The Sunflower

The Nazi’s deathbed plea for forgiveness forms the central theme on which The Sunflower focuses. Wiesenthal’s persistent question, which he passes on to the reader, is “What would I have done?” (98). The many respondents reveal forgiveness to be a complex notion, some viewing it as an unthinkable option, others as a virtue, and others as a moral imperative.

Some respondents suggest that forgiveness is the means by which the victim may recover wholeness after being victimized. Furthermore, some suggest that it is the means by which society, and the universe as a whole, is restored to health and balance. At the other end of the spectrum, some respondents say that forgiveness in this situation was not possible, for it was not for Wiesenthal to forgive on behalf of the dead victims. Many suggest that forgiveness is merely a means of perpetuating evil by setting up a system whereby people may commit crimes and then be forgiven for them after the damage is done.

Some respondents make forgiveness conditional, based on the nature of the crime or the sincerity of the criminal’s repentance. Other respondents believe that it is in the very nature of forgiveness that it be unconditional, that forgiveness is never deserved but that it can nonetheless be conferred.

Several respondents, particularly those writing from the Christian teachings of forgiveness, speak of the notion of “cheap grace,” the idea that people may continue on in their crimes in the knowledge that there is always the possibility of receiving forgiveness. The fear is that forgiving the man for his crimes will set up a system in which people feel free to do whatever harm they please without fear of accountability.