Atonement and Redemption, the Cure to Sin (Kite Runner)
Alex DaPonte
Mrs. Gill
College English
March 27 2012
Atonement and Redemption, the Cure to Sin Sin will always be part of humanity, but the atonement of those sins is what matters in the end. What changes is the severity of the sin and the lengths one has to go in order to atone for those sins and redeem one’s self. In Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, guilt, atonement of sins and redemption all show that no matter what a person’s sin may be, he or she will always be able to atone for that sin and find redemption. Amir’s sins are far worse than anything most people will ever go through, yet he is able to atone for his sins, let go of his guilt thus, finding redemption.
Even before Amir was born, sin would be bound to him. Hayes even goes so far as to say that Amir’s guilt and sin is inherited from his father, Baba. When Amir was a child he believed that his father resented him because Amir’s mother dies in childbirth. Amir took the blame for his mother’s death, starting the novel off with guilt. Even before Amir feels guilt he is born into sin. Amir’s father had an affair and Hassan is Amir’s brother. Even though Amir does not know about this until much later it leaves him with guilt and more sins than he had known about. (Hayes 91)
“To sin by silence, when they should protest, makes cowards of men” (Wilcox). This line from an early 1900’s poem states that cowards are made when he or she remains silent when something needs to be said. This could not be truer for Amir. Amir fails to speak up against Assef when Hassan is raped. This one sin leads to other sins that Amir commits such as, throwing the pomegranates at Hassan, destroying the relationship Baba and Ali had by framing Hassan, and by making a promise to Sohrab that he couldn’t keep. All of these sins cause Amir to be full of guilt and his life is defined by it.
I remember once he said to me, ‘Rahim, a boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up for anything.’ I wonder,
Mrs. Gill
College English
March 27 2012
Atonement and Redemption, the Cure to Sin Sin will always be part of humanity, but the atonement of those sins is what matters in the end. What changes is the severity of the sin and the lengths one has to go in order to atone for those sins and redeem one’s self. In Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, guilt, atonement of sins and redemption all show that no matter what a person’s sin may be, he or she will always be able to atone for that sin and find redemption. Amir’s sins are far worse than anything most people will ever go through, yet he is able to atone for his sins, let go of his guilt thus, finding redemption.
Even before Amir was born, sin would be bound to him. Hayes even goes so far as to say that Amir’s guilt and sin is inherited from his father, Baba. When Amir was a child he believed that his father resented him because Amir’s mother dies in childbirth. Amir took the blame for his mother’s death, starting the novel off with guilt. Even before Amir feels guilt he is born into sin. Amir’s father had an affair and Hassan is Amir’s brother. Even though Amir does not know about this until much later it leaves him with guilt and more sins than he had known about. (Hayes 91)
“To sin by silence, when they should protest, makes cowards of men” (Wilcox). This line from an early 1900’s poem states that cowards are made when he or she remains silent when something needs to be said. This could not be truer for Amir. Amir fails to speak up against Assef when Hassan is raped. This one sin leads to other sins that Amir commits such as, throwing the pomegranates at Hassan, destroying the relationship Baba and Ali had by framing Hassan, and by making a promise to Sohrab that he couldn’t keep. All of these sins cause Amir to be full of guilt and his life is defined by it.
I remember once he said to me, ‘Rahim, a boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up for anything.’ I wonder,
Cited: Hayes, Judi S. "From Sin and Suffering to Freedom in Finding Forgiveness." In Search of the Kite Runner. Michigan: Chalice, 2007. 83-95. Print. Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead, 2003. Print. Mcilrath, Tim. "Prayer of the Refugee (Live European Version Appeal to Reason)." Europe. Address. Weininger, Otto. Reading. Http://www.brainyquote.com. Web. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/o/ottoweinin176078.html>. Wilcox, Ella W. "Protest." Chicago: W. B. Conkey, 1914. 154-55. Print.