Christopher Seifert 1

English 1B
Kite Runner Essay
2/21/07

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.