Atonement is the reparation of one’s immoral misdeeds. Being atoned for one’s crimes may be difficult to achieve. Whether or not one achieves full atonement depends upon the severity of one’s sins. It is shown in various pieces of literature that the road to redemption is often difficult. Two examples of literature that demonstrate the difficulties of the road to redemption are; Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and Ian McEwan’s Atonement. In both novels, the protagonists struggle to deal with their past and unatoned sins. It is questionable whether or not the protagonists are successful in achieving complete atonement. By analyzing the character’s underlying causes of sin and the effects of their sins on themselves and other primary characters,…show more content… Perception is a key factor in one’s life. What one perceives is one’s reality but perception can be hindered and blur the lines between reality and fantasy. In Ian McEwan’s Atonement, McEwan uses the theme of how perception can hinder one’s understanding. This theme is used to indicate Birony’s underlying causes of sin which ultimately determine her success in achieving atonement. Throughout the novel, McEwan has created Birony with a false sense of maturity. Birony was, “...determined to demonstrate that her nearly adult mind was elsewhere” (McEwan, 17). McEwan uses an underlying tone of superiority and maturity to indicate Birony’s stream of consciousness. Birony believes she has reached an age of maturity that her cousins have not yet reached. As the novel continues this notion is juxtaposed by how she perceives events, which in nature, are more mature than her underdeveloped mind can comprehend. Birony states that she ‘saw’ Robbie Turner rape Lola but, “her use of the word ‘saw’, [is] less like seeing, more like knowing” (McEwan, 170). McEwan indicates that there is a distinct difference between ‘seeing’ and ‘knowing’. The word knowing is equivalent