Similarities Between The Kite Runner And Atonement

Title: how does sexual assault affect the representation of innocence in both “The Kite Runner” and “Atonement”?

In most cultures around the world , sex and desire are concealed from children by parents. According to Goldman and Goldman, it is mainly parents who advocate and abide to the socially constructed “cult of childhood innocence” which firmly places sexuality under the realm of adults. Knowledge of sex is considered to be harmful to children, ruining a naivety perceived to be desirable in them. Acting as keepers and judges of the children’s best interest, adults inculcate their children with unawareness of sexual human interactions, hence by perusing the ideology of censorship as a method of protection. Thus, adults impart the doctrines

His ordeal is shared with Cecilia tallis who defends him out of love and trust and decides to alienate herself from her family . she later passes away in the German blitz .the preliminary part of the novel describe the events leading to the ruinous sexual assault at the tallis country. The representation of innocence is inauspiciously effected by sexual assault in the Atonement is demonstrated when Briony observes a consensual sexual interactions and wrongly interprets them as evidence of Robbie being a rapist. Such assumptions emerge as a result of her upbringing in which she was taught that sexual behavior is immoral. Briony ,yet again , walks into another scene of a sexual attack and sees somebody fleeing in the dark . she later discovers that the victim was her cousin Lola . based on her previous observations of the interactions involving Robbie and her adult sister as well as her misinterpretations of him being a sex maniac through his letter, she as wrongly assumed that Robbie is responsible for Lola’s attack as well.as a result , robie is forced to face the consequences of shuch wrong accusations and briony faces the battle of atoning her

In “the kite runner” , the most vital encounter is of sexual assault occur whens assef rapes Hassan and later sohrab. this causes the emergent of Amir’s guilt in which it act as a motive in his quest for redemption.as it appears , sexual assault is not solely and act of physical violence , it is a complete act of coercion on the victims sentiment and pride. having to encounter such and infliction causes complete mental and physical sovereignty of the debilitated weak victim leaving to be empowered by those who have gained supremacy over them. The victim of such course of action will always be scared , suffering from the long lasting emotional trauma. “ for a week , I barely saw Hassan, I woke up to find toasted bread, brewed tea, and boiled egg already on the kitchen table …he used to wait for me ..that way we could talk “(hussaini p.70)subsequent to the incident , it is clerly prevailed throughout the novel that Hassan was bing distant , trying not to encounter or interact with Amir as he was ashamed f what has happened to him . similarly , soharb was influenced by his traumatic rape as he never felt comfortable when Amir was to touch him for any reason . “bai ,bai , my boy “ the talib said , calling soharb to him. Soharb went to him , head down , stood between his thighs”(husseini p