Forgiveness In The Sunflower

The position to choose between forgiving one’s evil oppressor and letting him die in unrest is unlike any other. The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal explores the possibilities and limitations of forgiveness through the story of one Jew in Nazi Germany. In the book, Wiesenthal details his life in the concentration camp, and the particular circumstance in which a dying Nazi asks him for forgiveness for all the heinous acts committed against Jews while under the Nazi regime. Wiesenthal responds to this request by leaving the room without giving forgiveness. The story closes with Wiesenthal posing the question, “What would you have done?” Had I been put in the position that Wiesenthal was in, I would ultimately choose to forgive the Nazi on the basis

that he expressed genuine guilt and also that the act forgiveness brings the option for healing and growth.
We are all imperfect people.

Personally, I make mistakes every single day. For example, over this past winter break, my Mom bought our entire family tickets to the Seattle Boys Choir for the night I got home. Instead of going to the concert with my family I ditched them to go to a party at my high school friends house. My Mom was really hurt by my lack of recognition of her hard work to create a special memory for my family and I. All she wanted to do was spend time with me and I blew her off for something pointless. When I do something I regret, I hope that whoever afflicted would find it in their heart to see that I was sorry, and that they see that given the chance to re-do the situation, I would choose to change my actions. To be clear, I am not in the slightest defending or validating the actions of the Nazi regime during the time of the Holocaust. But as a person who has regretted certain actions or decisions I’ve made, I can understand the root of his need for forgiveness. The Nazi’s plea for forgiveness points toward his recognition of fault. Many Nazi’s were operating on the mindset that the atrocities they were committing were actually in the right. This Nazi, seeing the error in his actions, shows that he realizes what he did was wrong. For some people, the request for forgiveness isn’t enough to justify the act of giving it. In my opinion, if the person who is requesting the forgiveness is genuine in their motives, then they deserve

it.
Wiesenthal was also in a unique position because he was not the direct target of the Nazi’s aggression, but rather more of a general Jewish representative. Many have issues with the idea of displaced forgiveness; that Wiesenthal has no place distributing forgiveness on behalf of an event that didn’t directly affect him. He was more of a stand in for the actual house full of Jews that the Nazi killed. I agree that Wiesenthal should not be forgiving the Nazi for his specific actions in the concentration camps and the houses he burned. He has no authority to speak for a group that was on the receiving end of the Nazi’s oppression. I feel that the forgiveness that Wiesenthal could offer would be more centered on the Nazi’s general involvement in such a heinous period of history. He could serve as more of a figurehead for all the Jews afflicted in concentration camps.
Secondly, forgiveness brings healing and closure to both the person seeking and the person giving forgiveness. The act of forgiving releases a burden off of those who were wronged. It allows them the opportunity to release the suffering and hurt, and get a fair chance at moving forward. This circumstance is so challenging because Wiesenthal is just one Jew amongst millions that were on the receiving end of the brutalities of the Nazi regime. Would his forgiveness speak for the entire Jewish population in the concentration camp? Would the act of Wiesenthal forgiving the Nazi be enough to compensate for all the oppression and hatred inflicted by the Nazis? In my opinion, forgiveness doesn’t hurt. It is a positive step towards freeing one’s self of the burden or hurt. I feel that the best way to move forward is to forgive but not forget, and to be able to release the weight of anger without forgetting what had happened.
Forgiveness is a tool that can be used to help people release the stress and burden of harboring pain. Justified or not, releasing that pain benefits both parties, and clears the air for growth to be made. In the case of Wiesenthal and the Nazi, I feel that Wiesenthal should forgive, on the basis that the Nazi realizes his mistakes, and that Wiesenthal would be able to find personal relief from the grief inflicted on him. Nothing can compensate for the egregious acts of oppression and terror committed by the Nazi regime, but forgiveness is the best way to begin the healing process and start the journey to peace.