Abstract: In The Catcher in the Rye, from the perspective of humanity, people around Holden are all hypocritical, which makes Holden feel disgusted, because hypocrisy is contradictory to the purity of humanity. As a result, Holden is confused about all those hypocritical things around him, leading to a total loss. Eventually he manages to find purity and love in his little sister, Phoebe, achieving self-redemption more or less. In comparison, in The Kite Runner, Amir commits betrayal out of his coward heart, severely hurts his royal friend Hassan. From the standpoint of humanity, Amir is due to feel regret for all the things he does to Hassan. After receiving a call, he finally saves Hassan’s son, also redeem himself in his way. This paper tries to make comparison between two different kinds of growing stories and provide some advice for the youth today.

 Key words: Humanity; Loss and Redemption; Peace and War; Growth

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

  1.1 Humanity-1

  1.2 The Conception of Redemption-2

  1.3 Research on the Two Books Home and Abroad-2

2. Loss of Humanity-5

  2.1 The Catcher in the Rye: Holden’s Disappointment at the Hypocritical World-5

  2.2 The Kite Runner: Betrayal-8

3. Redemption-10

  3.1 Holden’s Call for Love-10

  3.2 Amir and His Father’s Awakening-13

4. Conclusion-16

References-18