Kite Runner Essay

Christopher Seifert English 1B Kite Runner Essay 2/21/07

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The Universal Sin The dictionary defines sin as a transgression of theological principles; one can then assume that sins of a society are based on their own theology. In essence, sins are not sins unless your society believes they are. Because each culture or society in the world revolves around its own theological structure, a universal definition of sin is difficult to formulate. In The Kite Runner, Baba, the main character’s father introduces the idea that there is a universal definition of sin when he warns his son, Amir, that “there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft, every other sin is a variation of theft.” (Hosseini 17). To help display this concept, author Khaled Hosseini utilizes three sins: murder, lust and greed to convey the correlation between all sins and the universal sin of theft. Considering that the definition of theft is the stealing of ones property, and you believe killing someone is stealing their life; murder would then be characterized as a form theft. To better understand the correlation, Baba explains to Amir “When you kill a man, you steal a life, you steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father.”(Hosseini 18). Here, Baba makes his point clear that murder can be described as a derivative of theft. The effects of or the outcome of a murder is what defines it as theft. Hosseini represents murder with the character Assef, a violent predator the author introduces early in the book. Assef admits, through Amir’s depiction, that his mission is “Stoning adulterers? Raping children? Flogging women for wearing high heels? Massacring Hazaras? All in the name of Islam?”(Hosseini 284). Assef is admitting that in his culture it is alright to murder if it is in the name of Islam. After all the incidents between Amir and Assef we really understand that Assef is the most atrocious villain in the novel; he has no problem committing the universal sin of theft, that of stealing a life. The mindless killing of thousands that Assef commits represents the pure insanity of a person’s

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culture or society, because they believe it is okay to kill for a greater cause or theology. This example proves that because something is thought to be acceptable in one culture,it is not at all accepted universally. Assef’s ethnic cleansing attempts are direct attempts to steal an entire race’s right to life, displaying how murder is a variation of theft. To further understand the concept of theft we must understand what the concept of property is. Property is defined as not only something owned, but the right of ownership. Baba explains this when he says “When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth”(Hosseini 18). When Amir finds out that Hassan was his half brother, it is proven that Baba had stolen Amir’s right to the truth throughout his entire youth. Baba’s lust for another man’s wife leads to a lifetime of committing the universal sin of theft, because his shameful actions had to be hidden from Afghan society. Lust may be considered a sin in Afghan culture; however in many cultures and societies all around the world, lust is something considered to be normal and healthy. It is not until Baba acted on his lust that his actions led to the sin of lying. Hiding the truth or denying the right to know the truth is the universal sin of theft that is Baba commits. It can not be a sin to think of something sinful, because a thought is not an action. Until thoughts become actions they are still feelings and in no way can be considered sin. It is only after the act takes place that the universal sin of theft is violated. This portrayal of the process in which Baba commits the universal sin of theft, shows that throughout many cultures and societies thoughts considered to be sins are not necessarily so bad, but the repercussions of those sins become a variation of theft in some way. The first time Amir commits the universal sin is after he makes a greedy decision because he has become desperate for a relationship with his father. As he witnesses Hassan’s rape and does nothing about it, he is in turn stealing Hassan’s innocence. Not directly, like Assef, but indirectly the way someone owns the right to the truth. Amir’s greed is an example of a sin in his

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society. Amir’s greed is not the universal sin because it is not a theft for someone to desire a relationship with their father. Amir commits the universal sin when he does nothing to stop Assef. The correlation between greed and theft is met when one is willing to do anything to obtain something even if they have to commit the universal sin of theft to get it. Stealing someone’s innocence in that way is a variation of theft that is despicable in all societies and cultures. Hosseini depicts how greed leads to committing the universal sin by showing us how Amir was entirely too wrapped up with having a relationship with his father to protect his friend. Assef is portrayed as a person who has no problem killing and raping again and again. Taking someone’s life, is a theft in all cultures. Baba represents how lust leads to withholding the truth representing a variation of theft, because Amir never finds out he had a brother until Hassan is dead. Hosseini is able to depict the direct correlation between all sins and theft with many examples in his novel The Kite Runner. What the reader takes away from The Kite Runner is that no matter what a sin is in any culture, that sin will ultimately lead to the universal sin of theft if the person committing it does not keep their actions under control.