Natasa Misic -- Journal Entry 5

Natasa Misic

Journal Entry 5

The Sunflower Ending

Wiesenthal life story takes place in horrible part of history; however, he is one of the few holocaust survivors and therefore was able to share his story with the world. Throughout his lifetime he is haunted by one SS soldier who was dying and asked him for repentance and Simon did not forgive him but instead walked out of the room. At the end of the novel he poses the question to his readers that he has struggled with for a large part of his life. “You, who have just read this sad and tragic episode in my life, can mentally change places with me and ask yourself the crucial question, “What would I have done?”” (p99)

My personal definition of forgives is as follows: Forgiveness is when you accept something wrong someone has done to you and you can let go of that wrong doing and don’t hold it against them any longer. You let the “bad things” go. Forgiveness is saying that you are not mad at that person any longer and will not hold a grudge against them for what has happened in the past.

I believe the SS man had no right to ask Simon for forgives especially if he saw it as forgives from all Jews. I do think that Simon did what most humans would have done in his situation and walked out. He did not feel that he was in power to have a say in a situation like this and could probably never truly forgive what has been done to him by the Germans. The soldiers sins are between him and God and his time will come to be able to clean his slate.

It is good to forgive people because we all make mistakes and do and say things we don’t mean or regret. So we ask for forgiveness. Unfortunately, there are some things that we can’t forget even if we try to forgive them and in my opinion if you can’t forgive and forget you don’t truly forgive someone. If I truly put myself in Simons position, I would not be able to forgive the SS soldier because I could never forgot and would forever hold a grudge against what has happened to my people.