“Now,
no matter what the Mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one.
And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft.”
(Hosseini, 19)
In
this scene, Amir and his father are in a rare circumstance, Amir
sitting on his lap and a direct and unbroken conversation is had
between the two. 'Baba' is explaining to Amir what he thinks of sin.
This passage proves that Baba has a greater understanding of what is
right and what is wrong than most of the world, and is an advancement
in his character because it shows how insightful and intelligent he
really is. Theft is not usually seen as one of the worse sins to
commit, however when you pry apart the ten commandments Baba's
statement makes much more sense. Everyone subconsciously ranks each
of these sins, murder usually being one of the top. What Amir's
father is telling him is that they are all equally wrong, and none
shall be taken lightly or be unpunished. If you take from another
person, no matter the way you have done it, you have committed a
theft. Do what you want to yourself, but harm another in a negative
way and you have stolen something from them, may it be an item,
opportunity, or even their life.
This
quotation proves how far off Amir is from following in his father's
footsteps. He wants to be just like him, however he has stolen the
innocence, friendship, and home of Hassan simply because he was too
great a coward to stand up for him. He tells us that he is growing
closer and closer to his father, but really they are becoming further
and further apart. This statement by Baba is presented early in the
text, giving us an understanding of where he stands on morals and
belief, and contrasting to the hatred his son has cast upon their
servants.
Baba
shows the depth of his character in this quote, and contrasts his
morals to that of Amir. Amir thought that ridding his life of Hassan
would bring him closer to his father, when reality is has brought him
further than ever.
Really strong post Andrew---your explanation of the quotation, connection of it to the greater world, and to the text work well together to create a solid piece of writing...nicely done:)
ReplyDeleteI agreed with many of the things you stated throughout your response, and also liked many of the points you used. I really liked when you stated:" What Amir's father is telling him is that they're equally wrong, and none shall be taken lightly or be unpunished." This shows not only what Baba's views on religion are, but also demonstrates Baba's character as well. I however think it would of been also interesting if you added in the point of Amir taking away Hassan innocence, for the sake of blue kite to get Baba's love. Which is ironic do to the fact Baba sees theft as the biggest sin, and Amir has just committed it to get his father's approval. Overall it was well written!
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