What is sin?

     What is sin, and how is it defined? Sin is discussed in chapter 3 of the novel. Baba, the narrator’s father says that the only sin is theft. He goes on to say that when you murder, you steal a life and when you lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth and when you cheat you steal someone’s right to fairness. This definition of sin has great significance because it is from the character of Baba. This character is one of the most difficult to understand. When Baba first speaks about the only sin, the reader sees theft, for example shop lifting. But it goes much further than this. The theft of the truth is ironic because Baba is guilty of this. Baba never told his own son that his best friend is his own brother. This can also be linked to cheating and the right to fairness. The irony of this is that Baba is portrayed as a strong man who can withstand everything and is very knolwedgeable. But, in reality, he is a weak man who cannot come to terms with the truth. This perfectly describes the definition of sin. A sin occurs when someone does not believe that they can do something so they take the easy way out, which is exactly what Baba does.

     Furthermore, sin is immediately linked to evil, because it is sin that causes evil, when people commit sins like theft for example it is seen as evil. But as discussed in some of the readings, evil can be committed by ordinary beings and one is not born bad, but born with the mental template to do either.It is whether or not we are vulnerable to situational forces. Reflecting on this helps ones understand of sinning. Once again, Baba appears as a man with great power and little to no weakness, but he too is capable of sin.