‘A Note on Seamus Heaney’, (2004). Available at:
http://www.interviews-with-poets.com/seamus-heaney/heaney-note.html
• Spiegel, J. ‘Khaled Hosseini’s Debut Novel Brings Fresh Humanity to a World Trapped
in Political Cliché’ (2007). Available at:
https://www.theviennareview.at/archives/2007/kite-runner-brotherhood-and-courage
• L. Ricks, ‘Among the Unseen’ (2017). Available at:
https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/19658/1/Full%20Version.docx
• K. Bond, ‘Storm on the Island – Poem Analysis’, (2020). Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q90JNLx3cR8
• L. DeMichele, (2015). Available at:
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/37261655/critical-perspectives-on-khaled-
hosseinis-the-kite-hellesdonorg

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