The Sunflower: The Critical Analysis On Forgivenes

1113 Words5 Pages
The Sunflower: The Critical Analysis on Forgiveness What is the true meaning of forgiveness? Many individuals have their own interpretation of forgiveness and many individuals forgive in different ways. Some feel that to forgive is to acknowledge the wrong that has been done to them and to simply move on as if nothing had happen ; while others feel that one should forgive, but never forget According to the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, to forgive is to cease to feel resentment against (an offender). This definition can arise many questions on the topic of forgiveness and if what Simon Wiesenthal did was actually right. This story takes places during the Holocaust period. During this time the main objective was to capture as many Jews as possible and rid them from society. It was felt that Jews had no place in world and that they should be removed from society. Simon Wiesenthal was one of those many Jews that was captured and taken to one of the many concentration camps to work. While at these concentration camps Jews were expected to work and take orders from the German Army. On one particular day, while at this concentration camp, he and his work detail was sent to clean a hospital that was designated for wounded German soldiers. While on the way to the hospital Simon noticed a cemetery for the soldiers that had been killed or may have died due to other reasons. Simon said that he felt envy of these soldiers because “Each had a sunflower to connect him with the living world, and butterflies to visit his grave. For me there would be no sunflower. I would be buried in a mass grave, where corpses would be piled on top of me. No sunflower would ever bring light into my darkness, and no butterflies would dance above my dreadful tomb.” (14). Once he had arrived at the hospital and began his work detail, Simon was approached by a nurse and asked if he was a
Open Document