The Kite Runner's Sin

The Kite Runner is the first novel by an Afghan author, Khaled Hosseini, published in English. He finished writing the book in 2003, which story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events – from the fall of the monarchy in Afghanistan through the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the Taliban regime.

This fascinating historical epic tells the story of an Afghan boy named Amir who is haunted by the guilt of betraying his childhood friend Hassan. The two boys make an excellent team in kite competitions, but after one contest, Hassan is bullied by Assef, who does unspeakable things to him while Amir just watches from a distance and then runs away, not helping his friend.

Amir's guilty feelings remain up to his adolescent years. It even followed him on his escape to America. He and his father, Baba, went to to California after the Taliban took over their homeland Afghanistan.

In his quest to mend his shortcoming he couldn't turn down an opportunity to try to make things right. After spending years in California, Amir returns to his homeland in Afghanistan to help his old friend Hassan, whose son is in trouble. He wanted to please and win back the trust of his old pal, regardless if it means risking his life.

That is basically the plot of the story.

There are many passages in the book that is worth pondering, and I would like to share to you one of them.

On pages 17 and 18, there is this scenario when Baba talking to his son Amir . . .

"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. . . When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. There is no act more wretched than stealing. A man who takes what's not his to take, be it a life or a loaf of naan . . . I spit on such a man."

[If that would be the case, then theft can now be classified into two - direct and indirect theft. - The Chronicler]