Forgiveness In The Sunflower By Simon Wiesenthal

In The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal, Wiesenthal, a Jew in a concentration camp, is faced with controversial question. Should he forgive the dying SS man? Throughout the book, Wiesenthal mulls over his response to the SS man, Karl. Was it the right choice to leave Karl’s bedside or should he have forgiven him there? “Well, I kept silent when a young Nazi, on his deathbed, begged me to be his confessor” (Wiesenthal 97). If Wiesenthal had chosen to forgive, does that forgiveness include forgetting? Is is possible to forgive and not forget, or in order to forgive, is necessary to forget? Although it is easy to hold grudges and remember past wrongs, forgetting is a key step in forgiveness. If one does not understand the true meaning of forgiveness, how should understand how it truly works? Forgiveness is a communicative action. To forgive, one must “die to one’s self” by releasing his or her bitterness and/or wrath even if it is deserving. Not only is forgiveness “dying to one’s self’, but it is also giving mercy to the offender just as Christ has done for all of humanity.
Mankind is broken and mard due to sin. However, because of Christ’s death and resurrection, humanity can made whole again. Unfortunately, humans still sin. God says to love one another.

“The crux of the matter is, of course, the question of forgiveness. Forgetting is something that time alone takes care of, but forgiveness is an act of violation and only the sufferer is qualified to make the decision” (Wiesenthal 97-98). According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, violate means “to fail to show proper respect for” or ‘to abuse or show disrespect for usually by damaging it”. This would mean that the act of forgiveness is the failure to “show proper respect” or to show contempt for “usually by damage”. If this is the case, forgiveness is not an acceptable things. Forgiveness is not an acceptable things; it is something that God