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The Sunflower By Simon Wiesenthal Sparknotes

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In Simon Wiesenthal's nonfiction story The Sunflower, he describes his experiences of anti-Semitism in Poland and in concentration camps during the Holocaust. During his work under the Nazi regime, Simon is beckoned to the deathbed of a Nazi soldier who was fatally wounded during battle. He confesses his crimes as an SS soldier; the only way that he can die peacefully is if he is forgiven by a Jewish person. Simon walks out of the room without giving his forgiveness, which haunts him for years to come. If I were in Simon's position, I most likely would have forgiven him. Not only does it take courage to confess to wrongdoings, it also takes courage to forgive. The SS soldier, Karl, is not forced to confess to a Jew, he takes it upon himself to try to make things right. The genuineness is palpable as Karl grapples for Wiesenthal's hand in the dark to prevent him from leaving. To Karl, Wiesenthal's forgiveness is the difference between dying peacefully and dying in distress. Arguably, Karl could be seen as selfish for forcing his confession on a stranger and asking for forgiveness for his monstrous deeds, but I view it as a sinner asking for mercy. I feel like mercy should be granted to Karl because he is extremely contrite. It is also more work for …show more content…

We all sin and make mistakes, what matters is our desire to make things right afterwards. Karl is clearly distraught with his memories of killing Jewish families, he trembles as he retells the horrid memories. I feel as though refusal to forgive is a form of "hardness of heart." Jesus expressed that just as he loves us we are to "love one another." In order to love our neighbors as Jesus loves us we have to forgive them. We should treat others as we would want to be treated, and I am sure that if Simon were in Karl's position he would also want to be

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