Literary notes about Restitution (AI summary)
In literature, restitution is employed as a multifaceted term that ranges from a literal act of amends to a broader symbol of moral and social restoration. In some works, it denotes the concrete return of stolen goods or property, thereby marking the fulfillment of a legal or ethical obligation, such as when a wrongdoer must compensate for their misdeeds [1, 2]. In other narratives, restitution takes on a more abstract significance—signifying the restoration of wholeness or the reestablishment of rightful order, as seen when characters complete their personal or social journeys by reasserting their true identity or reclaiming lost dignity [3, 4]. Additionally, the word is often intertwined with themes of forgiveness, peace-making, or corrective justice in both diplomatic and religious contexts [5, 6].
- A former employee of yours wishes to make a restitution of eight thousand dollars, with interest to date.
— from Parrot & Co. by Harold MacGrath - If he have not wherewith to make restitution for the theft, he shall be sold.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - I complete the restitution by announcing my true name.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - He longed for an opportunity for frank confession and full restitution.
— from The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 2 of 4 by American Anti-Slavery Society - And no war can be reputed just unless it be duly announced and proclaimed, and if it be not preceded by a rational demand for restitution.
— from Cicero's Tusculan Disputations by Marcus Tullius Cicero - If it were eaten by a beast, let him bring to him that which was slain, and he shall not make restitution.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete