| Abstract | 第4-5页 |
| 摘要 | 第6-9页 |
| Introduction | 第9-17页 |
| 1. Khaled Hosseini and his works | 第9-10页 |
| 2. The Background of the Novel | 第10-11页 |
| 3. Literature Review | 第11-15页 |
| 4. The Purpose of My Study and the Overall Structure of the Thesis | 第15-17页 |
| Chapter One: Initiation Story: a Literary Genre | 第17-24页 |
| 1.1 Definitions and Characteristics of Initiation Story | 第17-21页 |
| 1.1.1 Various Definitions of Initiation Story | 第17-19页 |
| 1.1.2 Characteristics of Initiation Stories | 第19-21页 |
| 1.2 The Origin and Development of Initiation Story | 第21-24页 |
| Chapter Two：The Inheritance to Traditional Initiation Stories in Theme | 第24-40页 |
| 2.1 The Emotional Maturity | 第24-30页 |
| 2.1.1 The Bewilderment during the Childhood | 第24-26页 |
| 2.1.2 The Betrayal during the Juvenile Period | 第26-27页 |
| 2.1.3 The Redemption during the Adulthood | 第27-30页 |
| 2.2 The Formation of Faith | 第30-35页 |
| 2.2.1 The Inheritance of Afghan People’s Virtues | 第30-31页 |
| 2.2.2 The Inheritance of Afghanistan’s Religion | 第31-35页 |
| 2.3 The Enhancement of Male Consciousness | 第35-38页 |
| 2.3.1 Selfishness and Cowardice during the Childhood | 第35-36页 |
| 2.3.2 The Courage and Sense of Responsibility during the Adulthood | 第36-38页 |
| 2.4 Metaphor and Symbolism Used to Reinforce the Theme | 第38-40页 |
| Chapter Three：The Inheritance to Traditional Initiation Stories in Characters | 第40-48页 |
| 3.1 Initiation Guides | 第40-44页 |
| 3.1.1 Positive Guides --- Baba and Rahim Khan | 第40-43页 |
| 3.1.2 Negative Guides ---Assef | 第43-44页 |
| 3.2 Initiation Companions | 第44-48页 |
| 3.2.1 Hassan ---a Sincere and Loyal Friend | 第44-45页 |
| 3.2.2 Soraya ---the Spiritual Companion during the Adulthood | 第45-47页 |
| 3.2.3 Farid ---Amir’s Companion during the Journey to Afghanistan | 第47-48页 |
| Chapter Four: The Inheritance to Traditional Initiation Stories in Structure | 第48-52页 |
| 4.1 Open-ending | 第48-49页 |
| 4.2 The Typical Pattern of the Process of Growth | 第49-52页 |
| Conclusion | 第52-54页 |
| Bibliography | 第54-57页 |
| Acknowledgements | 第57页 |
