Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton once declared, “What is past is past, there is a future left to all men, who have the virtue to repent and the energy to atone.” Even in the 19th century, a time of realists and pessimism, the famous English novelist recognized the significance and value of redemption, a theme that has stood the test of time and culture barriers as exemplified in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. While both literary works certainly contain physical obstacles in the quests for redemption, the authors focus on their character’s transformation inside. To elaborate, the dynamic characters could only achieve redemption, in terms of themselves as well as the audience, after they had undergone internal
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The Afghan had said, “I can’t go to Kabul...I have a wife in America, a home, a career, and a family,” before thinking, “But how could I pack up and go back home when my actions may have cost Hassan a chance at those very same things?...He was gone now, but a little part of him lived on. It was in Kabul. Waiting...Then I told [Rahim] I was going to Kabul” (226-227). Although he had to be lured to Kabul by Rahim, Amir’s obvious hesitancy to evade his guilt once again marks a significant change in his unfavorable character. Hosseini further accentuates the change stylistically by ripping Amir away from his flashback of cowardice with a jarring rhetorical question that “breaks a conventional grammar rule,”: starting a sentence with the word ‘but’. Yet, coupled with the fact that the question directly contrasts with Amir’s prior craven, self-centered characterization of himself, the clause additionally brings to attention how his experiences in America had influenced his resolution. For instance, because he was able to create his own successful life and happiness in the safety of America and because Amir now comprehends the danger of his home country upon visiting Rahim, Amir can fully grasp and feel the impact of his regret of denying Hassan the same privileges. This causes him to finally act upon his childhood guilt. …show more content…
In the comfort of Lucie’s home, Carton confesses that since his meeting Lucie, he has been “...troubled by a remorse that [he] thought would never reproach [him] again…” before declaring that he would “...embrace any sacrifice for [Lucie] and for those dear to [her]” (147,149). At the end of the book, Carton fulfills his promise by dying in the place of Lucie’s husband and quietly reflects, “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known,” (374). Through meeting Lucie, Carton undergoes an internal development, one filled with the revival of regret for his apathetic life. Although Carton, at no point in his disclosure, decides to reform his ways, his encounter with Lucie reveals that a desire for redemption has been born, a determination previously absent from the once hopeless drunk Dickens introduced. As a result, when worst comes to worse for the Darnay family in Paris, Carton’s noble sacrifice, for the benefit of the woman he loved but could never attain, completely redeems himself not only to the family, in who he will “...hold a sanctuary in their hearts…” but to the audience as
The Afghan had said, “I can’t go to Kabul...I have a wife in America, a home, a career, and a family,” before thinking, “But how could I pack up and go back home when my actions may have cost Hassan a chance at those very same things?...He was gone now, but a little part of him lived on. It was in Kabul. Waiting...Then I told [Rahim] I was going to Kabul” (226-227). Although he had to be lured to Kabul by Rahim, Amir’s obvious hesitancy to evade his guilt once again marks a significant change in his unfavorable character. Hosseini further accentuates the change stylistically by ripping Amir away from his flashback of cowardice with a jarring rhetorical question that “breaks a conventional grammar rule,”: starting a sentence with the word ‘but’. Yet, coupled with the fact that the question directly contrasts with Amir’s prior craven, self-centered characterization of himself, the clause additionally brings to attention how his experiences in America had influenced his resolution. For instance, because he was able to create his own successful life and happiness in the safety of America and because Amir now comprehends the danger of his home country upon visiting Rahim, Amir can fully grasp and feel the impact of his regret of denying Hassan the same privileges. This causes him to finally act upon his childhood guilt. …show more content…
In the comfort of Lucie’s home, Carton confesses that since his meeting Lucie, he has been “...troubled by a remorse that [he] thought would never reproach [him] again…” before declaring that he would “...embrace any sacrifice for [Lucie] and for those dear to [her]” (147,149). At the end of the book, Carton fulfills his promise by dying in the place of Lucie’s husband and quietly reflects, “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known,” (374). Through meeting Lucie, Carton undergoes an internal development, one filled with the revival of regret for his apathetic life. Although Carton, at no point in his disclosure, decides to reform his ways, his encounter with Lucie reveals that a desire for redemption has been born, a determination previously absent from the once hopeless drunk Dickens introduced. As a result, when worst comes to worse for the Darnay family in Paris, Carton’s noble sacrifice, for the benefit of the woman he loved but could never attain, completely redeems himself not only to the family, in who he will “...hold a sanctuary in their hearts…” but to the audience as