'The Past' in The Kite Runner and Atonement Anonymous 12th Grade

One of the main ideas explored in both The Kite Runner, a novel by Khaled Hosseini, and Atonement, a film directed by Joe Wright, is the everlasting presence of the past in the lives of the protagonists, both of whom make a mistake in their childhoods that devastates the rest of their lives. In The Kite Runner, Amir must face his past and seek redemption. In Atonement, Briony realizes that her past is unchangeable and does the only thing left to atone for the suffering she caused for most of her life. Through literary and cinematic techniques such as characterization, narrative structure and symbolism the authors of both texts explore the consequences of our actions and the way the past lives on in all of us. Through the stories of these central characters, it ultimately becomes clear that actions are forever and the past can never truly be buried or forgotten.

Through characterization, the impact of the past on Amir and Briony is revealed in the characters they become by the end of the novel and film, respectively. Their personalities reflect their denial of their history, their means to escape and their eventual attempts to atone for their actions. In Atonement, Briony is portrayed by Wright as a deeply flawed character that...