Born Sinner in Flight by Sherman Alexie

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Recommended: elements of violence in literature

Born Sinner
Aren’t we all sinners? We all have committed acts of violence at some points in our lives, and our answer we are human, we are wired that way or it is our instinct. People have a habit of hurting one another and it comes naturally to them. After reading Flight by Sherman Alexie, violence is a prominent theme throughout the novel. This idea of aggression is represented in many different ways, shapes, and forms. For instance, the novel is filled with hostility at every point, from emotional to physical abuse. Zits, the protagonist, goes through these flashbacks where acts of cruelty are committed. Although Zits, comes across genuinely kind people throughout his journey he witnesses and commits acts of violence that teach us that violence is inevitable human behavior because when faced with a difficult situation we will always resort to violence.
To begin with, the emotional violence and manipulation Zits experiences from his aunt’s boyfriend, set the stepping-stones for what made aggression an instinct for Zits. In Flight, Zits asserts, “A man who leaned over my bed in the middle of the night... I told Auntie Z. She slapped me…. He hurt me and whispered … Don’t tell anybody… Everyone knows you’re a liar…. Nobody loves you anymore”(Alexie, 160-1). What Alexie wants us to know is that even emotional violence is inevitable. Zits tries to reason with his aunt, but she wouldn’t listen. Her boyfriend used this knowledge to manipulate Zits and make him feel like he is worthless and no one loves him so he can easily molest Zits with no resistance or suspicion. From that, Zits learned to not cry, hide his emotions, and become numb to everything. Although, Zits has a heart of stone, he still commits an act of violence towards th...

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...atural human behavior, and there is no way around it. Zits’ journey show that violence is inescapable in all of history. Every single flashback or transformation is filled with murder, brutality and agony. Violence is a dark cloud, casting a shadow over history and tormenting everything good about this world. As a result of his journey, Zits gets a first hand experience and a different perspective of violence by seeing the ugliness of these atrocious acts. Zits has developed a love for violence, he learned to shut down his emotions and act with violence. This allows the cycle of violence to continue which is why the book starts and ends with Zits in the bank about to commit a horrible act. Every flashback in the novel is combined with an act of violence, which shows that people have a habit of hurting one another. Do you believe violence is rooted into human nature?

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