Why Do People Commit Sins In The Kite Runner

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Almost everyone commits sins, but how many have the conscious to feel guilty and suffer from those sins? In The Scarlet Letter and The Kite Runner, each of the main characters, Arthur Dimmesdale and Amir, both committed a crime that they suffered greatly from. While both had to live with a guilty conscience, the way they dealt with their wrong-doings and consequences of their transgressions were much different. Dimmesdale decided to punish himself secretly and physically; whereas Amir was wounded so deeply that he chose to forget everything about it. The different nature of their sin and character, however, led each of them to their ultimate fate. Arthur Dimmesdale, a greatly respected Puritan minister committed adultery with Hester Prynne.…show more content…
He watched in fear as the neighborhood bully (who was demented) brutally raped his best-friend and servant, Hassan. He was haunted by the fact that he did nothing to help his friend, who has consistently stood up for him and helped him get out of trouble. To make matter even worse, he chose to get rid of Hassan (who he didn’t know was actually his half-brother) by planting his watch and money under Hassan’s mattress – all so that he wouldn’t be reminded of the instance and his lack of courage. This was a much worse sin than not doing anything to help his best-friend. This time, it was a transgression committed on purpose instead of just the lack of courage for the first time. It was this sin that drove Hassan away and forever stole the friendship between them. Shown by how he drove Hassan away, Amir looked for avoidance rather than repentance. When he went to America with his father, he would shove this issue deep into his heart and would not think about it unless someone mentioned it, which rarely happened. It was not until his friend Rahim called him that he decided to finally repent for his sin. He did so by going back to the now Taliban controlled Kabul in order to find Hassan’s orphan boy – Sohrab. During this quest for redemption, he was finally able to find the courage within himself to confront Assef, the man who raped Hassan. He
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