The Importance Of Sin In The Kite Runner

Baba, the father in The Kite Runner, a novel by Khaled Hosseini, argues that theft is the only sin. “When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. . . . There is no act more wretched than stealing. . .”(18) Naturally, Amir sins and immediately resorts to withholding the truth. By doing so, the sin becomes overwhelming. Throughout the novel, multiple opportunities arise for Amir to overcome the silence, such as confessing to Ali, disregarding society’s opinions of Hassan, braving Baba, and forgiving himself.

After the incident occurs Ali, questions, “‘Did something happen to him, Amir agha? Something he’s not telling me?’” (81). Although Amir knows the exact cause of Hassan’s strange behavior, he remains silent because

For fear of losing the reputation he has worked hard to build up, Baba withholds his own sin. He has to learn how to parent on his own without any guidance, so he raises Amir to be the man he wishes he had been, discussing topics like sin, so Amir does not grow to be a sinner as well. Consequently, Amir lives his childhood in fear and fails to understand why Baba acts standoffish towards him. Because Baba is the type of person who despises wrong doings, he busies himself with tasks, so he does not have to face his sin. Spending time with Amir would only remind Baba of the sin he committed after his wife’s death, so he distances himself. The decision Amir makes in the alley is a result of him trying to gain a sliver of pride from his father. Since his entire childhood consists of multiple failures in Baba’s eyes, he decides to set aside any morality concerning Hassan and take a chance at proving himself to his father. At first, remaining silent wins Baba’s affection. “A smile played on my father’s lips. He opened his arms. I put the kite down. . . buried my face in the warmth of his chest and . . . I forgot what I’d done. And that was good” (79). Baba’s parenting style lacks the comfort that a mother typically provides, so Amir cherishes the moment of affection. Unfortunately, Baba’s approval lasts temporarily because a true act of courage was not performed. Had Amir stood up for Hassan, Baba would have praised him more, for they are

Typically, Hassan took the blame for most of the shenanigans, so when Amir becomes accountable for the blame he does not know how to handle it. The incident forces Amir to deal with the consequences of his actions, and he realizes how important choices are. Even when Rahim Kahn reminds Amir, “‘You 've always been far too hard on yourself’” (222), Amir ignores him. Although many people commit sins, Amir only focuses on his. He also does not share his burden with anyone else, so the sin occupies every part of his brain. It continues to fester for over thirty years because he never allows it out. Even after he moves to America, Amir loses sleep from the guilt, “I lay awake, an insomniac once more . . . Alone with demons of my own” (358). Unfortunately, only Amir can hear the blaring guilt because he misses the opportunities to tell others for fear of losing his precious reputation. Once he admits to the General, “‘That boy sleeping on the couch . . . He’s my nephew . . . You will never refer to him as a ‘Hazara boy’ in my presence’” (361), he truly redeems himself. Amir feels redemption because he finally stands up for what is right, like his father would have done. Amir earns the lasting praise he has continued to yearn for and surpasses his father’s expectations, truly making him