Kite Runner Forgiveness

“Forgive those who trespass against us” These are words from the Lord’s Prayer. Many people memorize and recite them, but do you actually think about what these words are telling us to do? This may seem like an easy concept, but in the books The Kite Runner By: Khaled Hosseini and Left to Tell By: Immaculee Ilibagiza you can see how difficult this task really is. These two books are set in two completely different cultures, but you can see similarities between each of them. Ilibagiza and Hosseini’s novels are similar in that they both included the idea of forgiveness, the role of violence, and the impact of spirituality. In both The Kite Runner and Left to Tell the main characters struggle to forgive. Forgiveness is an immense part of both…show more content…
It inflicts fear into others and destroys our sense of security. Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, is centered around an act of violence. Hassan’s rape is the part of the novel that everything can be traced back to, but this is not the only act of violence you see in the novel. Afghanistan after the Taliban takes over is nothing but violent. Men and women are being stoned to death, children are being raped, and Hazaras are being murdered. To make matters worse they tortured these people publicly at the football stadium. “When it was all over, when the bloodied corpses had been unceremoniously tossed into the backs of red pickup trucks-separate ones- a few men with shovels hurriedly filled the holes. A few minutes later, the teams took the field. Second half was under way” (272). That is the worst part. The Taliban just brutally murdered people and then they just go on with the game like nothing ever happened. A very similar thing happens in the novel, Left to Tell. The Hutu killers drag Damascene out into the street to kill him. They do not kill him in private; they want everyone to see how wretched they are and humiliate him before he dies. Immaculee describes his vicious death in great detail. “He swung his blade down into my brother’s head, and he fell to his knees. Another killer stepped forward and, with a double swing of his machete, chopped off both of his arms. The first killer took another turn with his machete, this…show more content…
This gift of spirituality played a significant role in both Amir and Immaculee’s lives. As a child Amir grew up not knowing much about God. His mullah would tell him one thing, but then when he confronted his father about it, he would tell him something different. This confused Amir. He did not know if there was a God to believe in. By the end of the novel, Amir comes to understand that there is a God even though his father told him otherwise. “There is a God, there has to be, and now I will pray, I will pray that He forgive that I have neglected Him all of these years, forgive that I have betrayed, lied, and sinned with impunity only to turn to Him now in my hour of need, I pray that He is as merciful, benevolent, and gracious as His book says He is” (346). In Left to Tell the role of spirituality is shown more frequently. Similar to Amir, Immaculee loses faith in God when the genocide first begins. She rekindles this faith when she comprehends the fact that the only thing she has left is God. God is the only one who can save her from the killers, so she puts complete trust in Him. “Everything I loved in this world has been taken away. I’m putting my life in your hands, Jesus… keep your promise and take care of me. I will keep my promise- I will be your faithful daughter” (147). Immaculee turned to God when the killers were coming for her just like Amir did when Sohrab was in the